STORAGE SYSTEM AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT METHOD FOR STORAGE SYSTEM

• US 20110231452A1
• Filed: 03/19/2010
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakajima, Noriko, Kano, Yoshiki, Taguchi, Yuichi
• Application Number:
  US12/682,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20110231452A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/803
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0622 in relation to access
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0637 Permissions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Log manipulation by a first administrator is prevented so that the reliability of system auditing can be improved.

After receiving a service start request from a management computer, a storage subsystem creates a first resource group regarding which access by a host computer is permitted, and also creates a second resource group regarding which access by the management computer is permitted. The storage subsystem further creates a data storage area, to which data is to be written by the host computer, and makes the data storage area belong to the first resource group, while it also creates a log storage area, in which log information indicating past operation performed on the data storage area by the host computer is to be recorded, and makes the log storage area belong to the second resource group.

Claims

1. A storage system comprising:

a storage subsystem for providing a host computer operated by a user and a first administrator as a user administrator, with storage areas via a network; and

a management computer operated by a second administrator;

wherein the storage subsystem includes;

a resource group management unit for, after receiving a service start request from the management computer, creating a first resource group, regarding which access by the host computer is permitted, while creating a second resource group regarding which access by the management computer is permitted; and

a storage area configuration management unit for creating a data storage area, to which data is to be written by the host computer, and making the data storage area belong to the first resource group, while creating a log storage area, in which log information indicating past operation performed on the data storage area by the host computer is to be recorded, and making the log storage area belong to the second resource group.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein regarding the storage area belonging to the first resource group, the resource group management unit permits all operations made through the management computer and also permits the host computer to perform account management, write data to, and read data from, the storage area in the first resource group, and input a restoration request, while it prohibits all operations made through any element other than the management computer and the host computer;

and

regarding the storage area belonging to the second resource group, the resource group management unit permits all operations made through the management computer and prohibits all operations made through any element other than the management computer.

3. The storage system according to claim 2, wherein the management computer displays an operation screen for selecting a data copy method based on the content of input for acquisition of the log information in response to the restoration request.

4. The storage system according to claim 3, wherein after receiving a request from the management computer to create a continuous data protection environment, the storage subsystem creates the data storage area so as to make it belong to the first resource group, while it also creates the log storage area, a base storage area for storing copy data of data at certain time in the past, and a restore storage area for restoring data based on the log information in the log storage area and the copy data of the base storage area in response to the restoration request so as to make them belong to the second resource group.

5. The storage system according to claim 4, wherein the storage subsystem assigns an IP address to a port corresponding to the data storage area and provides the data storage area via the network.

6. The storage system according to claim 5, wherein the storage subsystem comprises a differential data management unit for recording the log information in the log storage area belonging to the second resource group when data from the host computer is written to the data storage area.

7. The storage system according to claim 6, wherein after the storage subsystem receives the restoration request from the management computer, the differential data management unit copies data from the data storage area belonging to the first resource group or the base storage area belonging to the second resource group to the restore storage area.

8. The storage system according to claim 7, further comprising another host computer equipped with a virtual computer management unit that, after receiving a request from the management computer to create a virtual computer, creates a virtual computer as a virtual computer image, mounts the restore storage area in the virtual computer, stores, in the restore storage area, data used at specified restoration time, an application for browsing the data, and an operating system for operating the application, and providing them via the network.

9. The storage system according to claim 3, wherein after receiving a request from the management computer to create a snapshot environment, the resource group management unit defines the data storage area to the first resource group, while it defines a storage area, in which differential data is to be stored, to the second resource group.

10. The storage system according to claim 9, wherein when the host computer writes data to the data storage area, the storage subsystem records the log information which is updated, in a storage area created in the second resource group.

11. The storage system according to claim 10, wherein after receiving the restoration request from the management computer, the storage subsystem creates a restore storage area in the second resource group, reads data from a data storage area in the first resource group, copies it to the restore storage area, and writes the log information.

12. The storage system according to claim 3, wherein after receiving a request from the management computer to create a backup environment, the resource group management unit defines a copy-source storage area to the first resource group and also defines a copy-destination storage area to the second resource group.

13. The storage system according to claim 12, wherein the storage subsystem periodically copies data, which is written by the host computer to the copy-source storage area, to the copy-destination storage area in the second resource group.

14. The storage system according to claim 13, wherein after receiving the restoration request from the management computer, the storage subsystem creates the restore storage area in the second resource group, reads data from the copy-destination storage area, and copies it to the restore storage area.

15. A resource management method for a storage system including:

a storage subsystem for providing a host computer operated by a user and a first administrator as the user administrator, with storage areas via a network; and

a management computer operated by a second administrator;

the resource management method comprising;

a resource group management step executed by the storage subsystem, after receiving a service start request from the management computer, for creating a first resource group, regarding which access by the host computer is permitted, while creating a second resource group regarding which access by the management computer is permitted; and

a storage area configuration management step executed by the storage subsystem for creating a data storage area, to which data is to be written by the host computer, and making the data storage area belong to the first resource group, while creating a log storage area, in which past operation performed on the data storage area by the host computer is to be recorded, and making the log storage area belong to the second resource group.