Storage system and data management method in storage system

• US 8,775,600 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2012
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Iwami, Naoko, Kumazawa, Kiyotake, Yamamoto, Akira, Iwasaki, Masaaki, Kodama, Shoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Rupal
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahmed, Mohammed
• Application Number:
  US13/540,855
• Publication Number:
  US 20120271934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information

Abstract

Provided is a storage center including a storage subsystem for storing content data to be used by the user'"'"'s home server, and a center server for controlling the storage subsystem. The center server aggregates the content recording reservation requests sent from several home servers, obtains content data from a content server and stores the content data in the storage subsystem at a designated recording start time, and notifies the user'"'"'s home server that the recording reservation is complete.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a server having a first storage area; and

a storage center coupled to the server, and having a second storage area,

wherein when the server stores first data in the first storage area, the first storage area having a remaining capacity that is not sufficient to store the first data, the server determines whether there is any data stored in both the first storage area in the server and the second storage area in the storage center,

wherein if there is any data stored in both the first storage area in the server and the second storage area in the storage center, the server deletes second data stored in the first storage area to secure a storage area for storing the first data in the first storage area, the deleted second data being included in the data stored in both the first storage area in the server and the second storage area before deleting the second data stored in the first storage area,

wherein if data is not stored in both the first storage area in the server and the second storage area in the storage center, but is stored in the first storage area and is not stored in the second storage area, the server transfers third data, which is the data stored in the first storage area, to the storage center and deletes the third data stored in the first storage area to secure the storage area for storing the first data in the first storage area,

wherein the server manages management information for the second data and the third data, and the storage center manages management information for the second data,

wherein when the server deletes the second data stored in the first storage area, the server deletes the address of the first storage area for the second data in the management information and updates the management information,

wherein after the server transfers the third data to the storage center, the storage center creates the management information for the third data, and

wherein when the server deletes the third data, the server deletes the address of the third storage area for the third data in the management information and updates the management information to indicate that the third data is stored in the storage center.

2. A computer system according to claim 1, wherein the first data, the second data, and the third data are content data.

3. A computer system according to claim 1, wherein the server extracts data having the oldest last access data of the data as the second data.

4. A computer system according to claim 1, wherein the server extracts data having the oldest data of the data stored in the first storage area as the third data.

5. A computer system according to claim 1,

wherein the server has a data management table indicating whether the data is stored in the first storage area and whether the data is stored in the second storage area, and

wherein the server determines whether the data is stored in both the first storage area in the server and the second storage area in the storage center by referring the data management table.

11. A computer system according to claim 1,

wherein after receiving a request to read fourth data, the server refers to the management information, and

wherein if the fourth data is not stored in the first storage area, the server acquires the fourth data from the storage center.

6. A data management method in a computer system, the computer system comprising a server having a first storage area, and a storage center coupled to the server, and having a second storage area, the data management method comprising:

when the server stores first data in the first storage area, the first storage area having a remaining capacity that is not sufficient to store the first data, determining, by the server, whether there is any data stored in both the first storage area in the server and the second storage area in the storage center;

if there is any data stored in both the first storage area in the server and the second storage area in the storage center, deleting, by the server, second data stored in the first storage area to secure a storage area for storing the first data in the first storage area, the deleted second data being included in the data stored in both the first storage area in the server and the second storage area before deleting the second data stored in the first storage area;

if data is not stored in both the first storage area in the server and the second storage area in the storage center, but is stored in the first storage area and is not stored in the second storage area, transferring, by the server, third data, which is the data stored in the first storage area, to the storage center and deletes the third data stored in the first storage area to secure the storage area for storing the first data in the first storage area;

managing, by the server, management information for the second data and the third data, and managing, by the storage center, management information for the second data;

when the server deletes the second data stored in the first storage area, deleting, by the server, the address of the first storage area for the second data in the management information, and updating, by the server, the management information;

after the server transfers the third data to the storage center, creating, by the storage center, the management information for the third data; and

when the server deletes the third data, deleting, by the server, the address of the third storage area for the third data in the management information, and updating, by the server, the management information to indicate that the third data is stored in the storage center.

7. A data management method according to claim 6, wherein the first data, the second data, and the third data are content data.

8. A data management method according to claim 6, further comprising:

extracting, by the server, data having the oldest last access data of the data as the second data.

9. A data management method according to claim 6, further comprising:

extracting, by the server, data having the oldest data of the data stored in the first storage area as the third data.

10. A data management method according to claim 6,

wherein the server has a data management table indicating whether the data is stored in the first storage area and whether the data is stored in the second storage area, and

wherein the server determines whether the data is stored in both the first storage area in the server and the second storage area in the storage center by referring the data management table.

12. A data management method according to claim 6, further comprising:

after receiving a request to read fourth data, referring, by the server, to the management information; and

if the fourth data is not stored in the first storage area, acquiring, by the server, the fourth data from the storage center.