Management device and management method

• US 7,865,772 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2008
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Mogi, Kazuhiko, Oeda, Takashi, Nishikawa, Norifumi, Kawamura, Nobuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel; Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ehne; Charles
• Application Number:
  US11/968,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20080184068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 714/15, 714/20, 709/223
• US Class Current: 714/20
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 Database-specific techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

A management device stores configuration history information indicating a history of system configuration changes, from this information, specifies a system configuration of a recovery time, which is a certain point in time in the past, specifies a system configuration of the current time, and compares the system configuration of the recovery time with the system configuration of the current time, and based on the results of this comparison, specifies whether or not there is a system configuration part in the system configuration of the current time for which, if data of the recovery time is recovered, a setting change is required in order to access this recovered data. When this system configuration part is specified, the management device constructs a system configuration for enabling a data utilization unit to access the recovered data by issuing an indication related to a required setting change to an element capable of carrying out the setting change for this system configuration part.

Claims

1. A computer system management method in a computer system, the computer system comprising a server;

a virtualization switch, which is connected to the server via a first path;

a storage device, which is connected to the virtualization switch via a second path; and

a management server, which is connected to the server, virtualization switch, and storage device via a network, wherein the management server comprises a configuration history information table, the method comprising;

acquiring, by the management server, and recording in the configuration history information table, a history of the setting information of the computer system when the setting of the computer system is changed;

when there is a recovery command for a prescribed time from the computer system, comparing, by the management server, from among the history information recorded in the configuration history information table, a first configuration information corresponding to the specified recovery time, and a second configuration information corresponding to the current time, and when the two do not coincide, sending, by the management server, the first configuration information to the device, from among the server, virtualization switch, and storage device, in which a setting change is required;

changing, by the device, from among the server, virtualization switch, and storage device, which received the first configuration information, a setting based on this first configuration information,

wherein the management server selects a recovery method of any of recovery methods, which physically and logically restore, or logically restore, or logically and partially restore a system configuration specified by the first configuration information, and

wherein the management server compares the first configuration information and second configuration information, and when the setting of the first path and the second path coincide at the current time and at the recovery time, and path competition is generated, changes the setting of the second path at the current time, and thereafter, changes the setting of the first path at the current time.

2. The computer system management method according to claim 1, wherein the management server sends the first configuration information to any of the server, the virtualization switch, and the storage device, which is connected to the path for which a setting change is required from among the first path or the second path.

3. A management device in a computer system in which a host computer accesses a storage device, the management device comprising:

a configuration history storage unit for storing configuration history information indicating a history of changes in a system configuration, which is a configuration related to an access environment until a data utilization unit which utilizes data, in the host computer, accesses data inside the storage device;

a setting change required/not required specification unit, which, by referencing the configuration history information, specifies a system configuration of a recovery time, which is a certain point in time in the past, and specifies a system configuration of the current time, compares the system configuration of the recovery time with the system configuration of the current time, and based on the results of this comparison, specifies whether or not there is a system configuration part in the system configuration of the current time for which, if data of the recovery time is recovered, a setting change is required in order to access this recovered data;

a data recovery unit for recovering data of the recovery time to the storage device; and

a system configuration construction unit, which, when the system configuration part is specified, constructs a system configuration for enabling the data utilization unit to access the recovered data by issuing an indication related to a required setting change to an element capable of carrying out the setting change for this system configuration part.

4. A management device in a computer system in which a host computer accesses a storage device, the management device comprising:

a configuration history storage unit for storing configuration history information indicating a history of changes in a system configuration, which is a configuration related to an access environment until a data utilization unit which utilizes data, in the host computer, accesses data inside the storage device;

a setting change required/not required specification unit, which, by referencing the configuration history information, specifies a system configuration of a recovery time, which is a certain point in time in the past, and specifies a system configuration of the current time, compares the system configuration of the recovery time with the system configuration of the current time, and based on the results of this comparison, specifies whether or not there is a system configuration part in the system configuration of the current time for which, if data of the recovery time is recovered, a setting change is required in order to access this recovered data;

a data recovery unit for recovering data of the recovery time to the storage device; and

