Storage having logical partitioning capability and systems which include the storage

• US 8,386,721 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2008
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Shimada, Kentaro, Hashimoto, Akiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOONAN, ERIC T
• Application Number:
  US12/275,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20090113142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/153
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A storage includes: host interface units; file control processors which receives a file input/output request and translates the file input/output request into a data input/output request; file control memories which store translation control data; groups of disk drives; disk control processors; disk interface units which connect the groups of disk drives and the disk control processors; cache memories; and inter-processor communication units. The storage logically partitions these devices to cause the partitioned devices to operate as two or more virtual NASs.

Claims

1. A storage system comprising:

an interface which is logically partitioned into a first logical interface and a second logical interface based on a first ratio which is adjustable;

a cache memory which is logically partitioned into a first logical cache memory and a second logical cache memory based on a second ratio which is adjustable;

a plurality of disk drives which form a first RAID group and a second RAID group;

a file control processor which controls file type access and is partitioned into a first logical file control processor and a second logical file control processor based on a third ratio which is adjustable; and

a disk control processor which controls block type access and is partitioned into a first logical disk control processor and a second logical disk control processor based on a fourth ratio which is adjustable;

wherein the first logical interface, the first logical cache memory, the first RAID group, the first logical file control processor, and the first logical disk control processor form a first virtual storage system, and when a first file type request is received from a first host computer at the first logical interface, the first logical file control processor translates the first file type request to a first block type request, and the first logical disk control processor controls to read first data corresponding to the first block type request from the first logical cache memory if the first logical cache memory temporarily stores the first data, or controls to read the first data from the first RAID group if the first logical cache memory does not store the first data,

wherein the second logical interface, the second logical cache memory, the second RAID group, the second logical file control processor, and the first logical disk control processor form a second virtual storage system, and when a second file type request is received from a second host computer at the second logical interface, the second logical file control processor translates the second file type request to a second block type request, and the second logical disk control processor controls to read a second data corresponding to the second block type request from the second logical cache memory if the second logical cache memory temporarily stores the second data, or reads the second data from the second RAID group if the second logical cache memory does not store the second data.

2. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the first virtual storage system and the second virtual storage system perform independently.

3. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the first virtual storage system does not execute processing of the second data sent from the second host computer and the second virtual storage system does not execute processing of the first data sent from the first host computer.

4. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein when the first virtual storage system processes the first data, the first logical interface receives the first data, the first logical disk control processor writes the received first data in the first logical cache memory, and the first logical disk control processor writes the first data temporarily stored in the first logical cache memory to the first RAID group, and

wherein when the second virtual storage system processes the first data, the second logical interface receives the second data, the second logical disk control processor writes the received second data in the second logical cache memory, and the second logical disk control processor writes the second data temporarily stored in the second logical cache memory to the second RAID group.

5. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the first ratio, the second ratio, the third ratio and the fourth ratio are determined by performance of the first virtual storage system requested from the first host computer and performance of the second virtual storage system requested from the second host computer.

6. The storage system according to claim 5, further coupled to a supervising terminal,

wherein performance of the first virtual storage system requested from the first host computer and performance of the second virtual storage system requested from the second host computer is input from the supervising terminal.

7. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the first logical interface executes user identification for a user of the first host computer and the second logical interface executes user identification for a user of the second host computer, and

wherein the first logical interface and the second logical interface execute user identification independently.

8. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein logical partition information is stored in the plurality of disk drives, the logical partition information indicates a first virtual storage system and a second virtual storage system,

wherein the first logical interface, the first logical cache memory, the first RAID group, and the first logical disk control processor are allocated to the first virtual storage system by referring to the logical partition information, and

wherein the second logical interface, the second logical cache memory, the second RAID group and the second logical disk control processor are allocated to the second virtual storage system by referring to logical partition information.

9. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the file control processor executes a hypervisor which performs logical partitioning of the interface, the cache memory, and the file control processor.

10. A storage system comprising:

an interface which is logically partitioned into a first logical interface and a second logical interface;

a cache memory which is logically partitioned into a first logical cache memory and a second logical cache memory;

a plurality of disk drives which form a first RAID group and a second RAID group;

a file control processor which controls file type access and is partitioned into a first logical file control processor and a second logical file control processor; and

a disk control processor which controls block type access and is partitioned into a first logical disk control processor and a second logical disk control processor;

wherein the first logical interface, the first logical cache memory, the first RAID group, the first logical file control processor, and the first logical disk control processor form a first virtual storage system, and when a first file type request is received from a first host computer at the first logical interface, the first logical file control processor translated the first file type request to a first block type request, and the first logical disk control processor controls to read a first data corresponding to the first block type request from the first logical cache memory if the first logical cache memory temporarily stores the first data, or controls to read the first data from the first RAID group if the first logical cache memory does not store the first data,

wherein the second logical interface, the second logical cache memory, the second RAID group, the second logical file control processor, and the second logical disk control processor form a second virtual storage system, and when a second file type request is received from a second host computer at the second logical interface, the second logical file control processor translates the second file type request to a second block type request, and the second logical disk control processor controls to read a second data corresponding to the second block type request from the second logical cache memory if the second logical cache memory temporarily stores the second data, or reads the second data from the second RAID group if the second logical cache memory does not store the second data.

11. The storage system according to claim 10, wherein the interface is logically partitioned into the first logical interface and the second logical interface based on a first ratio which is adjustable.

12. The storage system according to claim 10, wherein the cache memory is logically partitioned into the first logical cache memory and the second logical cache memory based on a second ratio which is adjustable.

