Storage subsystem and performance tuning method

• US 7,624,241 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2006
• Issued: 11/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Satoyama, Ai, Yamamoto, Yasutomo, Eguchi, Yoshiaki, Shimada, Akinobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Chace; Christian P
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRADLEY, MATTHEW A
• Application Number:
  US11/594,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20070055820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 711/162
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3485 for I/O devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2206/1012 Load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

In a storage subsystem, performance tuning is performed with respect to all of the logical devices including external storage subsystems that are not directly connected to host computers. The physical storage units presented by the external storage subsystems are defined as logical devices of the storage subsystem, and I/O processing requests from the host computers are relayed to the logical devices. At the time of relaying, I/O processing conditions are monitored. When the load of an external storage subsystem is high, then operating conditions of ports and processors are examined. When the load can be reduced by changing the configuration of those ports and processors, the configuration is changed to reduce the load. When the load can not be reduced, data is migrated from a logical device having a high load to a logical device having a sufficient performance.

Claims

1. A method for managing a performance of a storage system, the storage system including a storage subsystem including a plurality of storage units and a storage control device coupled to a computer and the storage subsystem, the storage control device providing the host computer with a logical unit assigned to a storage unit of the storage subsystem, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the storage control device, a first access request from the computer to the logical unit;

sending a second access request from the storage control device to the storage unit of the storage subsystem according to a relation between the storage unit of the storage subsystem and the logical unit assigned to the storage unit; and

obtaining performance information relating to the second access request by the storage control device so that the storage control device determines performance relating to the logical unit assigned to the storage unit of the storage subsystem.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of obtaining performance information, measuring a response time of the second access request and calculating performance based upon the response time.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

detecting the plurality of storage units in the storage subsystem; and

by the storage control device, relating the plurality of storage units in the storage subsystem to one or a plurality of logical units to be accessed from the computer.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

if performance indicated by the performance information satisfies a predetermined criteria, migrating data from the storage unit related to the logical unit to another storage unit of another storage subsystem; and

modifying the relation between the storage unit of the storage subsystem and the logical unit assigned to the storage unit.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

creating an access request, which is unrelated to any first access request from the computer, by the storage control device;

issuing the access request from the storage control device to the storage unit of the storage subsystem; and

obtaining performance information relating to the access request by the storage control device so that the storage control device recognizes performance of the storage unit of the storage subsystem.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

based on the performance information obtained by the storage control device, planning a tuning plan for the storage system; and

outputting the tuning plan.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the tuning plan for the storage system includes a data migration plan from one storage unit to another storage unit.