JP2002207629A - Storage service providing method and storage system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide storage capacity which is large enough to a user at relatively low prices through service for providing storage to the user by using a network. SOLUTION: This storage system which provides the storage service by allowing users 180 to access through the network 170 is equipped with a 1st storage device 110 which is fast, but high in unit storage price and a 2nd storage device which is slow, but low in unit storage price and two kinds of a 1st upper limit and a 2nd upper limit larger than it are set as upper limits of capacity that the users can use. When the capacity that a user uses does not exceed the 1st upper limit, data of the user are all recorded on the 1st storage device 110. Data exceeding the upper limit are recorded on the 2nd storage device 120 up to the 2nd upper limit. Consequently, the users are provided with capacity which is large enough at relatively low prices.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technology for providing a storage service, and more particularly, to a technology effective when applied to a service that allows a user to use a storage for a fee using a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the infrastructure of information communication represented by the Internet has been improved, and computers have generally been connected to a network. In addition, the amount of data handled by the computer has increased along with the improvement of the capability of the computer and the communication system, and the storage device for storing the data has rapidly increased in capacity.

[0003] Against such a background, a new service combining a network and a storage has started.
In other words, the server connects a large-capacity storage device to the network, and the user uses a part of the capacity of the storage device via the network, and pays a usage fee to the server. This eliminates the need for the user to secure a space for installing the storage device. On the other hand, the server does not need to transport the device to the user at the time of shipment, and if the device is installed in an environment where maintenance is easy, such as in a factory, there is an advantage that a quick and low-cost maintenance service can be provided.

[0004]

In the above storage service, since the recording capacity that the server can provide is limited, it is necessary to determine the upper limit of the capacity used by the user in advance. It is reasonable that the fee paid by the user to the server is set higher as the upper limit is larger. If the user attempts to record a capacity exceeding this upper limit, writing is prohibited and a system failure may occur on the user side. Therefore, it is desirable to set the upper limit to a sufficient capacity. However, in the fee system linked to the upper limit of the used capacity as described above, the user must continue to pay the server side a fee for the capacity that is hardly used in order to secure a sufficient capacity. .

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a user with sufficient storage capacity at relatively low cost in a service for providing storage to a user using a network.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a service for providing storage to a user using a network.
An object of the present invention is to enable a user to receive a storage without worrying about the occurrence of a failure such as a write prohibition due to an excess capacity.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a service for providing storage to a user using a network.
An object of the present invention is to realize optimization of storage capacity and access performance.

[0008]

According to the present invention, storage provided by a server to a user by connecting to a network is constituted by two types of storage devices having different characteristics (a first storage device and a second storage device). I do. Here, the second storage device may be inferior to the first storage device in data access performance such as response time and data transfer rate, instead of having a lower cost per capacity than the first storage device. For example, the first storage device is a magnetic disk device, and the second storage device is a magnetic tape device.

On the other hand, two types of upper limit of the capacity that can be used by the user are set, a first upper limit and a second upper limit that is larger than the first upper limit. Are recorded on the first storage device, and even if the capacity exceeds the first upper limit, data exceeding the first upper limit is stored on the second storage device as long as the capacity does not exceed the second upper limit. To record. The server has the first capacity
The default access performance is guaranteed for users who do not exceed the upper limit. At this time, the system of charges imposed on the user is:
When the second upper limit is compared under the same condition, the lower the ratio of the first upper limit, the lower the charge.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration example of a storage system for implementing a storage service providing method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The storage subsystem 1 according to the present embodiment
Reference numeral 00 denotes the entire storage provided to the user by the server (not shown), which is connected to the network 170 and accessed by a plurality of users 180 also connected to the network 170. In the present embodiment, the first storage device 110 is, for example, a magnetic disk array device including a plurality of magnetic disk drives in a redundant configuration, is connected to the interface unit 150, and records data of the user 180.
In the present embodiment, the second storage device 120 is, for example, a magnetic tape library device, is connected to the interface unit 150, and records user data.

