Support device and method

Abstract

To propose a support device and method capable of supporting construction of an optimal secondary usage environment for data.SOLUTION: A plurality of construction candidate plans for a secondary usage environment including a copy method when copying data between a designated data copy source site and a copy destination site is calculated. A time and a cost required for copying the data and an operation cost of the secondary usage environment to be constructed are calculated for each of the calculated construction candidate plans. The plurality of construction candidate plans is presented together with evaluations thereof based on the calculation results.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an assistance device and method, and is suitably applied to, for example, a secondary use environment construction assistance device that supports the construction of a secondary use environment for user data. [Background technology]

[0002] In the past, data stored in on-premise or cloud storage devices was often backed up and managed for data protection purposes. Therefore, rather than simply storing such backup data, there has been a demand to create new value from it by using it for development testing or stress testing (secondary use of backup data), etc.

[0003] When making secondary use of backup data, the backup data is copied separately and the copied data is used, and there are various methods for copying data (hereinafter, also referred to as copy methods, as appropriate).

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a copy method (hereinafter, referred to as a migration method) for transferring a full copy of data from a copy source to a copy destination. When a secondary use environment for data is constructed using the migration method disclosed in Patent Document 1, although it takes time to construct the secondary use environment, there is an advantage in that no delay occurs in the response when the secondary use environment is first used.

[0005] Patent Document 2 discloses a copy method (hereinafter referred to as a remote copy method) that enables data updates at a remote site to be performed asynchronously with the update processing at the main site by storing journal (change history) data in a volume at the main site and then transferring it to the copy destination in the order of changes. Although the combination of the remote copy method disclosed in Patent Document 2 with snapshots may result in inferior performance compared to the migration method disclosed in Patent Document 1, it has the advantage of enabling a secondary use environment to be constructed in a short time.

[0006] Furthermore, Patent Document 3 discloses a copy method (hereinafter, referred to as a virtual remote copy method) in which only necessary data is copied on demand from a copy source to a copy destination. Although this virtual remote copy method may have inferior performance to the migration method disclosed in Patent Document 1, it has the advantage of being able to build a secondary use environment in a short time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-92054 A [Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent No. 7,152,078 [Patent Document 3] US Patent Application Publication No. 2021 / 0157498 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] As mentioned above, each copy method has its own advantages and disadvantages, but usually, database administrators are not familiar with storage functions. For this reason, when building a secondary use environment (copying user data), there is a problem in that they are unable to select the optimal copy method, such as which copy method should be used to copy user data.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to propose a support device and method capable of supporting the construction of an optimal secondary use environment for data. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve such problems, in the present invention, a support device that is connected to a plurality of sites each having a server and a storage device and supports the construction of a secondary use environment in which the server uses data stored in the storage device is provided with a construction candidate plan calculation unit that calculates a plurality of construction candidate plans for the secondary use environment including a copy method for copying the data between a specified source site and destination site of the data, and a construction candidate plan presentation unit that calculates, for each of the construction candidate plans calculated by the construction candidate plan calculation unit, the time and cost required to copy the data and the operating cost of the secondary use environment to be constructed, and presents the plurality of construction candidate plans together with an evaluation thereof based on the calculation results.

[0011] In addition, in the present invention, there is provided an assistance method executed by an assistance device that is connected to a plurality of sites each having a server and a storage device and assists in the construction of a secondary use environment in which the server utilizes data stored in the storage device, the method including a first step of calculating a plurality of candidate construction plans for the secondary use environment including a copy method for copying the data between a specified source site and destination site of the data, and a second step of calculating, for each of the calculated candidate construction plans, the time and cost required to copy the data and the operating cost of the secondary use environment to be constructed, and presenting the plurality of candidate construction plans together with an evaluation thereof based on the calculation results.

[0012] According to the support device and method of the present invention, it is possible to present candidate plans for constructing an optimal secondary use environment that takes into account the time and cost required to copy data as well as the operating costs of the secondary use environment to be constructed. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a support device and method capable of supporting the construction of an optimal secondary use environment for data. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1]1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a secondary use environment construction support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 11 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the configuration of storage device management information. FIG. [Diagram 3] 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a region / zone management table. [Figure 4] 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a storage device-volume management table. [Diagram 5] 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a service / configuration information table. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a database server-storage volume management table. [Figure 7] 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a network management table. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen configuration of a database catalog screen. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen configuration of a setting screen. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen configuration of a construction candidate plan list screen. [Figure 11] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen configuration of a replication volume connection information screen. FIG. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for secondary use environment construction support processing. [Figure 13] 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a construction plan list. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart showing the processing steps of a secondary use environment construction candidate plan calculation process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the term "copy" is used to mean the same thing as "duplication" of data.

[0016] (1) Configuration of the secondary use environment construction support system according to this embodiment In Fig. 1, 1 indicates the secondary use environment construction support system according to this embodiment as a whole. This secondary use environment construction support system is configured with multiple storage devices 2, a production database server 3, a secondary use database server 4, and a secondary use environment construction support device 5.

[0017] Each storage device 2 is composed of a block storage device equipped with a large number of large-capacity nonvolatile storage devices such as RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) devices. The storage devices 2 are installed at sites (e.g., data centers) within each zone ("Zone") 7 set in each region ("Region") 6 around the world.

[0018] Within the same zone 7, between different zones 7 in the same region, and between different regions 6, connections are made via a network (not shown) as appropriate. This allows data to be transmitted and received between storage devices 2 in the same zone 7 connected via this network, between storage devices 2 installed in different zones 7 in the same region 6, and between storage devices 2 installed in any of the zones 7 in different regions 6, and allows data to be replicated.

[0019] The production database server 3 is a server device that manages user data in a centralized manner and provides various services such as searching, updating, saving, and backing up the user data. One or more storage devices 2 are attached to the production database server 3, and user data is read and written to a specific volume (hereinafter, referred to as the operational volume) VOL1 created in the attached storage device 2.

[0020] In addition, for some operational volumes VOL1, one or more backup volumes VOL2 are set as a volume pair within the same storage device 2, within another storage device 2 in the same zone 7, or within a storage device 2 in a different region 6, and user data written to the operational volume VOL is synchronously or asynchronously replicated and backed up to the backup volume VOL2.