13. The storage system according to claim 10, wherein the file control processor is partitioned into the first logical file control processor and the second logical file control processor based on a third ratio which is adjustable, and

wherein the disk control processor is partitioned into the first logical disk control processor and the second logical disk control processor based on a fourth ratio which is adjustable.

14. A method of sharing resources in a storage system connected with a first host computer and a second host computer, the method comprising:

partitioning an interface of the storage system into a first logical interface and a second logical interface based on a first ratio which is adjustable;

partitioning a cache memory of the storage system into a first logical cache memory and a second logical cache memory based on a second ratio which is adjustable;

forming a first RAID group and a second RAID group from a plurality of disk drives of the storage system;

partitioning a file control processor of the storage system into a first logical file control processor and a second logical file control processor based on a third ratio which is adjustable;

partitioning disk control processor of the storage system into a first logical disk control processor and a second logical disk control processor based on a fourth ratio which is adjustable;

forming a first virtual storage system from the first logical interface, the first logical cache memory, the first RAID group, the first logical file control processor, and the first logical disk control processor;

forming a second virtual storage system from the second logical interface, the second logical cache memory, the second RAID group, the second logical file control processor, and the second logical disk control processor;

receiving a first file type request from the first host computer at the first logical interface, translating the first file type request by the first logical file control processor to a first block type request, and reading by the first logical disk control processor a first data corresponding to the first block type request from the first logical cache memory if the first logical cache memory temporarily stores the first data, or the first data from the first RAID group if the first logical cache memory does not store the first data;

receiving a second file type request from the second host computer at the second logical interface, translating the second file type request by the second logical file control processor to a second block type request, and reading by the second logical disk control processor a second data corresponding to the second block type request from the second logical cache memory if the second logical cache memory temporarily stores the second data, or the second data from the second RAID group if the second logical cache memory does not store the second data.

15. The method according to claim 14,

wherein the first virtual storage system and the second virtual storage system perform independently.

16. The method according to claim 14,

wherein the first virtual storage system does not execute processing of the second data sent from the second host computer and the second virtual storage system does not execute processing of the first data sent from the first host computer.

17. The method according to claim 14,

wherein when the first virtual storage system processes the first data, the first logical interface receives the first data, the first logical disk control processor writes the received first data in the first logical cache memory, and the first logical disk control processor writes the first data temporarily stored in the first logical cache memory to the first RAID group, and

wherein when the second virtual storage system processes the first data, the second logical interface receives the second data, the second logical disk control processor writes the received second data in the second logical cache memory, and the second logical disk control processor writes the second data temporarily stored in the second logical cache memory to the second RAID group.

18. The method according to claim 14,

wherein the first ratio, the second ratio, the third ratio and the fourth ratio are determined by performance of the first virtual storage system requested from the first host computer and performance of the second virtual storage system requested from the second host computer.

19. The method according to claim 18,

wherein the storage system is coupled to a supervising terminal, and

wherein performance of the first virtual storage system requested from the first host computer and performance of the second virtual storage system requested from the second host computer is input from the supervising terminal.

20. The method according to claim 14,

wherein the first logical interface executes user identification for a user of the first host computer and the second logical interface executes user identification for a user of the second host computer, and

wherein the first logical interface and the second logical interface execute user identification independently.

21. The method according to claim 14,

wherein logical partition information is stored in the plurality of disk drives, the logical partition information indicates a first virtual storage system and a second virtual storage system,

wherein the first logical interface, the first logical cache memory, the first RAID group, and the first logical disk control processor are allocated to the first virtual storage system by referring the logical partition information, and

wherein the second logical interface, the second logical cache memory, the second RAID group and the second logical disk control processor are allocated to the second virtual storage system by referring the logical partition information.

22. The method according to claim 14,

wherein the file control processor executes a hypervisor which performs logical partitioning of the interface, the cache memory, and the file control processor.

23. A method of sharing resources in a storage system connected with a first host computer and a second host computer, the method comprising:

partitioning an interface of the storage system into a first logical interface and a second logical interface;

partitioning a cache memory of the storage system into a first logical cache memory and a second logical cache memory;

forming a first RAID group and a second RAID group from a plurality of disk drives of the storage system;

partitioning a file control processor of the storage system into a first logical file control processor and a second logical file control processor partitioning a disk control processor of the storage system into a first logical disk control processor and a second logical disk control processor;

forming a first virtual storage system from the first logical interface, the first logical cache memory, the first RAID group, the first logical file control processor and the first logical disk control processor;

forming a second virtual storage system from the second logical interface, the second logical cache memory, the second RAID group, the second logical file control processor and the second logical file control processor;

receiving a first file type request from the first host computer at the first logical interface, translating the first file type request by the first logical file control processor to a first block type request, and reading by the first logical disk control processor a first data corresponding to the first block type request from the first logical cache memory if the first logical cache memory temporarily stores the first data, or the first data from the first RAID group if the first logical cache memory does not store the first data;

receiving a second file type request from the second host computer at the second logical interface, translating the second file type request by the second logical file control processor to a second block type request and reading by the second logical processor a second data corresponding to the second block type request from the second logical cache memory if the second logical cache memory temporarily stores the second data, or the second data from the second RAID group if the second logical cache memory does not store the second data.

24. The method according to claim 23,

wherein the interface is logically partitioned into the first logical interface and the second logical interface based on a first ratio which is adjustable.

25. The method according to claim 23,

wherein the cache memory is logically partitioned into the first logical cache memory and the second logical cache memory based on a second ratio which is adjustable.

26. The method according to claim 23,

wherein the file control processor is partitioned into the first logical file control processor and the second logical file control processor based on a third ratio which is adjustable, and

wherein the disk control processor is partitioned into the first logical disk control processor and the second logical disk control processor based on a fourth ratio which is adjustable.