The interface unit 150 includes a network 170, a cache memory 140, a storage controller 160, a first storage device 110, and a second
Is connected to the storage device 120, and is controlled by the storage controller 160 to transfer data between the user and the storage device, and also transfers a request from the user to the storage controller 160.

The cache memory 140 is connected to the interface unit 150 to record data sent from the user in the first or second storage device 120 and to store the data in the first or second storage device 120.
When data is transferred from the to the user, the data is temporarily stored.

The storage controller 160 is connected to the interface unit 150, instructs the interface unit 150 to perform a transfer between the user and the storage device in accordance with a write / read request from the user, grasps the used capacity of each user, It is determined whether the transmitted data is recorded in the first storage device 110 or the second storage device 120, or whether the user is notified of write prohibition without recording any of them.

The operation unit 130 is an interface for the administrator of the storage subsystem 100 to perform user registration of the storage subsystem 100, set the upper limit of the capacity, change other general settings, and perform maintenance. ,
In the present embodiment, the storage controller 16
0 is a personal computer having a communication means with the personal computer.

The user 180 is a computer system connected to the network 170,
0, the storage subsystem 100 is used.

A plurality of users 180 are managed and identified on the server side in a user management table 190 illustrated in FIG.

That is, the user management table 190 provided for each user 180 stores
0, a user ID 190a, a password 190b, a user machine identifier 190c, a log-in flag 190d, a capacity threshold 190e for storing a first upper limit L1 described later, and a capacity for storing a second upper limit L2 described later. Threshold 190f, user in-use capacity 190g in first storage device 110, user in-use capacity 190h in second storage device 120, first
, The address 190i of the use area (file) of the user in the storage device 110, the access frequency of the user in the first storage device 110,
Access history information 190j such as date and time, address 190k of the use area (file) of the user in the second storage device 120, second storage device 1
20 includes access history information 190l such as the access frequency, date and time of the user, and the like.

The values of the user-in-use capacity 190 g and the user-in-use capacity 190 h are stored in the first storage device 1.
It is updated each time writing, erasing, or moving described later in the storage device 10 and the second storage device 120 is performed.

At the time of login when each user 180 first starts access, when there is a login request, the server requests the user 180 for a user name and a password.
The user replies the user name and the password to the server, and the server returns the user management table 19 of the corresponding user 180.
0 is found, the login flag 190d is set to "1", and the identifier of the user's machine (for example, IP address)
Is set to the user machine identifier 190c. Thus, authentication and identification of each user 180 are performed.

After the first access start (during login), if there is a request for writing / reading / erasing, etc.,
The request is executed after identifying the user from the IP address of the transmission source of the request and confirming that the log-in flag 190d is "1".

At the time of logout when the user 180 terminates the storage service, if there is a logout request from the user 180, the user is identified from the user machine identifier 190c such as the IP address of the transmission source of the request, and the user is logged in. After confirming that the flag is "1", the login flag is returned to "0".

Next, a contract that the user exchanges with the server in advance in the storage service to which the first embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described. The user negotiates a first upper limit L1 (terabyte) and a second upper limit L2 (terabyte) of the capacity that the user can use in the storage subsystem 100 with the server. Where L
2 must be equal to or greater than L1. The user cannot use a capacity exceeding L2. Further, as long as the capacity used by the user does not exceed L1, the server guarantees the user a certain access performance. At this time, the fee C paid by the user to the server is calculated as follows: C = C1 · L1 + C2 · (L2-L1) (1) Here, C1 and C2 are charges per terabyte in the first storage device 110 and the second storage device 120, respectively, and may be determined according to a contract between the server and the user. However, C1> C2 is always required. ………………………………… (2) must be satisfied.

Next, an example of the operation of the storage subsystem 100 when there is a write request from the user 180 to the storage subsystem 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the interface unit 150 receives a write request from a user (step S101), the requested data is temporarily stored in the cache memory 140 (step S102). The write request includes information (user machine identifier 190c) for identifying the user who made the write request, and the storage controller 160 determines from the information that the user 18
0 (step S103), and the total capacity of the data of the user already recorded in the first storage device 110 and the second storage device 120 (the sum of the used capacity 190g and the used capacity 190h). , The sum of the capacities of the data requested to be written this time, the first upper limit and the second upper limit set for the user.
Is compared with the upper limit (step S104). as a result,
If the sum of the above capacities is larger than the second upper limit, the user is notified of write prohibition (step S108), and the write operation is performed without writing the data to any of the first and second storage devices 120. finish.

