System for accessing an offline storage unit through an online storage unit

• US 8,078,809 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2008
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Mori, Akihiro, Miyamoto, Kiyohisa, Kimura, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): BRADLEY, MATTHEW A
• Application Number:
  US12/073,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20080183946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,372 Days
• Field of Search: 711/111, 711/154, 711/173
• US Class Current: 711/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0634 by changing the state or mode of one or more devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

By the same method as that of making data access to a data storage area in an online state, it is performed to access a data storage area other than the data storage area. A plurality of logical volumes carried by a disk array apparatus includes an online volume that is in an online state to a host and an offline state that is in an offline state to the host. The host transmits an access command including target information designating a target volume to the disk array apparatus as an access command to a starting volume other than the target volume. The disk array apparatus receives the access command to the starting volume and offers the data access to the target volume on the basis of the target information carried by that access command to the host.

Claims

1. A storage system comprising:

a controller coupled to a host computer;

a plurality of disk drives storing data sent from the host computer;

a plurality of logical volumes relating to at least one of the disk drives;

a first logical volume of the plurality of logical volumes, the first logical volume being recognized as an online logical volume by the host computer, and being a destination of a read/write command sent from the host computer; and

a second logical volume of the plurality of logical volumes, the second logical volume being recognized as an offline logical volume by the host computer,

wherein when the controller receives from the host computer a first read/write command to read/write a first data corresponding to the first read/write command from/to the first logical volume, the first read/write command including a first identifier of the first logical volume as a destination of the first read/write command and a first target information designating a first access address in the first logical volume as a first read/write target, the controller reads/writes the first data corresponding to the first read/write command from/to the first logical volume by referring to the first target information included in the first read/write command, and

wherein when the controller receives from the host computer a second read/write command to read/write a second data corresponding to the second read/write command from/to the first logical volume, the second read/write command including the first identifier of the first logical volume as destination of the second read/write command and a second target information including a second identifier of the second logical volume and designating a second access address in the second logical volume as a second read/write target, the controller reads/writes the second data corresponding to the second read/write command from/to the second logical volume, instead of from/to the first logical volume, by referring the second target information included in the second read/write command.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the second read/write command further includes a second address of the second logical volume which is the read/write target volume.

3. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the first read/write command further includes a first access class code, and the second read/write command further includes a second access class code which is different from the first access class code.

4. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the first logical volume and the second logical volume form a copy pair.

5. The storage system according to claim 4, wherein the first logical volume is a primary volume of the copy pair, and the second logical volume is a secondary volume of the copy pair.

6. A storage system comprising:

a controller coupled to a host computer;

a plurality of disk drives storing data sent from the host computer;

a plurality of logical volumes relating to at least one of the disk drives;

a first logical volume of the plurality of logical volumes, the first logical volume being recognized as an online logical volume by the host computer, and being a destination of a read/write command sent from the host computer; and

a second logical volume of the plurality of logical volumes, the second logical volume being recognized as an offline logical volume by the host computer,

wherein the second logical volume cannot be the destination of the read/write command,

wherein when the controller receives from the host computer a first read/write command to read/write a first data corresponding to the first read/write command from/to the first logical volume, the first read/write command including a first identifier of the first logical volume as a destination of the first read/write command and a first target information designating a first access address in the first logical volume as a first read/write target, the controller reads/writes the first data corresponding to the first read/write command from/to the first logical volume by referring to the first target information included in the first read/write command, and

wherein when the controller receives from the host computer a second read/write command to read/write a second data corresponding to the second read/write command from/to the first logical volume, the second read/write command including the first identifier of the first logical volume as a destination of the second read/write command and a second target information including a second identifier of the second logical volume and designating a second access address in the second logical volume as a second read/write target, the controller reads/writes the second data corresponding to the second read/write command from/to the second logical volume, instead of from/to the first logical volume, by referring the second target information included in the second read/write command.

7. A storage system comprising:

a controller coupled to a host computer;

a plurality of disk drives storing data sent from the host computer;

a plurality of logical volumes relating to at least one of the disk drives;

an online logical volume of the plurality of logical volumes, the online logical volume being a destination of a read/write command sent from the host computer; and

an offline logical volume of the plurality of logical volumes,

wherein the offline logical volume cannot be the destination of the read/write command,

wherein when the controller receives from the host computer a first read/write command to read/write a first data corresponding to the first read/write command from/to the online logical volume, the first read/write command including a first identifier of the online logical volume as a destination of the first read/write command and a first target information designating a first access address in the online logical volume as a first read/write target, the controller reads/writes the first data corresponding to the first read/write command from/to the online logical volume by referring the first target information included in the first read/write command, and

wherein when the controller receives from the host computer a second read/write command to read/write a second data corresponding to the second read/write command from/to the online logical volume, the second read/write command including the first identifier of the online logical volume as a destination of the second read/write command and a second target information including a second identifier of the offline logical volume and designating a second access address in the second logical volume as a second read/write target, the controller reads/writes the second data corresponding to the second read/write command from/to the offline logical volume, instead of from/to the online logical volume, by referring the second target information included in the second read/write command.

8. The storage system according to claim 7, wherein the second read/write command further includes a second address of the offline logical volume which is the target volume.

9. The storage system according to claim 7, wherein the first read/write command further includes a first access class code, and the second read/write command further includes a second access class code which is different from the first access class code.

10. The storage system according to claim 7, wherein the online logical volume and the offline logical volume form a copy pair.

11. The storage system according to claim 10, wherein the online logical volume is a primary volume of the copy pair, and the offline logical volume is a secondary volume of the copy pair.