Computer system having a plurality of computers each providing a shared storage access processing mechanism for controlling local/remote access to shared storage devices

• US 6,970,912 B2
• Filed: 05/18/1999
• Issued: 11/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Iwamoto, Hiroshi, Yamada, Kimitoshi, Yoshizawa, Satoshi, Horikawa, Kazuo, Hayashi, Takehisa, Murayama, Hideki, Yashiro, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, Jack B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai V.
• Application Number:
  US09/311,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20030126420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,387 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/215, 709/216, 709/217, 709/222, 709/229, 700/178, 710/29, 710/113, 710/240, 710/305, 711/152, 713/1, 713/200, 714/7, 718/1, 718/104, 707/10, 707/104.1, 707/20, 707/201, 370/480
• US Class Current: 709/216
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/80 in storage media based on magnetic or optical technology, e.g. disks with sectors preventing unauthorised reproduction or copying of disc-type recordable media G11B20/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/062 Securing storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0622 in relation to access
• 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

A computer system having a plurality of computers connected to each other by a computer coupling mechanism. Each computer includes a processor, memory, I/O device, disk control mechanism, computer coupling network adapter, disk requirement processing section connected to a system bus, and a disk connected to a disk control mechanism. The disk requirement processing section controls the disk, in response to a processing requirement for the disk from one of the processors of the other computers, based on structural definition information. The structural definition information describes a structure of the computer system. The computer system may be a loosely-coupled computer system.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a plurality of computers connected to each other and a plurality of shared disks, each of said plurality of shared disks being coupled to at least one of said plurality of computers, each of said plurality of computers comprising:

a processor for issuing a disk request to access to one of said shared disks; and

a disk request processing section, separate from said processor, which

receives said disk request from the processor, determines whether said disk request requests access to a shared disk connected to said computer or requests access to a shared disk connected to another computer and sends said disk request to the shared disk connected to said computer if said disk request requests access to the shared disk connected to said computer, and sends said disk request to said another computer to access a shared disk connected to said another computer if said disk request requests access to the shared disk connected to said another computer.

2. A computer according to claim 1, wherein said disk request processing section further comprises:

a memory for storing structural definition information which describes a structure of said computer system including connections between said computers and said shared disks; and

a disk request judging section for judging which shared disk is requested by said disk request according to said structural definition information.

3. A computer according to claim 2, wherein said disk request processing section further comprises:

a disk request acceptance judging section for checking whether the sender of said disk request has access right to a shared disk to which access is requested according to said structural definition information,

wherein said structural definition information includes a password to allow access to said shared disk to which access is requested.

4. A computer according to claim 2, wherein said structural definition information includes information indicating a correspondence between said shared disks and a plurality of identifiers.

5. A computer according to claim 1, wherein said disk request processing section comprises:

a remote processing disk request section for issuing a remote disk request to said another computer to access the shared disk connected to said another computer.

6. A computer system comprising:

a plurality of computers as defined in claim 1; and

a computer coupling mechanism which connects said plurality of computers to each other,

wherein said each of said plurality of computers sends said disk request to said computer coupling mechanism if a shared disk to which access is requested is connected to another computer connected to said computer coupling mechanism.

7. A computer system according to claim 6, wherein said disk request processing section further comprises:

a memory for storing structural definition information which describes a structure of said computer system; and

a disk request judging section for judging which shared disk to which access is requested by said disk request according to said structural definition information.

8. A computer system according to claim 7, wherein said disk request processing section further comprises:

a disk request acceptance judging section for checking whether the sender of said disk request has access right to a shared disk to which access is requested according to said structural definition information,

wherein said structural definition information includes a password to allow access to said shared disk to which access is requested.

9. A computer according to claim 1, further comprising:

a controller which controls said shared disk connected to said computer,

wherein said disk request processing section receives a disk request from said another computer, and said controller accesses said shared disk connected to said computer when said disk request from said another computer requests access to the shared disk connected to said computer.

10. In a computer system having a plurality of computers coupled to each other and a plurality of shared disks each being coupled to one of said plurality of computers, said each of said plurality of computers comprises:

a processor which outputs a disk request for requesting access to said plurality of shared disk; and

a disk request processing section, separate from said processor, which controls access to said shared disks based on said disk request from said processor,

wherein said disk request processing section comprises;

a memory for storing structural definition information which describes a structure of said computer system including connections between said computers and said shared disks, and

a disk request judging section for judging whether said disk request received from said processor requests access to a shared disk connected to said computer or requests access to a shared disk connected to another computer based on said structural definition information.

11. A disk request processing section according to claim 10, wherein said disk request processing section further comprises:

a disk request acceptance judging section for checking whether a sender of said disk request has access right to a shared disk to which access is requested according to said structural definition information,

wherein said structural definition information includes a password to allow access to said shared disk to which access is requested.

12. A disk request processing section according to claim 10, wherein said structural definition information includes information indicating a correspondence between said shared disks and a plurality of identifiers.

13. A disk request processing section in claim 10, wherein said disk request processing section comprises:

a remote processing disk request section for issuing a remote request to another computer to access the shared disk connected to said another computer if access is requested to the shared disk connected to said another computer.

14. A computer according to claim wherein said disk request processing section receives a disk request from the disk request processing section of said another computer.

15. In a computer system having a plurality of computers coupled to each other and a plurality of shared disks each being coupled to one of said plurality of computers, each of said plurality of computers executes a computer program for controlling access to said plurality of shared disks to be accessed, said computer program comprising:

a first code for receiving a disk request from a processor in said computer requesting access to said shared disks,

a second code for causing said computer to determine whether said disk request received from said processor requests access to a shared disk connected to said computer or requests access to a shared disk connected to another computer; and

a third code for causing said computer to send said disk request received from said processor to said shared disk connected to said computer if said disk request received from said processor requests access to said shared disk connected to said computer, and to send said disk request received from said processor to said another computer if said disk request received from said processor requests access to said shared disk connected to said another computer.

16. A computer program according to claim 15, further comprising:

a fourth code for causing said computer to store structural definition information in a memory, said structural definition information describes a structure of said computer system including connections between said computers and said shared disks;

a fifth code for causing said computer to check whether said disk request requests access to the shared disk connected to said another computer according to structural definition information; and

a sixth code for causing said computer to send said disk request to said another computer if said disk request requests access to the shared disk connected to said another computer.

17. A computer program according to claim 16, wherein said structural definition information includes information indicating a correspondence between said shared disks and a plurality of identifiers.

18. A computer program according to claim 15, wherein said second code comprises:

a code for causing said computer to issue a remote disk request to said another computer to access the shared disk connected to said another computer if access is requested to the shared disk connected to said another computer.

19. A computer program according to claim 15, further comprising:

a fourth code for receiving a disk request from said another computer,

a fifth code for causing said computer to access said shared disk connected to said computer when said disk request from said another computer requests access to said shared disk connected to said computer.

20. In a computer system having a plurality of computers coupled to each other and a plurality of shared disks each being coupled to one of said plurality of computers, each of said plurality of computers comprises:

a processor which outputs a disk request for requesting an access to said plurality of shared disks; and

a disk request processing section, separate from said processor, which controls access to said plurality of shared disks based on said disk request from said processor,

wherein said disk request processing section comprises;

a memory for storing structural definition information which describes a structure of said computer system including connections between said computers and said shared disks,

a request controller for receiving said disk request, from said processor, for accessing a disk which is one of said shared disks, and

a disk request judging section for judging whether said disk request received from said processor requests access to a shared disk connected to said computer or requests access to a shared disk connected to another computer based on said structural definition information.