When the sum of the above capacities is larger than the first upper limit and smaller than the second upper limit (step S105),
The data stored in the cache memory 140 is written to the second storage device 120 (Step S10
9) Notify the user 180 of the end of writing (step S)
110), end the write operation. When the sum of the above capacities is smaller than the first upper limit L1, the cache memory 14
0 to the first storage device 11
0 (step S106), notifies the user 180 of the end of the writing (step S107), and ends the writing operation.

Next, the operation of the storage subsystem 100 when there is a read request from the user 180 to the storage subsystem 100 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the read request includes information (user machine identifier 190) for identifying the user 180 that made the read request.
c) is included. When the interface unit 150 receives a read request from the user (step S20)
1), the storage controller 160 identifies the user who made the read request (step S202), and the data (the data) requested to be read is stored in the first storage device 110 and the second storage device 1
Then, it is determined which of the two is recorded (step S203). If the data has been recorded in the first storage device, the interface unit 150 executes reading of the data from the first storage device and transfer to the requesting user (step S20).
7).

The data is stored in the second storage device 1
If the data has been recorded in the second storage device 120, the interface unit 150 causes the interface unit 150 to read the data from the second storage device 120 and transfer the data to the requesting user (step S204). Then, the data stored in the storage device 110 is compared with the access frequency (access history information 190j) of the data (step S205). Here, the access frequency is the number of times the user has accessed the data during a certain period (for example, the last week), and the certain period can be determined according to the user's usage of the storage. When there is data recorded in the first storage device 110 that has a lower access frequency than the data, the data having a lower access frequency is transferred from the first storage device 110 to the second storage device 120. And the data is moved from the second storage device 120 to the first storage device 110 (step S206). This transfer may be performed immediately after the transfer of the data to the user is completed, or may be performed during a time period such as at night when there is little access request from the user.

Next, the operation of the storage subsystem when a user issues an erasure request to the storage subsystem will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the erasure request includes information (user machine identifier 190c) for identifying the user who made the erasure request. When the interface unit 150 receives a deletion request from a user (step S301), the storage controller 160 identifies the user who has made the deletion request (step S302).
The data (the data) requested to be erased is stored in the first storage device 110 and the second storage device 1.
Then, it is determined which one of these is recorded (step S303). The data is stored in the second storage device 1
If the data has been recorded in the second storage device 120, the deletion of the data from the second storage device 120
0 (step S308), and notifies the user of the end of erasure (step S309).

The data is stored in the first storage device 1
10, the deletion of the data from the first storage device 110 is performed by the interface unit 15.
0 (step S304), and determines whether the same user as the data is recorded in the second storage device 120 (step S305). If not, the user is notified of the erasure end. (Step S
310). If the data is recorded, the data is moved to the first storage device 110 in order from the data having the highest access frequency within the range not exceeding the first upper limit (step S306), and the user is notified of the end of the erasure (step S306). Step S307). The movement in step S306 may be performed immediately after the transfer of the data to the user is completed, or may be performed during a time period when the access request from the user is small, such as at night.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The configuration of the second embodiment is shown in FIG. 1 and is the same as that of the first embodiment, so that the description will be omitted.