[0021] The secondary use database server 4 is a server device that performs development tests, stress tests, etc., using user data copied from the operational volume VOL1 or the backup volume VOL2 to a specific volume (hereinafter referred to as the secondary use data storage volume) VOL3 in the storage device 2 attached to its own server, using the backup function of the production database server 3 and the secondary use database server 4.

[0022] The secondary use environment construction support device 5 is a computer device having the function of proposing a method of replicating user data from the operational volume VOL1 or backup volume VOL2 to the secondary use data storage volume VOL3 as described above, and controlling the actual replication, and is connected to the storage devices 2 in each region 6, the production database server 3, and the secondary use database server 4 via a network 8.

[0023] This secondary use environment construction support device 5 is configured to include information processing resources such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10, a memory 11, a storage device 12, an input device 13, a display device 14, and a communication device 15.

[0024] The CPU 10 is a processor that controls the overall operation of the secondary use environment construction support device 5. The memory 11 is composed of a volatile semiconductor memory such as an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and is used as a working memory for the CPU 10.

[0025] The storage device 12 is composed of a large-capacity non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk device or SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores and holds various programs and data that needs to be stored for a long period of time. Storage device management information 16, a secondary use environment construction determination program 17, and a secondary use volume copy execution program 18, which will be described later, are also stored and held in this storage device 12.

[0026] The input device 13 is composed of a mouse, a keyboard, etc., and is used by the operator to input various information and instructions to the secondary use environment construction support device 5. The display device 14 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, and is used to display various screens and information.

[0027] The communication device 15 is composed of, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) and is used by the secondary use environment construction support device 5 to communicate with each storage device 2, the production database server 3, and the secondary use database server 4 via the network 8.

[0028] (2) Secondary usage environment construction support function Next, a description will be given of a secondary use environment construction support function installed in the secondary use environment construction support device 5. This secondary use environment construction support function is a function that calculates several construction methods of a secondary use environment for user data (methods of replicating user data) as secondary use environment construction candidates based on a request from a user regarding the operation form of the secondary use environment (hereinafter, this is called a detailed request) and various management information regarding each storage device 2 in the system, and presents the calculated secondary use environment construction candidates together with their evaluation to the user.

[0029] In addition, when a user selects one of the secondary use environment construction candidate plans from the presented secondary use environment construction candidate plans, the secondary use environment construction support device 5 controls the source storage device 2 and / or destination storage device 3 to copy the user data stored in the operational volume VOL1 and / or the backup volume VOL2 to the above-mentioned secondary use data storage volume VOL3 using the replication method of that secondary use environment construction candidate plan, thereby constructing a secondary use environment for that user data.

[0030] As a means for realizing such a secondary use environment construction support function, the storage device 12 of the secondary use environment construction support device 5 stores storage device management information 16, a secondary use environment construction determination program 17, and a secondary use volume replication execution program 18, as shown in Figure 1.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, the storage device management information 16 is made up of at least a region / zone management table 20, a storage device-volume management table 21, a service / configuration information management table 22, a database server-storage volume management table 23, and a network management table 24.

[0032] The area / zone management table 20 is a table for managing the location of each storage device 2 in the system, and is configured with a management number column 20A, an area column 20B, a zone column 20C, and a storage device column 20D, as shown in Fig. 3. In the area / zone management table 20, one record (row) corresponds to one storage device 2 existing in the system.

[0033] The management number column 20A stores a management number that is assigned to the corresponding record and is unique to that record in the region / zone management table 20. In the case of this embodiment, a serial number starting from "0" is used as such a management number.

[0034] The region column 20B stores the region 6 in which the corresponding storage device 2 is installed, and the zone column 20C stores the zone 7 in which the site in which the storage device 2 is installed exists. Furthermore, the storage device column 20D stores an identification number (storage device number) that is assigned to the storage device 2 and is unique to the storage device 2 within the system.

[0035] Therefore, in the example of Figure 3, for example, a record assigned a management number of "0" is a record for storage device 2 assigned a storage device number of "12345", and indicates that storage device 2 is installed at a site within zone 7 called "Zone 1" in area 6 called "Tokyo-JP".

[0036] The storage device-volume management table 21 is a table for managing the location of each volume created in the system, and is configured with a management number column 21A, a storage device column 21B, and a volume column 21C, as shown in Fig. 4. In the storage device-volume management table 21, one record (row) corresponds to one volume created in the system.

[0037] The management number column 21A stores a management number that is assigned to the corresponding record and is unique to that record on the storage device-volume management table 21. In the case of this embodiment, a serial number starting from "0" is used as such a management number.

[0038] Furthermore, the volume column stores an identification number (volume number) unique to the corresponding volume, and the storage device column 21B stores the storage device number of the storage device 2 in which the volume is created.

[0039] Therefore, in the example of Figure 4, for example, a record assigned a management number of "0" is a record for a volume assigned a volume number of "1", and indicates that the volume is located within storage device 2 assigned a storage device number of "12345".

[0040] The service / configuration information management table 22 is a table used to manage what service (backup service) each volume present in the system is used for and in what configuration. As shown in Fig. 5, this service / configuration information management table 22 is configured with an ID column 22A, a volume column 22B, a storage device column 22C, a remote copy column 22D, a virtual remote copy column 22E, a snapshot column 22F, a migration column 22G, and a backup to object cloud storage column 22H. In the service / configuration information management table 22, one record (row) corresponds to one volume created in the system.

[0041] The ID column 22A stores an identification number (hereinafter, referred to as a record number) that is assigned to the corresponding record and is unique to that record on the service / configuration information management table 22. In the present embodiment, consecutive numbers starting from "0" are used as such record numbers.

[0042] Furthermore, the volume column 22B stores the volume number of the corresponding volume, and the storage device column 22C stores the storage device number of the storage device 2 in which the volume is created.

