Method and apparatus for multistage volume locking

• US 7,197,609 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kano, Yoshiki
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis; Kevin L.
• Application Number:
  US11/479,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20060248303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 271 Days
• Field of Search: 711/114, 711/152, 711/163
• US Class Current: 711/152
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0622 in relation to access
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0662 Virtualisation aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• 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 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A storage subsystem includes a controller having a plurality of ports and a plurality of storage devices configured store information. A lock table includes attribute information and retention information for each of a plurality of storage volumes presented to a host device. The plurality of storage volumes includes a non-virtual volume that maps to a first storage device of the storage subsystem and a virtual volume that maps to a second storage device of an associated storage subsystem. The associated subsystem is linked to the storage subsystem via a communication link. The controller is configured to receive and process a request from a host to modify an attribute of the virtual volume.

Claims

1. A virtualization system coupled to a first and second storage system which stores data written by a host computer, the first and second storage system presenting at least one storage volume as a storage resource to the virtualization system, the virtualization system presenting at least one virtual volume as a storage resource to the host computer, the virtualization system comprising:

a first interface to be coupled to the host computer sending an I/O request;

a second interface to be coupled to the first storage system storing data written by the host computer;

a third interface to be coupled to the second storage system storing data written by the host computer; and

a processor being configured to manage a first storage volume configured with at least one of storage devices in the first storage system as a first virtual volume and to manage a second storage volume configured with at least one of storage devices in the second storage system as a second virtual volume;

wherein, when the virtualization system receives a request to change an attribute of the first virtual volume to write protect state, the virtualization system restricts the host computer from write access to the first storage volume via the first and second interface and further issues a request to write-protect the first storage volume to the first storage system,

wherein, when the virtualization system receives a request to change an attribute of the second virtual volume to write protect state, the virtualization system restricts the host computer from write access to the second storage volume via the first and third interface and further issues a request to write-protect the second storage volume to the second storage system.

2. The virtualization system of claim 1, further comprising:

a lock table including attribute information for each of the first storage volume and the second storage volume;

wherein the virtualization system manages the attribute information of the first storage volume and the second storage volume based on the lock table.

3. The first storage system of claim 2,

wherein the lock table includes a retention period for at least one of the first storage volume and the second storage volume;

and

wherein the attribute assigned to the at least one of the first storage volume and the second volume cannot be changed within the retention period.

4. A computer system comprising:

a first interface to be coupled to a host computer sending an I/O request;

a second interface to be coupled to a storage system storing data written by the host computer;

a processor configured to present at least one virtual volume to the host computer and to conduct the I/O request to the at least one virtual volume, the at least one virtual volume being mapped to at least one of storage devices in the storage system; and

a lock table including attribute information for the at least one of storage devices;

wherein the computer system manages the attribute information of the at least one of storage devices based on the lock table,

wherein, when the computer system receives a request to change an attribute of the virtual volume to write protect state, the compute system restricts the host computer from write access to the at least one of storage devices via the first interface and further issues a request to write-protect the at least one of storage devices to the storage system.

5. The first storage system of claim 4,

wherein the lock table includes a retention period for the at least one of storage devices;

and

wherein the attribute assigned to the at least one of storage devices cannot be changed within the retention period.

6. A method for managing a virtualization system coupled to a first and second storage system which stores data written by a host computer, the first and second storage system presenting at least one storage volume as a storage resource to the virtualization system, the virtualization system presenting at least one virtual volume as a storage resource to the host computer, the virtualization system including a first interface to be coupled to the host computer sending an I/O request, a second interface to be coupled to the first storage system storing data written by the host computer, and a third interface to be coupled to the second storage system storing data written by the host computer, the method comprising:

managing a first storage volume configured with at least one of storage devices in the first storage system as a first virtual volume and managing a second storage volume configured with at least one of storage devices in the second storage system as a second virtual volume;

when the virtualization system receives a request to change an attribute of the first virtual volume to write protect state, restricting the host computer from write access to the first storage volume via the first and second interface and further issuing a request to write-protect the first storage volume to the first storage system; and

when the virtualization system receives a request to change an attribute of the second virtual volume to write protect state, restricting the host computer from write access to the second storage volume via the first and third interface and further issuing a request to write-protect the second storage volume to the second storage system.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

providing a lock table including attribute information for each of the first storage volume and the second storage volume; and

managing the attribute information of the first storage volume and the second storage volume based on the lock table.

8. The method of claim 7,

wherein the lock table includes a retention period for at least one of the first storage volume and the second storage volume;

and

wherein the attribute assigned to the at least one of the first storage volume and the second volume cannot be changed within the retention period.

9. A method of managing a computer system, which includes a first interface coupled to a host computer sending an I/O request and a second interface coupled to a storage system storing data written by the host computer, the method comprising:

presenting at least one virtual volume to the host computer and conducting the I/O request to the at least one virtual volume, the at least one virtual volume being mapped to at least one of storage devices in the storage system;

providing a lock table including attribute information for the at least one of storage devices;

managing the attribute information of the at least one of storage devices based on the lock table;

when the computer system receives a request to change an attribute of the virtual volume to write protect state, restricting the host computer from write access to the at least one of storage devices via the first interface and further issuing a request to write-protect the at least one of storage devices to the storage system.

10. The method of claim 9,

wherein the lock table includes a retention period for the at least one of storage devices;

and

wherein the attribute assigned to the at least one of storage devices cannot be changed within the retention period.