Storage device

• US 7,330,950 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2005
• Issued: 02/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sonoda, Koji, Yamamoto, Akira, Iwasaki, Masaaki, Matsunami, Naoto, Nozawa, Masafumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough; Hyung
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel; Kaushik
• Application Number:
  US11/030,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20050119994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/165
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0649 Lifecycle management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

A storage device is provided with a file I/O interface control device and a plurality of disk pools. The file I/O interface control device sets one of a plurality of storage hierarchies defining storage classes, respectively, for each of LUs within the disk pools, thereby forming a file system in each of the LUs. The file I/O interface control device migrates at least one of the files from one of the LUs to another one of the LUs of an optimal storage class, based on static properties and dynamic properties of each file.

Claims

1. A data migration method for a system including a first storage system having a first controller and a plurality of first disk devices coupled to the first controller, the method comprising steps of:

(a) providing a plurality of storage areas, having various characteristics, by the plurality of first disk devices;

(b) defining storage classes, being hierarchical attributes of storage areas, of the plurality of storage areas of the first storage system, based on the characteristics of the plurality of storage areas of the first storage system, by the first controller;

(c) defining life cycle models, each having a plurality of stages associated with usage statuses of data and a condition of a stage change, for data objects to be stored in the system, by the first controller;

(d) managing, by the first controller, a relation between the stages of the life cycle models and the storage classes;

(e) applying a first life cycle model of the life cycle models to a certain data object to be stored in the system;

(f) based on the relation managed by the first controller and the first life cycle model, storing the certain data object, by the first controller, in a first storage area of the plurality of storage areas of the first storage system, the first storage area being categorized in a first storage class of the storage classes, the first storage class being related to a first stage included in the first life cycle model, when the certain data object is in the first stage of the first life cycle model;

(g) detecting, by the first controller, a second storage system having a second controller and a plurality of second disk devices coupled to the second controller, another plurality of storage areas being provided by the plurality of second disk devices, when the second storage system is coupled to the first storage system;

(h) issuing a request to obtain characteristics information of the another plurality of storage areas of the second storage system from the first controller to the second controller;

(i) defining, by the first controller, the storage classes of the another plurality of storage areas of the second storage system based on the characteristics information of the another plurality of storage areas of the second storage system obtained from the second controller in response to the request;

(j) based on the relation managed by the first controller and the first life cycle model, selecting, by the first controller, a second storage area of the another plurality of storage areas of the second storage system as a migration target, the second storage area being categorized in a second storage class of the storage classes, the second storage class being related to a second stage included in the first life cycle model;

(k) controlling, by the first controller, a migration operation of the certain data object from the first storage area to the second storage area, when the certain data object is in the second stage of the first life cycle model.

2. A data migration method according to claim 1,

wherein when the certain data object is in the first stage, the certain data object is updated more frequently than when the certain data object is in the second stage.

3. A data migration method according to claim 1,

wherein in the first life cycle model, a third stage, in which the certain data object is to be archived, is further included.

4. A data storing method according to claim 1,

wherein the first storage system has Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) disk devices and Fibre Channel (FC) disk devices coupled to the first controller, and an FC logical unit configured by the FC disk devices and an ATA logical unit configured by the ATA disk devices are provided as the plurality of storage areas on the first storage system.

5. A data storing method according to claim 1,

wherein in the step of defining life cycle models, a life cycle model is defined for a data object based on an application creating the data object.

6. A system for storing data in a plurality of storage areas, comprising:

a first controller;

a plurality of storage areas, having various characteristics, provided by a plurality of first disk devices coupled to the first controller;

storage class information, managed by the first controller, defining storage classes of the plurality of storage areas, wherein the storage classes are hierarchical attributes of the plurality of storage areas determined based on the characteristics of the plurality of storage areas;

life cycle information, managed by the first controller, defining life cycle models, each including a plurality of stages associated with usage statuses of data, applied to data objects to be stored in the system; and

relation information, managed by the first controller, indicating a relation between the stages of the life cycle models and the storage classes,

wherein a first life cycle model selected from the life cycle models is applied to a certain data object,

wherein when the certain data object is in a first stage of the first life cycle model, the first controller controls to store the certain data object in a first storage area of the plurality of storage areas, the first storage area being categorized in a first storage class defined by the storage class information, the first storage class being related to the first stage of the first life cycle model according to the relation information,

wherein when a second storage system including a second controller and a plurality of second disk devices configuring another plurality of storage areas is coupled to the first controller, the first controller detects the second storage system.

wherein the first controller issues a request to obtain characteristics information of the another plurality of storage areas of the second storage system from the second controller,

wherein the first controller defines the storage classes of the another plurality of storage areas of the second storage system based on the characteristics information of the another plurality of storage areas of the second storage system obtained in response to the request,

wherein the first controller selects a second storage area of the another plurality of storage areas of the second storage system as a migration target, the second storage area being categorized in a second stage class according to the storage class information, the second storage class being related to a second stage included in the first life cycle model according to the relation information,

wherein when the certain data object is in the second stage of the first life cycle model, the first controller controls a migration operation of the certain data object from the first storage area to the second storage area.

7. A system for storing data according to claim 6,

wherein in the plurality of stages of the life cycle model, a first type stage, in which the data object is updated, and a second type stage, in which the data object is referred, are included.

8. A system for storing data according to claim 7,

wherein in the plurality of stages of the life cycle model, a third type stage, in which the data object is archived, is further included.

9. A system for storing data according to claim 6,

wherein the first storage system has Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) disk devices and Fibre Channel (FC) disk devices coupled to the first controller, and an FC logical unit configured by the FC disk devices and an ATA logical unit configured by the ATA disk devices are provided as the plurality of storage areas on the first storage system.

10. A system for storing data according to claim 6,

wherein a life cycle model is defined for a data object based on an attribute of the data object.