STORAGE SYSTEM, MANAGEMENT METHOD OF THE STORAGE SYSTEM, AND PROGRAM

• US 20120166748A1
• Filed: 12/28/2010
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Satoyama, Ai, Eguchi, Yoshiaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,549,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/165
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays

Abstract

Provided is a technique for realizing allocation of pool areas to virtual volumes in accordance with the use environment of the user with proper cost, while improving the capacity efficiency of media. For this purpose, in the present invention, a pool is constituted by selecting or limiting combinations of tiers of media in the pool to be used (range of tiers that can be used in each pool) for each virtual volume set in a storage system (see FIG. 5).

Claims

1. A storage system comprising:

at least one pool which includes a plurality of storage areas provided from a plurality of storage devices having different attributes; and

,

a processor, in response to a write request from a upper level computer to a virtual volume, that assigns to the virtual volume the storage areas included in the pool and stores target data in the assigned storage areas, wherein the plurality of storage devices having different attributes constitute a plurality of tiers, and

wherein the processor sets up to the virtual volume one or more tiers used to assign the storage areas based on a tier setting instruction input.

2. A storage system according to claim 1, wherein the processor assigns the storage areas to the virtual volume for which a specific tier to be set is not determined, using all of the plurality of tiers.

3. A storage system according to claim 1, wherein the tier setting instruction includes an identification information of the virtual volume for which the tier is set and an identification information of the tier which the virtual volume can use, and wherein the processor sets up the tier to the virtual volume base on the information included in the tier setting instruction.

4. A storage system according to claim 1, wherein the processor sets up the tier to the virtual volume in response to a performance requirement that is needed for an application software which operates in the upper level computer.

5. A storage system according to claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to:

monitor access to the virtual volumes;

specify a tier in which a processing target data should be stored, based on a result of the monitoring; and

migrate the target data based on a first tier storing the target data currently, a second tier in which the target data should be stored, and information of the one or more tiers set up to the virtual volumes.

6. A storage system according to claim 5, wherein if the second tier is included in the one or more tiers set up to the virtual volume and if the second tier is different from the first tier, the processor is configured to determine whether the target data can be migrated to the second tier and to migrate the data.

7. A storage system according to claim 5, wherein

the processor is configured to:

if the first and second tiers are not included in the one or more tiers set up to the virtual volume together, the processor is configured to acquire the storage area in the one or more tiers set up to the virtual volume and to migrate the target data to the acquired storage area.

8. A storage system according to claim 1, wherein

the processor configured to:

specify the one or more tiers set up to the virtual volume based on address information designated by the write request from the upper level computer,

select a tier different from the specified tier among from the one or more tiers set up to the virtual volume if a capacity of the specified tier is insufficient to store the target data, and,

write the target data in the storage area in the selected tier.

9. A management method of a storage system that is coupled with a plurality of storage devices and that provides storage areas of the plurality of storage devices to a upper level computer as logical storage volumes, wherein the storage system includes at least one pool which includes a plurality of storage areas provided from the plurality of storage devices having different attributes;

and, a processor, in response to a write request from a upper level computer to a virtual volume to which at lest one storage area in the pool is assigned, that acquires the storage areas included in the pool and stores target data in the acquired storage areas, and wherein the plurality of storage devices having different attributes constitute a plurality of tiers, the management method comprising the step of the processor setting up to the virtual volume one or more tiers used to assign the storage areas in response to a tier setting instruction input.

10. A management method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of the processor assigning the storage areas to the virtual volume for which a specific tier to be set is not determined, using all of the plurality of tiers.

11. A management method according to claim 9, wherein the tier setting instruction includes an identification information of the virtual volume for which the tier is set and an identification information of the tier which the virtual volume can use, and wherein the processor sets up the tier to the virtual volume base on the information included in the tier setting instruction.

12. A management method according to claim 9, wherein the processor sets up the tier to the virtual volume in response to a performance requirement that is needed for an application software which operates in the upper level computer.

13. A management method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

the processor monitoring access to the virtual volumes;

the processor specifying a tier in which a processing target data should be stored, based on a result of the monitoring; and

the processor migrating the target data based on a first tier storing the target data currently, a second tier in which the target data should be stored, and information of the one or more tiers set up to the virtual volumes.

14. A management method according to claim 13,

wherein, in the migrating step, if the second tier is included in the one or more tiers set up to the virtual volume and if the second tier is different from the first tier, the processor is configured to determine whether the target data can be migrated to the second tier and to migrate the data, and

wherein, if the first and second tiers are not included in the one or more tiers set up to the virtual volume together, the processor is configured to acquire the storage area in the one or more tiers set up to the virtual volume and to migrate the target data to the acquired storage area.

15. A program for managing a storage system that is coupled with a plurality of storage devices and that provides storage areas of the plurality of storage devices to a upper level computer as logical storage volumes, wherein the program causing a processor that provides combinations of the logical storage volumes as virtual volumes through a pool to realize:

a function of generating at least one pool which includes a plurality of storage areas provided from a plurality of storage devices having different attributes;

a function of, in response to a write request from a upper level computer to a virtual volume to which at lest one storage area in the pool is assigned, acquiring the storage areas included in the pool and storing target data in the acquired storage areas;

a function of recognizing the plurality of storage devices having different attributes as a plurality of tiers, and

a function of setting up to the virtual volume one or more tiers used to assign the storage areas in response to a tier setting instruction input.