a system configuration construction unit, which, when the system configuration part is specified, constructs a system configuration for enabling the data utilization unit to access the recovered data by issuing an indication related to a required setting change to an element capable of carrying out the setting change for this system configuration part;

a recovery method selection unit for selecting either of a complete recovery, which is a recovery method for recovering a system configuration that is exactly the same as the system configuration at the recovery time, or a copy recovery, which is a recovery method for creating copy data, which is a copy of the recovered data, and for constructing a new system configuration for using this created copy data,

wherein, when the complete recovery is selected as the recovery method, the setting change required/not required specification unit specifies the difference between the system configuration of the current time and the system configuration of the recovery time, and the system configuration construction unit sends to the element related to this difference a setting change indication for restoring this difference to the recovery time system configuration, and

wherein, when the copy recovery is selected as the recovery method, the data recovery unit creates copy data of the recovered data, and, to construct a new system configuration for using this created copy data, the system configuration construction unit sends a setting indication for constructing this new system configuration to an element capable of carrying out a setting in each system configuration part of a new system configuration.

5. The management device according to claim 4, wherein the recovery method selection unit selects complete copy recovery as the copy recovery when recovering all of a data group comprising a plurality of data, and selects partial copy recovery as the copy recovery when recovering a portion of this data group, and

the data recovery unit copies the entire data group at the recovery time when the complete copy recovery is selected, and copies a portion of the data group at the recovery time when the partial copy recovery is selected.

6. A management device in a computer system in which a host computer accesses a storage device, the management device comprising:

a configuration history storage unit for storing configuration history information indicating a history of changes in a system configuration, which is a configuration related to an access environment until a data utilization unit which utilizes data, in the host computer, accesses data inside the storage device;

a setting change required/not required specification unit, which, by referencing the configuration history information, specifies a system configuration of a recovery time, which is a certain point in time in the past, and specifies a system configuration of the current time, compares the system configuration of the recovery time with the system configuration of the current time, and based on the results of this comparison, specifies whether or not there is a system configuration part in the system configuration of the current time for which, if data of the recovery time is recovered, a setting change is required in order to access this recovered data;

a data recovery unit for recovering data of the recovery time to the storage device; and

a system configuration construction unit, which, when the system configuration part is specified, constructs a system configuration for enabling the data utilization unit to access the recovered data by issuing an indication related to a required setting change to an element capable of carrying out the setting change for this system configuration part,

wherein, when other data is stored in a first storage area in the storage device for data of the recovery time, the data recovery unit migrates the other data to a second storage area in the storage device, thereby making the first storage area a free area, and recovers the data of the recovery time to the first storage area, which has become a free area.

7. A management device in a computer system in which a host computer accesses a storage device, the management device comprising:

a configuration history storage unit for storing configuration history information indicating a history of changes in a system configuration, which is a configuration related to an access environment until a data utilization unit which utilizes data, in the host computer, accesses data inside the storage device;

a setting change required/not required specification unit, which, by referencing the configuration history information, specifies a system configuration of a recovery time, which is a certain point in time in the past, and specifies a system configuration of the current time, compares the system configuration of the recovery time with the system configuration of the current time, and based on the results of this comparison, specifies whether or not there is a system configuration part in the system configuration of the current time for which, if data of the recovery time is recovered, a setting change is required in order to access this recovered data;

a data recovery unit for recovering data of the recovery time to the storage device; and

a system configuration construction unit, which, when the system configuration part is specified, constructs a system configuration for enabling the data utilization unit to access the recovered data by issuing an indication related to a required setting change to an element capable of carrying out the setting change for this system configuration part,

wherein, when the storage device comprises a snapshot acquisition unit for acquiring a snapshot, which is an image of data at a certain point in time; and

a storage journal unit, which, each time there is a data update, creates and stores a storage journal, which is a history of this update, and the host computer comprises a log creation unit for creating an update log each time there is a data update, and for storing the update log in the storage device, the data recovery unit causes the storage device to recover data of the recovery time by reflecting not less than one storage journal in a snapshot at a certain point in time, and when this data cannot be recovered because at least one of the not less than one storage journal does not exist, causes the host computer to recover the data using the update log.