Automated on-line capacity expansion method for storage device

Details Automated on-line capacity expansion method for storage device Automated on-line capacity expansion method for storage device

2001-08-17

2004-04-20

Verbrugge, Kevin (Department: 2188)

Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory

Storage accessing and control

Specific memory composition

C711S004000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06725328

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for successive capacity expansion during on-line operation in a storage device system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, storage domains of a plurality of host computers are often stored in a single storage device. This tendency is promoted by, for example, a disk array. The disk array provides redundancy of the storage domains by a plurality of magnetic disk devices in a system, thereby increasing reliability and providing a necessary storage domain as a logical volume to a plurality of hosts. One of the merits of using this disk array is capacity expansion of the logical volume.
For example, when a computer has used up a logical volume provided by a disk array, a free space in the disk array is cut out with an arbitrary length to be allocated as a logical volume, so that the computer can connect this logical volume to a logical volume in use, thereby expanding the storage domain. This function of volume expansion can also be performed during on-line and is called on-line volume expansion. The on-line volume expansion enables to expand a range of the logical volume storage domain corresponding to data increasing as time passes, without stopping the application and accordingly, enables to expand the application operation time. Moreover, upon volume capacity transfer, there is no need of data transfer between volumes, which significantly reduces the storage management cost.
Conventionally, a logical volume user should report to a logical volume provider when expanding the on-line volume. In a small-size site such as within a single enterprise, there is no sudden data increase and it is not necessary to perform on-line volume expansion all the time. However, in a large-size site such as a data center where a plurality of enterprises utilize data, there is a possibility of a sudden data increase from computers of the plurality of enterprises and it is necessary to perform the on-line volume expansion at all time. Moreover, in order to enhance the utilization effect of a storage domain of a disk array or the like, it is necessary to provide a volume to a plurality of users in a single storage device without waste.
In order to effectively use a storage domain in a storage device, it is necessary to manage the storage area in unit of a logical volume of a small capacity and to expand the logical volume with the small-capacity logical volume when required. When using the on-line volume expansion in this condition, there is a case that a request for the on-line volume expansion is simultaneously caused by a plurality of users due to the data increasing as time passes and the logical volume provider may not be able to satisfy the requests. In the worst case, the on-line volume expansion cannot be performed and the computer operation is stopped.
A logical volume user make a request for an unlimited storage capacity without managing the storage domain. On the other hand, the logical volume provider should effectively manage the storage domain so as to provide a logical volume to the user as rapidly as possible without considering how the storage domain is used by the logical volume user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to solve the requests of the storage resource user and provider by using a storage domain management apparatus capable of dynamically allocating a storage domain of an appropriate capacity from the storage domain collectively managed during a computer on-line operation, thereby expanding the logical volume.
A computer system according to the present invention includes at least one host computer, at least one disk device, and a volume providing device which are connected to one another. The volume providing device managing a plurality of disk devices provides a logical volume corresponding to each of the host computers from the plurality of disk devices. The host computer sends an I/O request to a logical volume, and a volume providing part interprets a logical block address where the I/O request is read and written. When the logical volume has no storage domain of the logical block address accessed by the I/O request, the volume providing device allocates a storage domain from a free magnetic disk device, thereby dynamically expanding the logical volume storage domain. Moreover, the logical volume is reduced by an arbitrary amount indicated by an application.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5129088 (1992-07-01), Auslander et al.
patent: 5983316 (1999-11-01), Norwood

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