JP2012003567A - Storage management device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a storage virtualization environment in which the response performance of a virtual volume is optimized and the management man-hours of a system administrator is reduced in optimization.SOLUTION: Before system operation, automatic evaluation of the response characteristic of each storage constituting a virtual volume is performed. On the basis of the automatic evaluation result, the storage response-characteristic information is held in a cache memory. After system operation starts, access data to the virtual volume is put into the cache memory, data patterns are analyzed, and an optimum storage for storing the data is automatically selected on the basis of the response characteristic information.

Description

  The present invention provides a function for optimizing the response performance of a virtual volume in a storage virtualization environment composed of a plurality of storages.

  In recent years, the amount of data handled by computer systems has been steadily increasing. As the amount of data increases, a configuration using a plurality of storages by SAN (Storage Area Network) connection has become common.

  When the storage capacity is insufficient and a plurality of storages are added, the system configuration becomes complicated.

  There is storage virtualization as a technique for solving such a problem.

  As one method of storage virtualization, there is a method of centrally managing a plurality of storages by a storage management device.

  The storage management device shows a virtual volume composed of multiple storages to the computer system, so that it appears as if one storage is connected from the computer system.

  As described above, the storage connected to the storage management apparatus can be added without changing the virtual volume visible to the computer system.

JP 2008-47156 A

  There are storages having various response characteristics in the storage that constitutes the virtual volume. Depending on which storage the data is allocated to, the response performance for accessing the data differs.

  As a conventional technique for optimizing the response performance of a virtual volume, a method of tiering storage for each characteristic of data stored in each storage constituting the virtual volume and rearranging the data by the user specifying the tier There is. In the above case, it is necessary for the system administrator to set the hierarchization at the time of system construction. Furthermore, since it is necessary to specify in which hierarchy each data is arranged, if the number of storages and the amount of data to be handled increase, management man-hours become a burden.

  Therefore, it is an object to reduce the management man-hours of the system administrator for optimization while optimizing the response performance of the virtual volume in the storage virtualization environment.

  Prior to system operation, the response characteristics of each storage that makes up the virtual volume are automatically evaluated.

  Based on the automatic evaluation result, storage response characteristic information is held in the cache memory.

  After starting the system operation, the access data to the virtual volume is taken into the cache memory, the access pattern is analyzed, the optimum data storage destination storage is selected based on the response characteristic information, and the data is automatically arranged.

  The access patterns are classified into four types of patterns (sequential write, sequential read, random write, and random read).

  Since each storage connected to the storage management apparatus automatically determines the response characteristics by the storage management apparatus, the system administrator can easily add storage without performing the storage tiering setting operation.

  Further, since the access data is automatically arranged based on the determined response characteristic data, it is possible to store the data in the optimum data storage destination storage without specifying which tier storage is to be arranged for each data.

1 is an example of a configuration including a storage management apparatus according to a first embodiment. 6 is an operation flow in a configuration including a storage management apparatus according to the first embodiment. 4 is an example of a response characteristic information table in a configuration including a storage management apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  The storage management apparatus of the present invention includes a control controller that manages virtual volumes.

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

  The storage management apparatus of the present invention includes a control controller that manages virtual volumes.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an example of a configuration including a storage management apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  A host computer 200 is connected to the storage management apparatus 100 via a switch 300. The storage management apparatus 100 has a control controller 101, and the control controller 101 has a processor 102 and a storage device (cache memory 103). The storage management apparatus 100 has an I / F control unit 105, and a plurality of storages (storage 400, storage 401, storage 402) are connected to the I / F control unit 105. The storage 400 has a controller that controls an external SAS interface and a RAID group, and uses a logical volume created in a RAID group configured with SATA HDDs as a storage area. The storage 401 has a controller that controls an external FC interface and a RAID group, and uses a logical volume created in a RAID group composed of SAS HDDs as a storage area. The storage 402 has a controller that controls an external FC interface and a RAID group, and uses a logical volume created in a RAID group configured with SSD as a storage area.

  FIG. 2 is an operation flow in the configuration including the storage management apparatus according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, description will be given according to the operation flow.

  A data structure holding response characteristic information for each logical volume is created in the cache memory (flow 500). As elements of the data structure, each logical volume recognized by the storage management apparatus has a sequential write performance value, a sequential read performance value, a random write performance value, and a random read performance value. The performance value can be held for each transfer block size.

  Sequential Write, Sequential Read, Random Write, and Random Read tests are executed for one logical volume, and the obtained performance value is stored as response characteristic information in the cache memory (Flow 501).

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the response characteristic information table.

  When there are a plurality of logical volumes, a test is performed on all the logical volumes (flow 502), and reception of a data processing request to the virtual volume from the host computer is started (flow 503).

  It is confirmed whether there is a data processing (write / read) request from the host computer (flow 504). If there is a request, the contents of the data processing are loaded into the cache memory. If it is a write request, it is sent to the host computer. After notifying that processing is complete, the access pattern is analyzed. If it is a read request, the corresponding data is transmitted to the host computer, and then the access pattern is analyzed. (Flow 505). If there is no data processing request, it waits for a data processing request from the host computer.

  Based on the response characteristic information on the cache memory, data is allocated to the logical volume with the best response performance for the corresponding data processing (flow 506).

  After the data allocation is completed, it waits for a data processing request from the host computer.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Storage management apparatus, 101 ... Control controller, 102 ... Processor, 103 ... Cache memory, 104 ... Virtual volume, 105 ... I / F control part, 200 ... Host computer, 300 ... Switch, 400 ... Storage, 401 ... Storage, 402: Storage, 500 to 506: Operation flow.

Claims (5)

  A storage management apparatus having a connection controller with a host computer and an interface controller for connecting a plurality of storages, and a control controller for managing virtual volumes.   The storage management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control controller that performs processing for causing a host computer to recognize a virtual volume composed of a plurality of storages.   2. The storage management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control controller that performs processing that is handled as data processing for the storage that configures the virtual volume when a data processing request is issued from the host computer to the virtual volume.   The storage management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller has a storage device for storing data.   The storage management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein response characteristic information for each logical volume is held in the storage apparatus.

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