Storage management method and management server

• US 8,122,116 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2009
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Matsunaga, Naoyuki, Kusama, Takato, Beniyama, Nobuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Swearingen, Jeffrey R
• Application Number:
  US12/352,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20100115049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 718/104, 709/219, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45583 Memory management, e.g. access or allocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0626 Reducing size or complexity of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455

Abstract

A method for moving a virtual machine is provided which considers an input/output between array groups and virtual machines after being moved. The computer system includes a physical server executing the virtual machines, a storage device having array groups, and a management server that manages a link between the virtual machines and the array groups. The computer system is characterized in that an estimated I/O volume of the virtual machine after being moved is calculated and that, if the estimated I/O volume exceeds the maximum I/O volume of the array group connected to the moved virtual machine, a search is made to find an array group whose maximum I/O volume is smaller than the estimated I/O volume.

Claims

1. A storage management method in a computer system wherein the computer system has a virtual machine running on a physical server and a storage device and also a management server that manages a relation between the virtual machine and the physical server and a relation between the virtual machine and the storage device;

wherein the management server stores in a memory unit thereof allowable input/output information on an allowable input/output data volume of a memory device in the storage device;

wherein, when the management server moves the virtual machine from the physical server on which the virtual machine is currently mounted to another preselected physical server through an input unit, the management server;

retrieves device information about the virtual machine to be moved,

based on the retrieved device information, calculates an estimated input/output data volume, which is an estimated input/output data volume in the virtual machine to be moved,

if the calculated estimated input/output data volume is greater than an allowable input/output data volume in the memory device accessible to the virtual machine, searches for another device whose estimated input/output data volume is less than the allowable input/output data volume,

relates the searched memory device with the virtual machine to be moved,

moves the virtual machine to be moved to the other physical server, and

wherein the memory unit stores past device information and past input/output data volumes of the virtual machine to be moved;

wherein the management server;

retrieves a time when the past device information in the physical server executing the virtual machine to be moved before being moved is not in excess of a device performance limit value of the device information,

retrieves the past input/output data volumes in the retrieved time,

calculates a relation equation between the retrieved past input/output data volumes and the time,

calculates input/output data volumes in a predetermined time, based on the relation equation, and

sets the calculated input/output data volumes as the estimated input/output data volumes.

2. The storage management method according to claim 1, wherein the memory unit stores estimated input/output data volume information, the estimated input/output data volume information representing an estimated input/output data volume in the virtual machine to be moved after being moved held in a matching relation with the destination physical server and with the device information of the virtual machine to be moved;

wherein, based on the device information of the virtual machine to be moved and of the destination physical server, the management server retrieves the estimated input/output data volume information to calculate the estimated input/output data volumes corresponding to the estimated input/output data volume information.

3. The storage management method according to claim 1, wherein the memory unit stores estimated input/output data volume information, the estimated input/output data volume information representing an estimated input/output data volume in the virtual machine to be moved after being moved held in a matching relation with an application and with the device information of the virtual machine to be moved using the application;

wherein, based on the application in the virtual machine to be moved and the device information of the virtual machine to be moved, the management server retrieves the estimated input/output data volume information to calculate the estimated input/output data volumes corresponding to the estimated input/output data volume information.

4. The storage management method according to claim 1, wherein the memory device is made up of a plurality of memory devices constructed in a layered structure;

wherein the management server;

when a search is made to find a memory device whose allowable input/output data volume is less than the estimated input/output data volume, searches through the storage device in a layer to which the memory device belongs and,

if the memory device whose estimated input/output data volume is less than the allowable input/output data volume is not found in the storage device of that layer, searches through another storage device in a higher layer.

5. The storage management method according to claim 1, wherein a CPU allocation and a memory allocation to the virtual machine to be moved in the destination physical server can be set through an input/output unit.