[0043] The remote copy field 22D stores information on whether the volume is being used for remote copy, and if it is being used for remote copy, configuration information of the remote copy. For example, if the volume is not being used for remote copy, "n / a" is stored. Also, if the volume is being used for remote copy, information on whether the volume is the source ("PVOL") or destination ("SVOL") of the remote copy, and the record number of the record corresponding to the volume on the other side of the remote copy are stored.

[0044] 5, for example, a record with a record number of "0" is shown to be a record corresponding to a volume with a volume number of "1" created in a storage device 2 assigned a storage device number of "12345." Also, in Fig. 5, it is shown that this volume is set as a remote copy pair (a pair for copying data) with a volume with a volume number of "5" corresponding to the record with the record number of "1" created in the same storage device 2, and is also set as the copy source of the remote copy ("Remote Copy PVOL of ID 1").

[0045] The virtual remote copy field 22E stores information on whether the volume is used for virtual remote copy, and if so, configuration information for the virtual remote copy. For example, if the volume is not used for virtual remote copy, "n / a" is stored. If the volume is used for virtual remote copy, information on whether the volume is an actually existing source volume ("Original VOL") or a destination virtual volume ("Virtual VOL") and the record number of the record corresponding to the volume on the other side of the virtual remote copy are stored.

[0046] Therefore, in the example of Fig. 5, for example, a record with record number "2" is shown to be a record corresponding to a volume with volume number "11" created in storage device 2 with storage device number "45678". Fig. 5 also shows that this volume is set as a copy pair for virtual remote copy with a volume with volume number "111" created in storage device 2 with storage device number "45679", and is also shown to be a virtual volume for this virtual remote copy ("Virtual VOL of ID 3").

[0047] The snapshot column 22F stores information on whether or not snapshot data of any volume is stored in the volume, and if snapshot data is stored, the record number of the record corresponding to the original volume.

[0048] Therefore, in the example of Figure 5, for example, a record with record number "5" is shown to be a record corresponding to a volume with volume number "124" created in storage device 2 with storage device number "11111." Figure 5 also shows that this volume stores snapshot data of a volume with volume number "123" created in the same storage device 2.

[0049] Incidentally, in remote copy and virtual remote copy, data is copied to the destination volume in synchronization (at the same timing) with the storage of data in the operational volume at the copy source, while in snapshots, the snapshot is created asynchronously (at a different timing) with the storage of data in the operational volume.

[0050] Furthermore, the migration column 22G stores information as to whether or not data that has been migrated (transferred) from any volume is stored in that volume, and, if migrated data is stored, the record number of the record corresponding to the source volume of the migration.

[0051] Therefore, in the example of Fig. 5, it is shown that the record with record number "7" is a record corresponding to a volume with volume number "333" created in a storage device with storage device number "40000." Fig. 5 also shows that data migrated from a volume with volume number "123" created in storage device 2 with storage device number 11111 is stored in this volume.

[0052] Furthermore, the backup to object cloud storage field 22H stores information on whether the data of that volume has been backed up to an object storage device on the cloud, and if so, the region of the backup destination.

[0053] Therefore, in the example of Figure 5, the record with record number "6" indicates that the data stored in the volume with volume number "222" created in storage device 2 with storage device number "56789" has been backed up to an object storage device on the cloud in the "Tokyo-JP" region.

[0054] The database server-storage volume management table 23 is a table for managing the storage device 2 attached to the production database server 3 and the production volume VOL1 in the storage device 2 that is used by the production database server 3.

[0055] 6, this database server-storage volume management table 23 is configured to include a database server column 23A, a storage device column 23B, a volume column 23C, a data type column 23D, and a service column 23E. In the database server-storage volume management table 23, one record in the database server column 23A corresponds to one production database server 3 existing in the system.

[0056] The database server column 23A stores an identifier (database server identifier) ​​assigned to the corresponding production database server 3, and the storage device column 23B stores the storage device number of the storage device 2 attached to that production database server 3.

[0057] Furthermore, the volume column 23C, data type column 23D, and service column 23E are created in the corresponding storage device 2 and are divided to correspond to each operational volume VOL1 connected to the corresponding production database server 3, respectively.

[0058] The volume column 23C stores the volume number of the corresponding operational volume VOL1, and the data type column 23D stores the data type of the user data stored in that operational volume VOL1. Furthermore, the service column 23E stores, when that operational volume VOL1 is used in some copy service supported by that storage device 2, the name of that copy service and the role of that operational volume VOL1 in that copy service.

[0059] Therefore, in the example of Fig. 6, for example, a storage device 2 with a storage device number of "12345" is attached to a production database server 3 with a database server identifier of "db-1". Fig. 6 also shows that a volume with a volume number of "1", "10" or "100" in this storage device 2 is used as the operational volume VOL1 of the production database server 3.

[0060] Furthermore, FIG. 6 shows that user data for a database named "DB A" is stored in an operational volume VOL1 with volume number "1" and an operational volume VOL1 with volume number "10," and that these operational volumes VOL1 are set as the source volumes "(Remote Copy PVOL)" for remote copying of the user data.

[0061] The network management table 24 is a table used to manage networks connecting sites provided in each zone 7 (FIG. 1) of each region 6 (FIG. 1), and as shown in FIG 7, is configured with a network name column 24A, a first site column 24B, a second site column 24C, a type column 24D, and a bandwidth column 24E. In the network management table 24, one record (row) corresponds to one network connecting two sites.

[0062] The network name column 24A stores the name of the corresponding network (network name), and the type column 24D stores the type of the network. Network types include "Shared" and "Dedicate." "Shared" is a network type in which the line is shared with other users, which keeps costs down but may result in somewhat unstable speeds. The "Dedicated" type is a network type made up of dedicated lines, which is expensive but has the advantage of relatively stable speeds. The bandwidth column 24E stores the bandwidth of the network.

[0063] The first site column 24B and the second site column 24C are divided into area columns 24BA, 24CA and zone columns 24BB, 24CB, respectively. The area column 24BA of the first site column 24B stores an identifier of the area 6 in which one of the two sites connected by the corresponding network (hereinafter, this will be referred to as the first site) is located, and the zone column 24BB of the first site column 24B stores an identifier of the zone 7 in which the first site is located. The area column 24CA of the second site column 24C stores an identifier of the area 6 in which the other of the two sites (hereinafter, this will be referred to as the second site) is located, and the zone column 24CB of the second site column 24C stores an identifier of the zone 7 in which the second site is located.

