Storage system and data management method

• US 9,740,420 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2013
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Matsui, Yuko, Homma, Shigeo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bataille, Pierre-Michel
• Application Number:
  US14/758,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20150339076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,615 Days
• Field of Search: 711170, 711162, 711165
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0629 Configuration or reconfiguration of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• 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 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

A storage system comprises a storage apparatus and a storage device that is a basis for a storage area provided to the storage apparatus. The storage device determines whether or not a first format that is a format of data stored in the storage device and a second format that is a format of data utilized by the storage apparatus managing the data match with each other, and performs format conversion of either converting data in the first format to data in the second format or converting data in the second format to data in the first format in a case where the first format and the second format do not match with each other.

Claims

1. A storage system comprising:

a storage apparatus; and

a storage device that is a basis for a storage area provided to the storage apparatus,

the storage device being configured to determine whether or not a first format that is a format of data stored in the storage device and a second format that is a format of data utilized by the storage apparatus managing the data match with each other and perform format conversion of either converting data in the first format to data in the second format or converting data in the second format to data in the first format in a case where the first format and the second format do not match with each other,

wherein the storage device is a storage device configured to perform writing of data in a predetermined page unit and perform erasure of data in a unit of a block forming a plurality of pages, and

wherein the storage device is configured to perform, upon execution of reclamation in which data of a page within a predetermined block of the storage device is moved to another block, the determination with respect to data to be moved in the reclamation.

2. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the storage device is configured to, in a case where a read request has been received from the storage apparatus, perform the determination for data that is a target of the read request, and transmit data in the second format obtained by the format conversion to the storage apparatus.

3. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the storage device is configured to, in a case where a write request has been received from the storage apparatus, perform the determination for data that is a target of the write request, and store data in the first format obtained by the format conversion.

4. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the storage device is configured to receive, from a storage apparatus after replacement in which the data is managed, information for identifying a second format utilized by the storage apparatus, and

wherein the determination is a determination on whether or not a second format corresponding to the received information and a first format of the data match with each other.

5. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the storage device is configured to receive, from a storage apparatus after change in which the data is to be managed due to load balance, information for identifying a second format utilized by the storage apparatus, and

wherein the determination is a determination on whether or not a second format corresponding to the received information and a first format of the data match with each other.

6. The storage system according to claim 1, further comprising, aside from a first storage device that is the storage device, a second storage device that is not capable of executing the determination and the format conversion,

wherein, in a case of an access with respect to the first storage device, the storage apparatus is configured to not execute the determination for data that is a target of the access while the first storage device is configured to perform the determination for the data that is a target of the access, and

wherein, in a case of an access with respect to the second storage device, the storage apparatus is configured to execute the determination for data that is a target of the access.

7. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the storage device is configured to store information for identifying the first format and information for identifying the second format.

8. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the storage apparatus is configured to transmit information for identifying the second format, to the storage device at a time of start-up of the storage apparatus.

9. A data management method comprising:

determining, by a storage device that is a basis for a storage area provided to a storage apparatus, whether or not a first format that is a format of data stored in the storage device and a second format that is a format of data utilized by the storage apparatus managing the data match with each other; and

performing, by the storage device, format conversion of either converting data in the first format to data in the second format or converting data in the second format to data in the first format in a case where the first format and the second format do not match with each other,

wherein the storage device is a storage device configured to perform writing of data in a predetermined page unit and perform erasure of data in a unit of a block forming a plurality of pages, and

performing, the storage device, upon execution of reclamation in which data of a page within a predetermined block of the storage device is moved to another block, the determination with respect to data to be moved in the reclamation.

10. The data management method according to claim 9,

in a case where a read request has been received from the storage apparatus, performing, by the storage device, the determination for data that is a target of the read request, and transmitting, by the storage device, data in the second format obtained by the format conversion to the storage apparatus.

11. The data management method according to claim 9,

in a case where a write request has been received from the storage apparatus, performing, by the storage device, the determination for data that is a target of the write request, and storing, by the storage device, data in the first format obtained by the format conversion.

12. The data management method according to claim 9,

receiving, by the storage device, from a storage apparatus after replacement in which the data is managed, information for identifying a second format utilized by the storage apparatus, and

wherein the determination is a determination on whether or not a second format corresponding to the received information and a first format of the data match with each other.

13. The data management method according to claim 9,

receiving, by the storage system, from a storage apparatus after change in which the data is to be managed due to load balance, information for identifying a second format utilized by the storage apparatus, and

wherein the determination is a determination on whether or not a second format corresponding to the received information and a first format of the data match with each other.