6. The storage management method according to claim 1, wherein the management server, based on the estimated input/output data volume, sets a limit value on input/output data in the memory device used by the virtual machine to be moved,

after the virtual machine to be moved is moved by the physical server, monitors the input/output data volume of the virtual machine to be moved, and

when the input/output data volume of the virtual machine to be moved exceeds the limit value, searches for another memory device whose estimated input/output data volume is less than the allowable input/output data volume.

7. The storage management method according to claim 6, wherein the management server also monitors input/output data volume in a port of the storage device in addition to the input/output data volume of the virtual machine to be moved.

8. A management server managing a relation between a virtual machine and a physical server and a relation between the virtual machine and a storage device, the management server comprising:

a memory unit comprising a database storage device storing allowable input/output information about an allowable input/output data volume of a memory device in the storage device;

an estimated value calculation unit to, when moving the virtual machine to be moved from the physical server on which the current virtual machine is mounted to a preselected another physical server through an input unit, retrieve device information about the virtual machine to be moved and, based on the retrieved device information, calculate an estimated input/output data volume of the virtual machine to be moved after being moved;

a search unit to, when the calculated estimated input/output data volume is greater than the allowable input/output data volume in the memory device accessible to the virtual machine to be moved, search for another memory device whose estimated input/output data volume is less than the allowable input/output data volume;

a storage configuration change unit to relate the searched memory device with the virtual machine to be moved;

a virtual machine configuration change unit to move the virtual machine to be moved to another physical server, and

wherein the memory unit stores past device information and past input/output data volumes of the virtual machine to be moved;

wherein the estimated value calculation unit further has functions to;

retrieve a time when the past device information in the physical server executing the virtual machine to be moved, before being moved, is not in excess of a device performance limit value of the device information,

retrieve the past input/output data volumes in the retrieved time,

calculate a relation equation between the retrieved past input/output data volumes and the time,

calculate input/output data volumes in a predetermined time, based on the relation equation, and

set the calculated input/output data volumes as the estimated input/output data volumes.

9. The management server according to claim 8, wherein the memory unit stores estimated input/output data volume information, the estimated input/output data volume information representing an estimated input/output data volume in the virtual machine to be moved after being moved, held in a matching relation with the destination physical server and with the device information of the virtual machine to be moved;

wherein the estimated value calculation unit, based on the virtual machine to be moved and the device information in the destination physical server, retrieves the corresponding estimated input/output data volume from the estimated input/output data volume information to calculate the estimated input/output data volume.

10. The management server according to claim 8, wherein the memory unit stores estimated input/output data volume information, the estimated input/output data volume information representing an estimated input/output data volume in the virtual machine to be moved, after being moved, held in a matching relation with an application and with the device information of the virtual machine to be used using the application;

wherein the estimated value calculation unit, based on an application in the virtual machine to be moved and the device information of the virtual machine to be moved, retrieves the corresponding estimated input/output data volume from the estimated input/output data volume information to calculate the estimated input/output data volume.

11. The management server according to claim 8, wherein the memory device is made up of a plurality of memory devices constructed in a layered structure;

wherein the search unit further has functions to;

when a search is made to find a memory device whose estimated input/output data volume is less than the allowable input/output data volume, search through the storage device in a layer to which the memory device belongs and,

if the memory device whose estimated input/output data volume is less than the allowable input/output data volume is not found in the storage device of that layer, search through another storage device in a higher layer.

12. The management server according to claim 8, wherein a CPU allocation and a memory allocation to the virtual machine to be moved in the destination physical server can be set through an input/output unit.

13. The management server according to claim 8, wherein the estimated value calculation unit, based on the estimated input/output data volume, further has a function to set a limit value on input/output data in the memory device used by the virtual machine to be moved;

wherein the search unit further has a function to, after the virtual machine to be moved is moved by the physical server, monitor the input/output data volume of the virtual machine to be moved and, when the input/output data volume of the virtual machine to be moved exceeds the limit value, search for a memory device whose allowable input/output data volume is less than the estimated input/output data volume.