[0064] Therefore, in the example of Figure 7, a first site in Zone 7 called "Zone 1" in Region 6 called "Tokyo-JP" and a second site in Zone 7 called "Zone 1" in Region 6 called "OSAKA-JP" are connected by a network called "NW-A", and the network type is shown to be "Shared" with a bandwidth of "10GbPS".

[0065] On the other hand, the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 (Figure 1) is a program having the function of determining whether or not a secondary use environment can be constructed for secondary use of user data stored in the operational volume VOL2 and backup volume VOL2 in the system.

[0066] The secondary use environment construction determination program 17 calculates the predicted time required to complete copying of user data and the subsequent operating costs based on the above-mentioned storage device management information 16 stored in the storage device 12, combines these calculated values ​​with the user's detailed request, and presents secondary use environment construction plans (hereinafter referred to as secondary use environment construction candidate plans) to the user in a ranked format.

[0067] The secondary use volume replication execution program 18 (Figure 1) is a program having the function of constructing a secondary use environment of the secondary use environment construction candidate plan by controlling the necessary storage device 2 in accordance with the secondary use environment construction candidate plan selected by the user from the secondary use environment construction candidate plans presented by the secondary use environment construction determination program 17.

[0068] The specific processing contents of the secondary use environment construction judgment program 17 and the secondary use volume copy execution program 18 will be described later.

[0069] (3) Screen layout 8 shows a database catalog screen 30 that can be displayed by a predetermined operation on the display device 14 (FIG. 1) of the secondary use environment construction support device 5. This database catalog screen 30 is a screen for the user to specify the copy source when the user data stored in any of the operational volumes VOL1 or backup volumes VOL2 is to be copied to the secondary use data storage volume VOL3 for secondary use.

[0070] A database server catalog is displayed on this database catalog screen 30. The database server catalog is a list of combinations of production database servers 3 existing in the system and the types of user data handled by the production database servers 3, and has a record (row) for each such combination.

[0071] Each record is divided into a check box column 31A, a database server column 31B, a zone column 31C, a data type column 31D, a time stamp column 31E, and a data label column 31F. Check boxes 31AA are displayed in the check box column 31A.

[0072] Furthermore, the database server column 31B displays the database server identifier of the corresponding production database server 3, and the zone column 31C displays the zone identifier of the zone 7 in which the production database server 3 is installed. Furthermore, the data type column 31D displays the type of database used by the production database server 3 (the type of application that stores data in that database).

[0073] Furthermore, the timestamp column 31E displays the date on which the database was last backed up. Note that "Latest" in the figure means the latest data, and indicates that the data stored in the corresponding database has not been backed up. Furthermore, the data label column 31F displays the label that the user has assigned to the corresponding database.

[0074] On the database catalog screen 30, by clicking a check box 31AA provided in the check box field 31A of a record corresponding to a desired combination from among the combinations of each production database server 3 and database listed in the database catalog 31, the user can select, as data to be used for secondary use, user data in the database used by the production database server 3 constituting that combination from the corresponding operation volume VOL1 or backup volume. At this time, a check mark 31AB is displayed in the checked check box 31AA.

[0075] Furthermore, after the user selects the desired copy source as described above, when the user clicks on the OK button 32 displayed in the lower right of the database catalog screen 30, a setting screen 40 as shown in Fig. 9 is displayed in place of the database catalog screen 30. This setting screen 40 is configured to include a secondary usage destination environment information setting area 41 and a detailed request setting area 42.

[0076] The secondary usage destination environment information setting area 41 is an area for setting a copy destination of the user data to be used secondary, and includes a copy destination designation box 43A and a pull-down button 43B for designating the region 6 to which the user data is to be copied.

[0077] In the secondary-use environment information setting area 41, a pull-down menu (not shown) listing several regions 6 that can be designated as copy destinations is displayed by clicking the pull-down button 43B, and by selecting a desired region 6 from the regions 6 displayed in this pull-down menu, the region 6 can be designated as the copy destination of the user data. At this time, the designated copy destination region 6 is displayed in the copy destination designation box 43A.

[0078] Also, first to fourth text boxes 44A to 44D are provided below the copy destination designation box 43A. In the secondary use destination environment information setting area 41, the secondary use database server 4 (FIG. 1) can be designated by inputting the server name of the secondary use database server 4 in the first text box 44A, the initiator IQN (iSCSI Qualified Name) of the secondary use database server 4 in the second text box 44B, the protocol in the secondary use database server 4 in the third text box 44C, and the OS (Operating System) type of the secondary use database server 4 in the fourth text box 44D.

[0079] The detailed request setting area 42 is an area for the user to set detailed requests regarding the operation mode of the secondary use environment of the user data. In the case of this embodiment, the priority items, construction completion time, operation period, and schedule can be set as such detailed requests.

[0080] The "priority item" indicates whether performance or cost should be prioritized for the secondary use environment. The detailed request setting area 42 is provided with toggle switches 45 corresponding to "performance priority," which prioritizes the performance of the secondary use environment, and "cost priority," which prioritizes the cost of building the secondary use environment and the subsequent operating cost. By selecting the toggle switch 45 corresponding to the desired option ("performance priority" or "cost priority") among these toggle switches 45 by clicking it, it is possible to set that a secondary use environment should be built according to that option. When the toggle switch 45 is clicked, the display state transitions to a state (filled in black) indicating that the corresponding option has been selected.

[0081] The "construction completion time" indicates the construction completion time desired by the user for the secondary use environment. In the detailed request setting area 42, the time and date for completing the construction of the secondary use environment can be selected using a pull-down menu, and the selected time is displayed in the time display field 46A, and the selected date is displayed in the date display field 46B.

[0082] Furthermore, the "operation period" indicates the period during which the secondary use environment is used (hereinafter, this is referred to as the operation period). In the detailed request setting area 42, the operation period can be selected using a pull-down menu, and the selected operation period is displayed in the operation period columns 47A and 47B.