Next, a description will be given of a contract that a user exchanges with a server in advance in a storage service to which the second embodiment of the present invention is applied. The user negotiates with the server a first upper limit L1 (terabyte) and a second upper limit L2 (terabyte) of the capacity that the user can use in the storage subsystem. Here, L2 is L
Must be equal to 1 or greater than L1. The user cannot use a capacity exceeding L2. Also, when the capacity used by the user exceeds L1,
The excess is recorded for a certain period (for example, one week), but after the period has elapsed, the server deletes it. The user must change the contract and raise L1 to prevent the data from being erased. At this time, the fee C paid by the user to the server is calculated by the equations (1) and (2) described in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Further, in addition to the above-mentioned contract form, the present invention can be applied to the second embodiment of the present invention when the following contract is exchanged. The user specifies a capacity that can be used in the storage subsystem. It is the first upper limit L
Let it be 1. In addition, the user is allowed to select an “excess temporary storage service” that can temporarily exceed the upper limit L1. At this time, the second upper limit L2 is automatically set within a range that is larger than the upper limit L1 and does not exceed the maximum allowable amount or the maximum usable amount of the second storage subsystem. Alternatively, the upper limit L2 in the temporary storage service may be set at that time, as in the above-mentioned contract form. Even if the user stores data exceeding the upper limit L1 in the first storage device, if the user selects the temporary storage service, the user may temporarily use the second storage device up to the upper limit L2. Can be. The charge at this time may be a fixed amount as a temporary service, or may be an amount calculated by Expressions (1) and (2) described in the first embodiment of the present invention. By providing the "temporary storage service for excess" instead of showing the upper limit L2 to the user, it is possible to provide a simple service for the user.

Next, the operation of the storage subsystem when a user issues a write request to the storage subsystem in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. When the interface unit 150 receives a write request from a user (step S401), the requested data is temporarily stored in the cache memory 140 (step S402). The above write request includes information (user machine identifier 19) for identifying the user who made the write request.
0c) is included in the storage controller 160
Identifies the user who made the write request from the information (step S403), and determines the total amount of data of the user already recorded in the first storage device 110 and the second storage device 120 and the current write request. The total of the capacity of the existing data is compared with the first upper limit and the second upper limit set for the user (Step S).
404).

As a result, when the sum of the above-mentioned capacities is larger than the second upper limit, a write-protection is notified to the user (step S408), and the data is written to both the first and second storage devices 120. Absent. Here, the user who has made the write request is the second storage device 120
If there is no data inside, the write operation is terminated as it is (step S409), and if so, the storage controller 160 informs the user that the capacity of the user exceeds the first upper limit; A retention period for data that exceeds the first upper limit, data that exceeds the retention period is erased, and a contract change that raises the first upper limit is required to retain data that exceeds the retention period. Is notified (step S4).
10) End the write operation.

On the other hand, when the sum of the above-mentioned capacities is larger than the first upper limit and smaller than the second upper limit (step S40).
5), writing the data stored in the cache memory 140 into the second storage device 120 (Step S)
411), the storage controller 160 further informs the user that the capacity of the user exceeds the first upper limit, the retention period of data that exceeds the first upper limit,
Four items are notified that the data that has exceeded the retention period is deleted and that a contract change that raises the first upper limit is required to retain the data that exceeds the retention period (step S412). Then, the user is notified of the end of the writing (step S413), and the writing operation is ended. When the sum of the above capacities is smaller than the first upper limit, the data stored in the cache memory 140 is written to the first storage device 110 (step S406), and the end of the writing is notified to the user (step S407), and the write operation is performed. To end.

Next, the operation of the storage subsystem when a user issues a read request to the storage subsystem in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the read request includes information for identifying the user who made the read request (user machine identifier 190c). When the interface unit 150 receives the read request from the user (step S5)
01), the storage controller 160 identifies the user who made the read request (step S502), and the data (the data) requested to be read is sent to either the first storage device 110 or the second storage device 120. It is determined whether or not the information has been recorded (step S503). If the data has been recorded in the first storage device 110, the interface unit 150 causes the interface unit 150 to read the data from the first storage device 110 and transfer the data to the requesting user (step S506). Next, when the user who has made the read request has no data in the second storage device 120 (step S507), the read operation is terminated as it is, and when the user has the data, the storage controller 16
0 indicates to the user that the capacity of the user exceeds the first upper limit, the retention period of data that exceeds the first upper limit, that the data that exceeds the retention period is erased, Retention of data beyond the deadline requires a contract change to increase the first limit,
Are notified (step S505), and the read operation ends.

