Software management method for a storage system, and storage system

• US 7,197,608 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2004
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Ikuko, Kimura, Shinji, Mikuma, Ayumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bragdon; Reginald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Flournoy; Horace L.
• Application Number:
  US10/887,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20050228948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/151
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0637 Permissions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices

Abstract

The storage system creates a volume for storing information specific to a user, and a volume for storing software shared by a plurality of users, links these volumes on the basis of the software usage status of the users, and virtually builds one region and supplies same to the users.

Claims

1. A storage system connected to a plurality of computers, comprising:

a plurality of disk devices including a plurality of virtual volumes configured to correspond to a plurality of users, respectively; and

a control block operatively connected to the plurality of disk devices and configured to control the plurality of disk devices,

wherein

at least one of the plurality of virtual volumes includes at least one shared volume in which software used by the plurality of users is stored, and at least one private volume having private information of a corresponding user, and

the control block, in response to a data read command with respect to a first virtual volume, reads data from one of a first private volume and a first shared volume of the first virtual volume corresponding to a first user issuing the data read command and transmits the data to the first user, wherein

the control block retrieves the data based on a priority rule which prioritizes reading from the first private volume at a higher priority than reading from the first shared volume.

2. A storage system according to claim 1,

wherein, based on a data write command with respect to a second virtual volume, the control block writes data corresponding with the write command to the private volume contained in the second virtual volume corresponding with the user of the plurality of users, who indicated that the write command should be issued.

3. A storage system according to claim 2,

wherein, when writing data according to the write command, the control block copies data targeted by the write command to the private volume contained in the second virtual volume, and updates the copied data according to the write command.

4. A storage system according to claim 3, comprising:

a memory,

wherein, when the copying of data to the private volume contained in the second virtual volume occurs on the basis of the write command, the control block stores a first information item about the location where the copied data is stored in the private volume, in the memory, in association with information about the location where copy source data is stored in a shared volume.

5. A storage system according to claim 4, wherein, upon receiving the read command, in cases where information on the copying of data relating to the first user is contained in the first information item stored in the memory, the control block prioritizes the reading of information stored in the first private volume from among the volumes contained in the first virtual volume.

6. A storage system according to claim 5, wherein the memory includes a second information item representing the relationship between a virtual volume, private volume and shared volume of each of the plurality of users.

7. A storage system according to claim 6, wherein an operating system used by a computer is stored in a shared volume and the plurality of computers each start up by using remote booting and reading of the operating system.

8. A storage system according to claim 7, wherein information indicating a relationship between a name of the first user, a name of the private volume of the first virtual volume, a name of the software used by the first user, and a name of the shared volume in which the software is stored, is stored in the second information item.

9. A storage system according to claim 8, wherein, in cases where a user is added, the control block establishes a private volume corresponding with the newly added user from the plurality of volumes, selects a shared volume where the software used by the added user is stored among the at least one shared volume, and creates a virtual volume corresponding with the added user from the established private volume and the selected shared volume.

10. A storage system according to claim 9,

wherein, when there is a user who suspends usage of storage, the control block deletes a private volume contained in a virtual volume corresponding with the user who suspends the usage, and deletes information relating to the virtual volume corresponding with the user suspending the usage from the second information item.

11. A storage system according to claim 10,

wherein, in cases where software is stored in any of the plurality of volumes, the control block registers a volume where the software is stored in the second information item as the new shared volume.

12. A storage system according to claim 11,

wherein, in cases where the usage of software stored in a shared volume is requested by any of the plurality of users, the control block associates the shared volume in which the requested software is stored with the virtual volume corresponding with the user who has issued the request, and then adds information corresponding to the second information item.

13. A storage system according to claim 12,

wherein information on a license for software that is stored in the shared volume of each of the plurality of users is included in the second information item;

and

when the request is received, the control block requests, from the user who has issued the request, information regarding the existence of a license for the software that is the target of the request, and judges whether or not the user who has issued the request is able to use the software on the basis of the information on the existence of a license received from the user who has issued the request and information on the license registered in the second information item.

14. A storage system according to claim 13, wherein, in cases where any of the plurality of users suspends usage of software stored in the shared volume, the control block deletes information on the relationship between the virtual volume corresponding with the user suspending usage of the software and the shared volume in which the software is stored from the second information item.

15. A storage system connected to a plurality of computers, comprising:

a plurality of disk devices including a plurality of virtual volumes configured to correspond to a plurality of users, respectively; and

a control block operatively connected to the plurality of disk devices and configured to control the plurality of disk devices,

wherein

at least one of the plurality of virtual volumes includes at least one shared volume in which software used by the plurality of users is stored, and at least one private volume having private information of a corresponding user, ; and

the control block, in response to a data read command with respect to a first virtual volume, reads data from one of a first private volume and a first shared volume of the first virtual volume corresponding to a first user issuing the data read command, wherein

the control block retrieves the data based on a priority rule which prioritizes reading from the first private volume at a higher priority than reading from the first shared volume,

in response to a data write command with respect to a second virtual volume, the control block writes data associated with the data write command in a second private volume of the second virtual volume corresponding to a second user issuing the data write command , wherein

the control block copies data targeted by the data write command and stored in a second shared volume to the second private volume of the second virtual volume, and updates the copied data according to the data write command.

16. A storage system connected to a plurality of computers, comprising:

a plurality of disk devices including a plurality of virtual volumes configured to correspond to a plurality of users, respectively; and

a control block operatively connected to the plurality of disk devices and configured to control the plurality of disk devices,

wherein

at least one of the plurality of volumes includes at least one shared volume in which software used by the plurality of users is stored and at least one private volume having private information of a corresponding user,

wherein the control block uses differing combinations including at least one of the shared volume and at least one of the private volume to create a virtual volume for differing ones of the plurality of users; and

when reading data from one of the plurality of virtual volumes corresponding to a user issuing a read command, the control block checks whether a read command target file is stored in a private volume of the one of the plurality of virtual volumes, and if the target file is in the private volume, the control block reads the target file from the private volume based on the read command, and if the target file is not in the private volume, the control block reads the target file from a shared volume; and

when writing data to one of the plurality of virtual volumes corresponding to a user issuing a write command, the control block checks whether a write command target file is stored in a private volume of the one of the plurality of virtual volumes, and if the target file is in the private volume, the control block updates the target file based on the write command, and if the target file is not in the private volume, the control block searches a shared volume, reproduces the target file in the private volume from the shared volume if the target file is found in the shared volume, and updates the reproduced file based on the write command such that setting information for the user is reflected in software including the target file and stored in the private volume.

17. A storage system connected to a plurality of computers, comprising:

at least one disk device including a plurality of virtual volumes configured to correspond to a plurality of users, respectively

a control block operatively connected to the at least one disk device and configured to control the at least one disk device;

and a volume management table configured to be accessed by the control block,

wherein at least one of the plurality of virtual volumes includes at least one shared volume to store software available to at least one of the plurality of users, and at least one private volume having private information of a corresponding user,

wherein the volume management table includes information representing a relationship of each of the plurality of users with the software and the at least one shared volume that stores the software

wherein the control block, in response to a data read command with respect to a first virtual volume, reads data from one of a first private volume and a first shared volume of the first virtual volume corresponding to a first user issuing the data read command and transmits the data to the first user,

and wherein the control block retrieves the data based on a priority rule which prioritizes reading from the first private volume at a higher priority than reading from the first shared volume.