[0083] Furthermore, "schedule" represents a schedule for using the secondary use environment. Toggle switches 48 are provided in the detailed request setting area 42 corresponding to "daily operation" for using the secondary use environment every day, and "monthly operation" for using the secondary use environment once or several times a month, respectively. By selecting the toggle switch 48 corresponding to the desired option ("daily operation" or "monthly operation") among these toggle switches 48 by clicking on it, it is possible to set that a secondary use environment corresponding to that option should be constructed. When the toggle switch 48 is clicked, the display state transitions to a state indicating that the corresponding option has been selected.

[0084] Then, on the setting screen 40, by setting the secondary use destination of the user data and detailed requests as described above and then clicking the execute button 49, the user can instruct the secondary use environment construction support device 5 to execute a process (hereinafter referred to as a secondary use environment construction candidate process) for calculating candidate proposals for the secondary use environment of the user data (hereinafter referred to as a secondary use environment construction candidate proposal).

[0085] 10 shows a construction candidate plan list screen 50 displayed on the display device 14 (FIG. 1) by the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 (FIG. 1) after the secondary use environment construction candidate calculation process is completed. On this construction candidate plan list screen 50, information on all secondary use environment construction candidates calculated by the secondary use environment construction candidate calculation process is displayed in a ranking format.

[0086] In practice, the construction candidate plan list screen 50 displays, for each secondary use environment construction candidate plan calculated by the secondary use environment construction candidate calculation process, an evaluation of the storage performance ("storage performance"), predicted construction cost ("construction cost (forecast)"), predicted operating cost ("operational cost (forecast)"), and predicted construction time ("construction time (forecast)") if that secondary use environment construction candidate plan is adopted, as well as the degree to which that secondary use environment construction candidate plan is recommended ("recommendation level").

[0087] In this case, for "storage performance," the I / O performance of the secondary use environment construction candidate is evaluated on a three-point scale and the evaluation result is displayed as "high," "medium," or "low." For "construction cost," "operation cost," and "construction time," specific numerical values ​​are displayed. For "recommendation level," the degree to which the secondary use environment construction candidate is recommended is evaluated on a five-point scale and the evaluation result is displayed as the number of stars.

[0088] Furthermore, a selection button 51 is displayed corresponding to each of the listed secondary use environment construction candidates on the construction candidate plan list screen 50. Thus, the user can select the secondary use environment construction candidate plan he / she wishes to adopt at that time from among the secondary use environment construction candidates listed on the construction candidate plan list screen 50, thereby selecting that secondary use environment construction candidate plan as the construction plan for the secondary use environment of the user data.

[0089] Then, when one secondary use environment construction candidate plan is selected from the multiple secondary use environment construction candidate plans listed on the construction candidate plan list screen 50 as described above, under the control of the secondary use environment construction support device 5, a secondary use environment corresponding to the selected secondary use environment construction candidate plan is constructed at the copy destination specified by the user, and then, instead of the construction candidate plan list screen 50, the replica volume connection information screen 52 shown in Figure 11 is displayed on the display device 14 of the secondary use environment construction support device 5.

[0090] This replicated volume connection information screen 52 is a screen that displays information regarding the secondary use data storage volume VOL3 (Figure 1) to which the user data to be used for secondary purposes has been copied as described above, as well as information necessary for connecting this secondary use data storage volume VOL3 to the secondary use database server 4.

[0091] In practice, the replicated volume connection information screen 52 displays the volume number ("VOL#100" in FIG. 11) of the secondary use data storage volume VOL3 connected to the secondary use database server 4, iSCSI target information ("iSCSI target information"), and information required to connect such secondary use data storage volume VOL3 to the secondary use database server 4 ("Information required for connecting to DB server").

[0092] Specifically, the IP address and IQN used to access the volume are displayed as "iSCSI target information" on the replication volume connection information screen 52. The replication volume connection information screen 52 also displays the device name of the volume and the path for mounting the volume (mount path) as "information required to connect to the secondary use database server."

[0093] (4) Various processes related to the secondary use environment construction support function Next, a flow of a series of processes (hereinafter, referred to as secondary use environment construction support processes) executed in the secondary use environment construction support device 5 in relation to the secondary use environment construction support function described above will be described.

[0094] In the following, the various processes are described as being processed by the secondary usage environment construction determination program 17 (Figure 1) or the secondary usage volume copy execution program 18 (Figure 1), but it goes without saying that in reality, the CPU 10 (Figure 1) of the secondary usage environment construction support device 5 executes the processes based on the secondary usage environment construction determination program 17 or the secondary usage volume copy execution program 18.

[0095] (4-1) Secondary use environment construction support process 12 shows a specific flow of the above-mentioned secondary use environment construction support process. This secondary use environment construction support process is started when a display instruction for the database catalog screen 30 described above with reference to FIG. 8 is input by a predetermined operation of the user.

[0096] First, the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 sequentially displays the database catalog screen 30 and the setting screen 40 described above with reference to FIG. 9 on the display device 14 (FIG. 1) in response to user operations (S1).

[0097] In addition, the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 executes a secondary use environment construction candidate calculation process that calculates secondary use environment construction candidate plans based on the selection of the copy source and the contents of various settings made using the displayed database catalog screen 30 and setting screen 40, thereby creating a construction plan list 60 as shown in Figure 13 (S2).

[0098] This construction plan list 60 is a list used to manage each secondary use environment construction candidate plan calculated by the secondary use environment construction candidate plan calculation process, and is configured with a plan identifier column 60A, a copy method column 60B, a storage performance column 60C, a construction cost column 60D, a construction time column 60E, an operation cost column 60F, and a priority column 60G, as shown in Fig. 13. In the construction plan list 60, one record (row) corresponds to one secondary use environment construction candidate plan.

[0099] The plan identifier column 60A stores an identifier unique to the secondary use environment construction candidate plan that is assigned to the corresponding secondary use environment construction candidate plan, and the copy method column 60B stores the copy method (duplication method) used in the secondary use environment construction candidate plan. The storage performance column 60C stores one of the three levels of performance of the copy destination storage device 2 in the secondary use environment construction candidate plan: "high", "medium", or "low".