On the other hand, if the data has been recorded in the second storage device 120, the interface unit 150 executes the reading of the data from the second storage device 120 and the transfer to the requesting user (step S504). ), Then the storage controller 16
0 indicates to the user that the capacity of the user exceeds the first upper limit, the retention period of data that exceeds the first upper limit, that the data that exceeds the retention period is erased, Retention of data beyond the deadline requires a contract change to increase the first limit,
Are notified (step S505), and the read operation ends.

Next, the operation of the storage subsystem when a user issues an erasure request to the storage subsystem will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the erasure request includes information (user machine identifier 190c) for identifying the user who made the erasure request. When the interface unit 150 receives an erasure request from a user (step S601), the storage controller 160 identifies the user who made the erasure request (step S602).
The data (the data) requested to be erased is stored in the first storage device 110 and the second storage device 1.
Then, it is determined which of the two is recorded (step S603). The data is stored in the second storage device 1
If the data has been recorded in the second storage device 120, the deletion of the data from the second storage device 120
0 (step S608). Next, when the data of the user no longer exists in the second storage device 120 due to the erasure, the user is notified of the erasure completion, and the erasing operation is terminated (step S609). Second storage device 1
20 (step S611), the storage controller 160 instructs the user that the capacity of the user has exceeded the first upper limit, the retention period for data that has exceeded the first upper limit, Four items are notified that data that has exceeded the expiration date will be erased and that a contract change that raises the first upper limit is required to retain data that exceeds the retention expiration date (step S61).
2) The deletion operation is notified to the user and the deletion operation ends (step S607).

On the other hand, if the data has been recorded in the first storage device 110, the interface unit 150 deletes the data from the first storage device 110 (step S604). If there is no data recorded in the second storage device 120 (step S605), the user is notified of the end of erasure and the erasing operation is ended (step S61).
0) If there is, the data is moved to the first storage device 110 in order from the data having the highest access frequency within a range not exceeding the first upper limit (step S60).
6).

Next, when the data of this user no longer exists in the second storage device 120 due to this movement (step S611), the user is notified of the erasure completion and the erasing operation is completed (step S607). After that, the data of the user is stored in the second storage device 120
The storage controller 160 informs the user that the capacity of the user has exceeded the first upper limit, the retention period for data that exceeds the first upper limit, and the data that has exceeded the retention period. Is to be erased,
To retain data beyond the retention period, the first
Are notified that a contract change for raising the upper limit is required (step S612), the deletion completion is notified to the user, and the deletion operation is terminated (step S607).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the plurality of first storage devices 110 and second storage devices 120 having different access performance and unit price of storage capacity according to the size of the used capacity of the user 180. In the service of providing storage to the user 180 by using the network 170, the storage capacity with a sufficient margin can be provided by the user 18 at a relatively low cost.
0 can be provided.

The network 170 is used by setting a plurality of first upper limits L1 and a plurality of second upper limits L2 and using the plurality of first storage devices 110 and second storage devices 120 in stages. Then, in the service for providing the storage to the user 180, the user 180 can receive the storage without worrying about the occurrence of a failure such as write-protection due to the excess capacity.

Also, users 180 in a plurality of first storage devices 110 and second storage devices 120 having different access performance and unit price of storage capacity.
The data of the user 180 is moved from the second storage device 120 for low-speed access to the first storage device 110 for high-speed access in accordance with a change in the status of the used capacity of the In the service that provides storage to 180,
Optimization of storage capacity and access performance can be realized.

As described above, in the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the first storage device 110 is a magnetic disk array device and the second storage device 120 is a magnetic tape library device. The second storage device 120 may be configured as a magnetic disk array device, and the second storage device 120 may be configured as a magnetic disk device having a lower unit price per capacity than the first storage device 110. Even in other combinations, the present invention can be implemented without impairing the effect by adopting a device having a lower unit price per capacity than the first storage device 110 as the second storage device 120.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the third embodiment, the network 170 is connected to a SAN (Storage Area Network).
rk), a plurality of first storage subsystems 100A and a plurality of second storage subsystems 101 are connected, and these subsystems provide a user 180 with multiple levels of threshold management and multiple levels of access speed. The case where a storage service is provided is illustrated.

