Storage device and method for data sharing

• US 6,598,129 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2001
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Akira Yamamoto, Minoru Yoshida, Motohiro Kanda, Toshio Nakano
• Original Assignee: Akira Yamamoto, Minoru Yoshida, Motohiro Kanda, Toshio Nakano
• Inventors: Kanda, Motohiro, Yamamoto, Akira, Yoshida, Minoru, Nakano, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hiep T.
• Application Number:
  US09/873,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20010029569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 711/112, 711/147, 711/149
• US Class Current: 711/147
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2003/0697 device management, e.g. handlers, drivers, I/O schedulers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• 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 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0674 Disk device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0676 Magnetic disk device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

In a computer system including a disk subsystem having channel interface compatible to a count-key-data format and a SCSI interface compatible to a fixed length data format, the disk subsystem is connected to a CPU controlled by an open system operating system through the SCSI interface, and connected to an other CPU controlled by a main frame operating system through the channel interface. The CPU is provided with a CKD record access library and a VSAM access library which accesses in a FBA format the VSAM record stored by the other CPU in a CKD format in the disk subsystem and allows the access by an application program of the CPU as a VSAM record based on VSAM control information.

Claims

1. A storage system coupled to a first computer and a second computer, comprising:

a first interface according to count key data (CKD) for receiving first data from the first computer;

a plurality of disk devices for storing the first data; and

a second interface according to a fixed block architecture for receiving a request for the first data from the second computer and sending second data having the first data to the second computer,

wherein the request includes location information designating a location of the first data in the disk devices, and

wherein the location information was sent from the first computer to the second computer.

8. A storage system according to claim 1, wherein the second data includes data according to CKD format.

9. A storage system according to claim 8, wherein the first data is data selected from the second data in the second computer and the selected data is sent to an application program in the second computer.

2. A storage system for a use with an open system computer and a mainframe computer, comprising:

a first interface according to count key data (CKD) for receiving first data from the mainframe computer;

a disk device for storing the first data; and

a second interface according to a fixed block architecture for receiving a request for the first data from the open system computer, and sending second data having the first data to the open system computer,

wherein the second data is identified as track data by the mainframe computer,

wherein the request for the first data includes location information of the first data in the disk device, and

wherein the location information was sent from the mainframe computer to the open system computer.

3. A storage system according to claim 2, wherein the second data includes data according to CKD format.

4. A storage system according to claim 3, wherein a data field of data according to CKD format in the second data is selected in the open system computer, and the selected data field is sent to an application program being executed in the open system computer.

5. A storage system according to claim 3, wherein the second interface is Small Computer System Interface (SCSI).

6. A storage system according to claim 3, wherein the disk device has a plurality of blocks, and

wherein the second data is stored on a plurality of blocks in the disk device.

7. A storage system according to claim 3, wherein the disk device is a SCSI device.

10. A computer system comprising:

a first computer;

a second computer; and

a storage system coupled to said first computer and said second computer,

wherein said storage system comprises;

a first interface according to count key data (CKD) for receiving first data from said first computer,

a storage device for storing the first data, and

a second interface according to a fixed block architecture for receiving a request for the first data from the second computer and sending second data having the first data to the second computer, and

wherein the request includes location information of the first data in the storage device that was sent from said first computer to said second computer.

11. A computer system according to claim 10, wherein the second data includes data according to CKD format.

12. A computer system according to claim 11, wherein said second computer selects a data field of the second data for an application program being executed in said second computer.

13. A computer system comprising:

a first program executed in a first computer;

a second program executed in a second computer; and

a storage system coupled to said first computer and said second computer,

wherein said storage system comprises;

a first interface according to count key data (CKD) for receiving first data from the first computer,

a storage device for storing the first data, and

a second interface according to a fixed block architecture for receiving a request for the first data from the second computer and sending second data having the first data to the second computer,

wherein the request includes location information of the first data in the storage device that was sent from the first program to the second program.

14. A computer system according to claim 13, wherein the second data includes data according to CKD format.

15. A computer system according to claim 14, wherein the second program selects a data field of the second data for an application program being executed in said second computer.