[0100] The construction cost column 60D stores the construction cost when constructing a secondary use environment of user data according to the corresponding secondary use environment construction candidate plan, and the construction time column stores the time required to construct the secondary use environment. Also, the operation cost column 60F stores the cost required to operate the secondary use environment.

[0101] Furthermore, the priority column 60G stores the priority of the corresponding secondary use environment construction candidate plan calculated in the process of the secondary use environment construction candidate plan calculation process. The "priority" will be described in detail later.

[0102] Therefore, in the example of Fig. 13, for example, the copy method in the secondary use environment construction candidate plan given the plan identifier "B" is "virtual remote copy", the performance of the storage device 2 in the secondary use environment to be constructed is "medium", the construction cost is "30 USD", the construction time is "30 minutes", and the operation cost is "40 USD / month". Fig. 13 also shows that the priority of this secondary use environment construction candidate plan is "2".

[0103] Next, the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 determines whether or not a secondary use environment for the user data to be used for secondary use can be constructed based on the processing result of the secondary use environment construction candidate plan calculation processing in step S2 (S3).

[0104] If the secondary use environment construction judgment program 17 obtains a negative result in this judgment, it displays a message on the display device 14 to the effect that the secondary use environment desired by the user cannot be constructed (S11), and then terminates the secondary use environment construction support process.

[0105] In response to this, if the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 obtains a positive result in the judgment of step S3, it displays on the display device 14 (FIG. 1) the above-mentioned construction candidate plan list screen 50 (FIG. 10) in which information on each secondary use environment construction candidate plan registered in the construction plan list 60 is listed in a ranking format (S4).

[0106] The secondary use environment construction determination program 17 then waits for the user to select one of the secondary use environment construction candidate plans from among the secondary use environment construction candidate plans listed on the construction candidate plan list screen 50 (S5).

[0107] Then, when one secondary use environment construction candidate plan is selected from the secondary use environment construction candidate plans, the secondary use environment construction judgment program 17 calls the secondary use volume copy execution program 18 (FIG. 1) and issues an instruction to the called secondary use volume copy execution program 18 to construct a secondary use environment according to the secondary use environment construction candidate plan selected by the user (S6). Hereinafter, this instruction will be referred to as a secondary use environment construction instruction.

[0108] When such a secondary use environment construction instruction is given, the secondary use volume replication execution program 18 creates a secondary use data storage volume VOL3 (FIG. 3) of the required capacity in any of the storage devices 2 attached to the secondary use database server 4 (FIG. 1) specified by the user on the setting screen 40 (FIG. 9), and instructs the destination (or source and destination) storage device 2 to copy the user data to be used for secondary use to the created secondary use data storage volume VOL3 as needed (S7).

[0109] Thus, when the storage device 2 receives such an instruction, for example, if the copy method in the secondary usage environment construction candidate proposal selected by the user in step S5 is the remote copy method, migration method or backup method, a secondary usage environment is constructed by performing a full copy (data movement) of user data from the source operational volume VOL1 (Figure 1) to the destination secondary usage data storage volume VOL3, and then, as the operational volume VOL1 is updated, the updated data is copied synchronously or asynchronously to the secondary usage data storage volume VOL3.

[0110] Furthermore, if the copy method in the secondary usage environment construction candidate proposal selected by the user in step S5 is the virtual remote copy method, a secondary usage environment is constructed by setting an access path from the operational volume VOL1 to the secondary usage data storage volume VOL3, and then the necessary user data is copied from the operational volume VOL1 to the secondary usage data storage volume VOL3 as a copy destination via this access path.

[0111] Furthermore, if the copy method in the secondary use environment construction candidate proposal selected by the user in step S5 is the snapshot method, the secondary use environment is constructed in the same manner as when such copy method is the remote copy method, or in the same manner as when such copy method is the virtual remote copy method.

[0112] Next, the secondary use volume copy execution program 18 judges whether or not the construction of the secondary use environment according to the secondary use environment construction candidate plan selected by the user has been successful (S8). If the secondary use volume copy execution program 18 obtains a negative result in this judgment, it displays a message on the display device 14 to the effect that the secondary use environment desired by the user cannot be constructed (S11), and then ends this secondary use environment construction support process.

[0113] In contrast, if the secondary usage volume replication execution program 18 obtains a positive result in the judgment of step S8, it additionally registers information regarding the secondary usage data storage volume VOL3 (Figure 1) created in step S7 in the storage device-volume management table 21 (Figure 4) and the database server-storage volume management table 23 (Figure 6) (S9).

[0114] In addition, the secondary usage volume replication execution program 18 displays on the display device 14 the replication volume connection information screen 52 described above with reference to Figure 11, which contains information about the secondary usage data storage volume VOL3 created in step S7 (S10), and then terminates the secondary usage environment construction support process.

[0115] (4-2) Secondary use environment construction candidate proposal calculation process Fig. 14 shows the flow of the secondary use environment construction candidate plan calculation process executed by the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 in step S2 of the secondary use environment construction support process described above with reference to Fig. 12. The secondary use environment construction determination program 17 calculates all secondary use environment construction candidate plans according to the processing procedure shown in Fig. 14.

[0116] In practice, when the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 proceeds to step S2 of the secondary use environment construction support process, it starts the secondary use environment construction candidate plan calculation process shown in Figure 14, and first confirms the source and destination of the copy based on various information about the source and destination storage devices 2 entered by the user using the database catalog screen 30 and the setting screen 40, and the storage device management information 16 (Figure 2) (S20).

[0117] Specifically, the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 first acquires, as the copy source, the database server stored in the database server column 31B of the record in the database catalog 31 (FIG. 8) specified by the user on the database catalog screen 30 (FIG. 8), as the target production database server 3. The secondary use environment construction determination program 17 also acquires the data type stored in the data type database server and data type column 31D of that record as the database to be copied.

[0118] For example, in the example of Figure 8, a check mark 31AB is displayed in the check box 31AA of the top record, so the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 obtains "db-1" as the target production database server 3 and "DB A" as the data type.