That is, in the configuration example shown in FIG. 9, the first storage subsystem 100A includes a high-speed storage device 110a, a cache memory 140, an interface unit 150, a storage controller 160, and an operation unit 130. , And is similar to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG.

The second storage subsystem 10
The storage device 11 has lower access performance (lower speed) than the storage device 110a of the first storage subsystem 100A, but also has a lower unit capacity unit price.
1, the cache memory 141, and the interface unit 15
1, a storage controller 161, and an operation unit 131, and the operation of each unit is the same as that of the first embodiment illustrated in FIG.

In this embodiment, the user 180 always accesses the first storage subsystem 100A. The first storage subsystem 100A acts as a server for the user 180, and acts as a user for the second storage subsystem 101.

Next, an example of the operation when the user 180 issues a write request to the first storage subsystem 100A constituting the SAN will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the interface unit 150 of the first storage subsystem 100A receives a write request from a user (step S701), the requested data is temporarily stored in the cache memory 140 (step S701).
702). The write request includes information (user machine identifier 190) for identifying the user who made the write request.
c) is included in the storage controller 160
Identifies the user 180 that has made the write request from the information (step S703), and determines the total capacity of the user data already recorded in the first storage subsystem 100A and the second storage subsystem 101, and The total of the capacity of the data requested to be written is compared with the first upper limit and the second upper limit set for the user (step S704). As a result, when the sum of the above capacities is larger than the second upper limit, the first storage subsystem 100A notifies the user of write protection (step S708), and the data is stored in the first and second storage subsystems 101. The writing operation ends without writing to any of the above.

When the sum of the above capacities is larger than the first upper limit and smaller than the second upper limit (step S705),
The first storage subsystem 100A issues a write request to the second storage subsystem 101 (Step S709), and writes the data stored in the cache memory 140 to the second storage subsystem 101 (Step S710). , The second storage subsystem 101 notifies the end of writing to the first storage subsystem 10.
0A (step S711), the first storage subsystem 100A notifies the user 180 of the write end (step S712), and ends the write operation.

When the sum of the above capacities is smaller than the first upper limit L1, the data stored in the cache memory 140 is written to the first storage subsystem 100A (storage device 110a) (step S70).
6), the first storage subsystem 100A notifies the user 180 of the end of writing (step S707), and ends the writing operation.

Next, an operation when a read request is issued from the user 180 to the first storage subsystem 100A of the SAN will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the read request includes information (user machine identifier 190c) for identifying the user 180 that made the read request.

When the interface unit 150 of the first storage subsystem 100A receives a read request from a user (step S801), the storage controller 160 identifies the user who has made the read request (step S802), and The data (the relevant data) having the error is stored in the first storage subsystem 10.
It is determined which of 0A and the second storage subsystem 101 is recorded (step S803). If the data has been recorded in the first storage subsystem 100A, the interface unit 150 executes reading of the data from the storage device 110a and transfer to the requested user (step S80).
9).

If the data has been recorded in the second storage subsystem 101, the first storage subsystem 100A
01 is issued to the first storage subsystem 10 (step S804), and the data is read from the second storage subsystem 101 and the requested first storage subsystem 10 is requested.
The first storage subsystem 10 causes the interface unit 151 to execute transfer to the first storage subsystem 10A (step S805).
OA transmits the received data to the user 180 (step S806).

Further, the data recorded in the first storage subsystem 100A by the same user as the data and the access frequency of the data (access history information 190
j) are compared (step S807). Here, the access frequency means that the user has a certain period of time (for example, the last week).
Is the number of times the data has been accessed, and the certain period can be determined according to the use form of the storage of the user. The above first storage subsystem 100
If the data recorded in A has a lower access frequency than the data, the data having a lower access frequency is moved from the first storage subsystem 100A to the second storage subsystem 101, and Data is moved from the second storage subsystem 101 to the first storage subsystem 100A (Step S808). This transfer may be performed immediately after the transfer of the data to the user is completed, or may be performed during a time period such as at night when there is little access request from the user.

Next, the operation of the storage subsystem when a user issues an erasure request to the first storage subsystem 100A constituting the SAN will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the erasure request includes information for identifying the user who made the erasure request (user machine identifier 190c).
It is included.

