Storage device

• US 7,356,660 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2005
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• 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 S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, KAUSHIKKUMAR M
• Application Number:
  US11/121,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20050203964A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 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 system for storing data of files comprising:

a first storage system having a first logical unit configured by a plurality of first disk devices, a second logical unit configured by a plurality of second disk devices, and a first controller coupled to the plurality of first disk devices and the plurality of second disk devices, characteristics of the first logical unit being different from characteristics of the second logical unit, and

a controller coupled to the first storage system, managing a first file system configured in the first logical unit and a second file system configured in the second logical unit as local file systems, and managing data objects stored in the first logical unit and the second logical unit as files,

wherein the controller defines storage classes of the first logical unit and the second logical unit based on the characteristics of the first logical unit and the second logical unit,

wherein based on the storage classes and a storing condition for determining a storing location of a certain file to be stored in the system, the controller determines the first logical unit as the storing location of the certain file and controls to store data of the certain file in the first logical unit,

wherein when a second storage system having a third logical unit configured by a plurality of third disk devices and a second controller coupled to the plurality of third disk devices is coupled to the controller, the controller detects the second storage system and obtains characteristics information of the third logical unit,

wherein the controller defines a storage class of the third logical unit based on the characteristics information of the third logical unit,

wherein the controller determines whether or not a third file system is configured in the third logical unit based on the characteristic information, and

wherein if the third file system is configured in the third logical unit by the second storage system, the controller manages the third file system as a remote file system, and controls a migration operation of the certain file from the first file system to the third file system based on the storage class of the third logical unit and a migration condition for the certain file.

2. A system for storing data of files according to claim 1,

wherein if the third file system is not configured in the third logical unit by the second storage system, the controller configures a fourth file system in the third logical unit and manages the fourth file system as a local file system, and

wherein the controller controls a migration operation of data of the certain file from the first logical unit to the third logical unit based on the storage class of the third logical unit and the migration condition for the certain file.

3. A system for storing data of files according to claim 1, wherein the controller issues a request to the second storage system for obtaining the characteristics information of the third logical unit, and obtains the characteristics information indicating whether or not the third file system is configured in the third logical unit in response to the request.

4. A system for storing data of files according to claim 1,

wherein the second controller defines the storage class of the third logical unit,

wherein when the certain file is migrated from the first file system to the third file system, the controller transmits information indicating the migration condition for the certain file to the second controller, and

wherein the second controller determines the third logical unit as a location for storing data of the certain file based on the storage class defined by the second controller and the information indicating the migration condition for the certain file.

5. A system for storing data of files according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first disk devices are Fibre Channel (FC) disk devices,

wherein the plurality of second disk devices and the plurality of third disk devices are Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) disk devices, and

wherein the controller defines different storage classes for the first logical unit and the third logical unit based on types of disk devices configuring the first logical unit and the third logical unit.

6. A system for storing data of files according to claim 5,

wherein the controller issues a request to the second storage system to obtain the characteristics information of the third logical unit,

wherein the characteristics information including information indicating a type of the plurality of third disk devices configuring the third logical unit, and

wherein the controller defines the storage class for the third logical unit based on the type of the plurality of third disk devices.

7. A system for storing data of files according to claim 1,

wherein the storing condition for the certain file and the migration condition for the certain file are determined based on an application creating the certain file.

8. A system for storing data of files comprising;

a first storage system having a first logical unit configured by a plurality of first disk devices and a first controller coupled to the plurality of first disk devices, and

a controller coupled to the first storage system, managing a first file system configured in the first logical unit and managing data objects stored in the first logical unit as files,

wherein when a second storage system having a second logical unit configured by a plurality of second disk devices and a second controller coupled to the plurality of second disk devices is coupled to the controller, the controller detects the second storage system, and obtains characteristics information of the second logical unit,

wherein the controller determines whether or not a second file system is configured in the second logical unit based on the characteristics information,

wherein if the second file system is configured in the second logical unit by the second storage system, the controller manages the second file system as a remote file system, and controls a migration operation of a certain file from the first file system to the second file system, and

wherein if the second file system is not configured in the second logical unit by the second storage system, the controller configures a third file system in the second logical unit, manages the third file system as a local file system, and controls a migration operation of data of the certain file from the first logical unit to the second logical unit.

9. A system for storing data of files according to claim 8, wherein the controller issues a request to the second storage system for obtaining the characteristics information of the second logical unit, and obtains the characteristics information indicating whether or not the second file system is configured in the second logical unit in response to the request.