RELAY APPARATUS AND RELAY METHOD

• US 20130046875A1
• Filed: 08/08/2012
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: SHINOZAKI, Yoshinari
• Granted Patent: US 9,170,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2064 while ensuring consistency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/288 Distributed intermediate devices, i.e. intermediate devices for interaction with other intermediate devices on the same level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A management information storage section included in a relay apparatus stores first management information for managing an address of a first buffer which stores data transmitted from a first apparatus to a second apparatus and second management information for managing an address of a second buffer corresponding to the first buffer. An information processing section swaps the address of the first buffer managed by the first management information for the address of the second buffer managed by the second management information. A transmission section transmits to the second apparatus data stored at the address of the first buffer swapped between the first management information and the second management information.

Claims

1. A relay apparatus comprising:

a management information storage section which stores first management information for managing an address of a first storage area that stores data transmitted from a first apparatus to a second apparatus and second management information for managing an address of a second storage area corresponding to the first storage area;

an information processing section which swaps the address of the first storage area managed by the first management information for the address of the second storage area managed by the second management information; and

a transmission section which transmits to the second apparatus data stored at the address of the first storage area swapped between the first management information and the second management information.

2. The relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the first management information includes attribute information for identifying a copy source area and a copy destination area for the data;

when the information processing section swaps the address of the first storage area for the address of the second storage area, the information processing section sets the attribute information in the second management information; and

when the transmission section transmits the data to the second apparatus, the transmission section also transmits attribute information for the data to the second apparatus.

3. The relay apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a relationship information storage section which stores relationship information by which the address of the first storage area is associated with the address of the second storage area,

wherein:

when the data is transmitted to the second apparatus, the information processing section refers to the relationship information stored in the relationship information storage section, and specifies the second management information; and

the transmission section refers to the second management information specified by the information processing section at the time of the data being transmitted to the second apparatus, and transmits to the second apparatus data stored at an address managed by the second management information.

4. The relay apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the information processing section reserves the second storage area at timing at which the first storage area is reserved, and stores relationship information for the reserved first storage area and the reserved second storage area in the relationship information storage section.

5. A relay method comprising:

swapping an address of a first storage area managed by first management information stored in a management information storage section for an address of a second storage area corresponding to the first storage area managed by second management information stored in the management information storage section, the first storage area storing data transmitted from a first apparatus to a second apparatus; and

transmitting to the second apparatus data stored at the address of the first storage area swapped between the first management information and the second management information.