When the interface unit 150 of the first storage subsystem 100A receives an erasure request from a user (step S901), the storage controller 160 identifies the user who has made the erasure request (step S902). The requested data (the data) is stored in the first storage subsystem 100A and the second storage subsystem 100A.
It is determined which of the storage subsystems 101 is recorded (step S903). If the data has been recorded in the second storage subsystem 101, the interface unit 150 deletes the data from the storage device 111 of the second storage subsystem 101 (step S908), and terminates the deletion. The first storage subsystem 100A notifies the user 180 of the erasure completion (step S910), and terminates.

If the data has been recorded in the first storage subsystem 100A, the interface unit 150 deletes the data from the storage device 110a of the first storage subsystem 100A (step S904). Then, it is determined whether or not the same user as the data is recorded in the second storage subsystem 101 (step S905). If not, the first storage subsystem 100A notifies the user of the end of erasing (step S905). Step S911).

If the data has been recorded, the data is moved to the first storage subsystem 100A in order from the data having the highest access frequency within a range not exceeding the first upper limit (step S906), and the end of the erasure is determined by the user. (Step S907). The movement in step S906 may be performed immediately after the transfer of the data to the user is completed, or may be performed during a time period during which there is little access request from the user, such as at night.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the SAN is configured according to the size of the used capacity of the user 180,
Multiple firsts with different unit prices for access performance and storage capacity
By using the storage subsystem 100A and the second storage subsystem 101 separately, in the service of providing the storage by SAN to the user 180 using the network 170, the storage capacity with a sufficient margin can be provided by the user at a relatively low cost. 180.

Further, by setting a plurality of first upper limits L1 and a second upper limit L2 and using the plurality of first storage subsystems 100A and second storage subsystems 101 in stages, the network 170 In the service for providing the SAN storage to the user 180 by utilizing the user 180, the user 180 can receive the storage without worrying about the occurrence of a failure such as write-protection due to the excess capacity.

Further, a plurality of first storage subsystems 100A having different access performance and storage capacity unit prices are provided.
And in accordance with a change in the used capacity of the user 180 in the second storage subsystem 101, the data of the user 180 is transferred from the low-speed access second storage subsystem 101 to the high-speed access first storage subsystem 100A. By performing the movement, in the service of providing the SAN storage to the user 180 using the network 170, the effect of optimizing the storage capacity and the access performance can be achieved.

The invention described in the claims of the present application is expressed in another way as follows.

<1> A storage service that allows a user to use a storage area of a storage system via a network for a fee, wherein the storage area of the storage system includes at least one first storage device and at least one A second storage device that does not allow the user to use the second storage device while the data capacity of the user does not exceed the capacity of the first storage device; A storage service characterized by causing a user to use the second storage device when the capacity of one storage device is exceeded.

<2> The storage service according to item <1>, wherein the first upper limit capacity permitted to be used by the user in the first storage device and the use limit of the user in the second storage device. The user determines the permitted second upper limit capacity, and even if the sum of the first upper limit capacity and the second upper limit capacity is the same, the ratio of the second upper limit capacity to the total is A storage service wherein the higher the price, the lower the billing amount for the user.

<3> The storage service according to item <2>, wherein a predetermined speed is set for the user to access the storage system while the capacity used by the user does not exceed the first upper limit capacity. A storage service that is guaranteed.

<4> The storage service according to item <3>, wherein the first storage device is one or more magnetic disk devices, and the second storage device is one or more magnetic tapes. A storage service characterized by being a device.

<5> The storage service according to item <3>, wherein the storage system measures a frequency at which a user accesses data, and uses the data of the same user as data recorded in the first storage device. A storage service having a function of exchanging frequently accessed data when the data exists in the second storage device.

Although the invention made by the inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment, the invention is not limited to the embodiment and can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the invention. Needless to say, there is.

[0075]

According to the present invention, in a service for providing storage to a user using a network, there is obtained an effect that a sufficiently large storage capacity can be provided to a user at relatively low cost. .