[0119] In addition, based on the production database server 3 and data type obtained as described above, the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 refers to the database server-storage volume management table 23 (Figure 6) to obtain the volume numbers of all operational volumes VOL1 (Figure 1) in which the data (user data) of the database is stored, and the storage device numbers of the storage devices 2 in which the operational volumes VOL1 are created.

[0120] 8 and 6, it can be seen that database data of a data type "DB A" in a production database server 3 named "db-1" is stored in volumes (operational volume VOL1) with volume numbers "1" and "10" created in a storage device 2 with a storage device number of "12345". Therefore, the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 acquires this information as the storage device number of the storage device 2 of the copy source and the volume number of the operational volume VOL1 of the copy source. The user data to be copied is the data stored in this operational volume VOL1.

[0121] On the other hand, in regard to the copy destination, the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 first obtains the server name of the secondary use database server 4 and the region 6 in which the secondary use database server 4 is installed from various information set by the user in the secondary use environment information setting area 41 (Figure 9) of the setting screen 40 (Figure 9).

[0122] For example, in the example of Figure 9, the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 obtains "Tokyo Region" as the region 6 in which the secondary use database server 4 is installed, and "Analvtics-db" as the server name of the secondary use database server 4.

[0123] Next, the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 calculates all secondary use environment construction candidates based on the information of the copy source and copy destination confirmed in step S20 (S21).

[0124] Specifically, the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 inquires of the copy source storage device 2 about the capacity of the operational volume VOL1 to be copied. The secondary use environment construction determination program 17 also refers to the area / zone management table 20 to extract all storage devices 2 installed in the area 6 in which the secondary use database server 4 is installed, and inquires of each of the extracted storage devices 2 about whether or not it has a remaining capacity equal to or greater than the capacity of the operational volume VOL1 to be copied.

[0125] The secondary use environment construction determination program 17 then creates a secondary use data storage volume VOL3 in any of the storage devices 2 installed within the area 6 in which the secondary use database server 4 is installed and which has remaining capacity equal to or greater than the capacity of the operational volume VOL1 to be copied, and calculates all combinations of the location of the secondary use data storage volume VOL3 and the copy method when copying data of the operational volume VOL1 to the secondary use data storage volume VOL3 using some copy method as secondary use environment construction candidate plans.

[0126] At this time, the secondary usage environment construction determination program 17 also refers to the network management table 24 (Figure 7) and takes into consideration whether the zone 7 in which the source operational volume VOL1 exists and the zone 7 in which the storage device 2 in which the volume that will become the secondary usage data storage volume VOL3 is created are connected by a network.

[0127] The secondary use environment construction judgment program 17 then creates a construction plan list 60 (Fig. 13) in which the secondary use environment construction candidate plans calculated as described above are registered. At this stage, the plan identifiers assigned to each calculated secondary use environment construction candidate plan are stored in the plan identifier column 60A (Fig. 13), the copy method used in the secondary use environment construction amendment plan is stored in the copy method column 60B (Fig. 13), and the construction plan list 60 is created with the other fields blank. The secondary use environment construction judgment program 17 also stores "0" in the priority column 60G (Fig. 13) of each record.

[0128] Next, the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 determines whether or not a secondary use environment can be constructed based on the calculation result of step S21 (S22). This determination can be made by determining whether or not at least one record exists in the construction plan list 60.

[0129] If the secondary use environment construction judgment program 17 obtains a negative result in this judgment, it judges that the secondary use environment desired by the user cannot be constructed (S33), and then terminates the secondary use environment construction candidate plan calculation process and returns to the secondary use environment construction support process.

[0130] In this case, a negative result is obtained in step S3 of the secondary use environment construction support process, and as a result, in step S11 of the secondary use environment construction support process, a message is displayed on the display device 14 to the effect that the secondary use environment desired by the user cannot be constructed.

[0131] In response to this, if the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 obtains a positive result in the judgment of step S22, it refers to the service / configuration information management table 22 (Figure 5) to confirm the copy services available to the source and destination storage devices 2, and also confirms the contents of the detailed request set by the user on the setting screen 40 (Figure 9) (S23).

[0132] Next, the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 judges whether or not "performance priority" has been selected as a detailed request on the setting screen 40 based on the confirmation content of step S23 (S24). If the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 obtains a negative result in this judgment, it proceeds to step S26.

[0133] In contrast, if the secondary use environment construction judgment program 17 obtains a positive result in the judgment of step S24, it deletes the secondary use environment construction candidate plan in which the copy method is virtual remote copy from the secondary use environment construction candidate plans registered in the construction plan list 60 (S25).

[0134] Thereafter, the secondary use environment construction determination program determines whether or not "daily operation" has been selected as a schedule on the setting screen 40, based on the contents of the detailed request acquired in step S23 (S26).

[0135] If the secondary use environment construction judgment program 17 obtains a positive result in this judgment, it lowers by "1" the priority value stored in the priority column 60G (Figure 13) of the record corresponding to the secondary use environment construction candidate plan whose copy method is virtual remote copy, from among the secondary use environment construction candidate plans registered in the construction plan list 60 (S28).

[0136] On the other hand, if the secondary use environment construction judgment program 17 obtains a positive result in step S26, it increases by "1" the priority value stored in the priority column 60G of the record corresponding to the secondary use environment construction candidate plan whose copy method is virtual remote copy, from among the secondary use environment construction candidate plans registered in the construction plan list 60 (S27).

[0137] Next, the secondary use environment construction judgment program 17 judges whether or not any secondary use environment construction candidate plans remain in the construction plan list 60 (S29).

[0138] If the secondary use environment construction judgment program 17 obtains a negative result in this judgment, it judges that the secondary use environment desired by the user cannot be constructed (S33), and then terminates the secondary use environment construction candidate plan calculation process and returns to the secondary use environment construction support process.

[0139] In this case too, a negative result is obtained in step S3 of the secondary use environment construction support process (Figure 12), and as a result, in step S11 of the secondary use environment construction support process, a message is displayed on the display device 14 to the effect that the secondary use environment desired by the user cannot be constructed.