According to the present invention, in a service for providing a storage to a user using a network, the user can receive the storage without worrying about occurrence of a failure such as a write-protection due to an excess of capacity. The effect of being able to make it possible is obtained.

According to the present invention, in a service for providing a storage to a user using a network, an effect is obtained that the storage capacity and the access performance can be optimized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration example of a storage system that implements a storage service providing method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation (write operation) of the storage system that implements the storage service providing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation (read operation) of the storage system that implements the storage service providing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation (erase operation) of the storage system that implements the storage service providing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation (write operation) of a storage system that implements a storage service providing method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation (read operation) of a storage system that implements a storage service providing method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation (erase operation) of a storage system that implements a storage service providing method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of control information used in a storage system that implements a storage service providing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration example of a storage system that implements a storage service providing method according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation (write operation) of a storage system that implements a storage service providing method according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation (read operation) of a storage system that implements a storage service providing method according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation (erase operation) of a storage system that implements a storage service providing method according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 storage subsystem, 110 first storage device, 120 second storage device
130 ... operation unit, 140 ... cache memory, 150 ...
Interface unit, 160 ... storage controller,
100A ... first storage subsystem, 110a ...
Storage device, 101: second storage subsystem, 111: storage device, 131: operation unit, 141: cache memory, 151: interface unit, 161: storage controller, 170: network, 180: user, 190: user management table L1, a first upper limit, L2, a second upper limit.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A method of providing a storage service that allows a user to use a storage area of a storage system via a network for a fee, wherein the storage area of the storage system includes at least one first storage device; It comprises at least one second storage device, and selectively uses the first and second storage devices for each individual user according to the size of the data capacity of the user in the storage area. How to provide storage services. 2. The storage service providing method according to claim 1, wherein a first upper limit capacity allocated to the user in the first storage device and a second upper limit capacity allocated to the user in the second storage device. The upper limit capacity is set by the user, and even if the sum of the first upper limit capacity and the second upper limit capacity is the same, the higher the ratio of the second upper limit capacity to the total, the higher the user A method for providing a storage service, characterized by lowering the amount charged to a storage service. 3. The storage service providing method according to claim 1, wherein as long as the capacity used by the user does not exceed the first upper limit capacity, the access speed of the user to the storage device is guaranteed. A method for providing a storage service, characterized in that: 4. The storage service providing method according to claim 1, wherein the first storage device comprises one or a plurality of magnetic disk devices, and the second storage device comprises one or a plurality of magnetic tapes. A storage service providing method comprising a device. 5. The storage service providing method according to claim 1, wherein an access frequency to the user data in each of the first and second storage devices is measured.
A method of providing a storage service, wherein when data of the same user, which is accessed more frequently than data recorded in the first storage device, exists in the second storage device, the two are exchanged. 6. The storage service providing method according to claim 1, wherein an average data transfer speed between the first storage device and the user is higher than an average data transfer speed between the second storage device and the user. Set the cost per capacity of the second storage device to the first
A storage service providing method, wherein the cost is set lower than the cost per capacity of the storage device. 7. At least one first storage area constituting a storage area used for a fee by a user via a network.
Storage device and at least one second
And storage control means for selectively using the first and second storage devices according to the size of the data capacity of the user in the storage area for each of the users. And storage system. 8. The storage system according to claim 7, wherein an average data transfer rate at the time of data access by the user is such that the first storage device has the second data transfer rate.
The storage control unit is configured to have a first upper limit capacity allocated to the user in the first storage device and a second upper limit capacity allocated to the user in the second storage device. Is set by the user, and even if the sum of the first upper limit capacity and the second upper limit capacity is the same, the higher the ratio of the second upper limit capacity to the total, the higher the A first control operation for lowering a billing amount, measuring an access frequency to the user data in each of the first and second storage devices,
A second control operation for exchanging data of the same user which is more frequently accessed in the second storage device than data recorded in the first storage device; A storage system for performing an operation. 9. A method of providing a storage service that allows a user to use a storage area of a storage system via a network for a fee, wherein the unit data is stored in accordance with the size of the data used by the user in the storage area. A method of providing a storage service, wherein a charge unit price per capacity is changed.