[0140] In response to this, if the secondary use environment construction judgment program 17 obtains a positive result in the judgment of step S29, it calculates, for each secondary use environment construction candidate plan registered in the construction plan list 60 at that time, the time and cost required to copy user data if that secondary use environment construction candidate plan is adopted, and the subsequent operating costs (S30).

[0141] The time and cost required for copying in step S30 and the operation cost can be calculated using a wide range of existing calculation methods. For example, the time required for copying can be calculated by obtaining the bandwidth of the network connecting the source and destination storage devices 2 from the network management table 24 (FIG. 7) and dividing the capacity of the operation volume VOL1 to be copied by that bandwidth.

[0142] Moreover, the cost required for such copying can be calculated by dividing the capacity of the operational volume VOL1 to be copied by the communication charge per unit data amount that the secondary use environment construction support device 5 manages separately.

[0143] Furthermore, the cost required for operation, for example in the case of daily operation with a specified operation period, can be calculated by multiplying the volume usage fee per unit data amount in the destination storage device 2 managed separately by the secondary use environment construction support device 5, the volume usage fee per unit period, the capacity of the operation volume VOL1 to be copied, and the operation period.

[0144] Thereafter, the secondary use environment construction judgment program 17 refers to the contents of the detailed request confirmed in step S23 and ranks the secondary use environment construction candidates (S31).

[0145] For example, for each secondary use environment construction candidate plan remaining in the construction plan list 60 at that time, the secondary use environment construction judgment program 17 calculates the time at which the construction will be completed if the construction of the secondary use environment using the secondary use environment construction candidate plan is carried out immediately by adding the current time to the construction time calculated in step S30, and if that time is before the construction completion time in the detailed request, adds "1" to the priority of that secondary use environment construction candidate plan.

[0146] In addition, when "cost priority" is selected in the detailed request, the secondary use environment construction judgment program 17 adds "1" to the priority of the secondary use environment construction candidate plan registered in the construction plan list 60 at that time, which has the lowest total construction cost and operating cost calculated in step S30.

[0147] The secondary use environment construction judgment program 17 then sorts each secondary use environment construction candidate plan registered in the construction plan list 60 in descending order of priority. At this time, secondary use environment construction candidates with the same priority may be ranked based on the time and cost required to copy user data when the secondary use environment construction candidate plan is adopted, calculated in step S30, and the subsequent operating cost, and the contents of the detailed request set by the user. For example, if cost priority is set in the detailed request, the secondary use environment construction candidate plan with a lower total value of construction cost and operating cost may be ranked higher.

[0148] Then, in step S4 of the secondary use environment construction support processing described above with reference to Figure 12, the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 generates a construction candidate plan list screen 50 which lists the secondary use environment construction candidate plans in the sorted order registered in this construction plan list 60, and displays it on the display device 14.

[0149] Next, the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 determines that it is possible to construct the secondary use environment desired by the user (S32), and then terminates this secondary use environment construction candidate plan calculation process and returns to the secondary use environment construction support process.

[0150] (5) Effects of this embodiment As described above, the secondary use environment construction support device 5 of this embodiment calculates all secondary use environment construction candidate plans, including the copy method for copying data between the source and destination of the specified data, and for each calculated secondary use environment construction candidate plan, calculates the time and cost required to copy the data to the destination as well as the operating costs of the secondary use environment to be constructed, and ranks the secondary use environment construction candidate plans based on the calculation results and presents them in a ranking format.

[0151] Therefore, according to this secondary use environment construction support device 5, a user does not need any special knowledge and can construct an optimal secondary use environment simply by selecting a secondary environment construction candidate plan that matches the user's requirements (detailed requests) from the presented secondary environment construction candidate plans, thereby supporting the construction of an optimal secondary use environment for data.

[0152] (6) Other embodiments In the above-described embodiment, the secondary use environment construction support device 5 is constructed using a single computer device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the secondary use environment construction support device 5 may be constructed using a plurality of computer devices that constitute a distributed computing system.

[0153] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a case has been described in which a single secondary use environment construction determination program 17 is equipped with a function as a construction candidate plan calculation unit that calculates all construction candidate plans for a secondary use environment, including the copy method when copying data between the source and destination of the specified data, and a function as a construction candidate plan presentation unit that calculates, for each construction candidate plan calculated by the construction candidate plan calculation unit, the time and cost required to copy data to the destination and the operating cost of the secondary use environment to be constructed, and ranks the construction candidate plans based on the calculation results and presents them in a ranking format.However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the secondary use environment construction determination program 17 may be configured by dividing it into a first program having the function of the construction candidate plan calculation unit and a second program having the function of the construction candidate plan presentation unit.

[0154] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a detailed request was described that includes a request as to whether performance or cost should be given priority in constructing the secondary use environment, a request for the completion time of construction of the secondary use environment, a request for the operation period of the secondary use environment, and a request as to whether the secondary use environment should be operated daily or monthly; however, the present invention is not limited to this, and the detailed request may include only a portion of these requests, or may further include other requests.

[0155] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the secondary use environment construction support device 5 is described as presenting the calculated secondary use environment construction candidate plans to the user in a ranked format, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the calculated secondary use environment construction candidate plans may be presented to the user simply along with absolute evaluations of construction cost, operating cost, construction time, etc., without comparing them with other secondary use environment construction candidate plans, such as in a ranking format.

[0156] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the setting screen 40 shown in FIG. 9 allows the user to select a "schedule" from two options, "daily operation" or "monthly operation." However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various other frequencies of use, such as annual, semi-annual, or temporary, may be selected.

[0157] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the service / configuration information management table 22 is used to manage what kind of service (backup service) and what kind of configuration each volume in the system is used for. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The service / configuration information management table 22 may be used to manage what kind of service (backup service) and what kind of configuration each volume in the system is used for. It may also be possible to manage which copy service can be provided among various backup services (copy services) such as migration and backup to object cloud storage. This information may be used when calculating a secondary use environment construction candidate plan in step S21 of the secondary use environment candidate plan calculation process described above with reference to FIG. [Industrial Applicability]

[0158] The present invention can be widely applied to support devices of various configurations that support the construction of a secondary use environment for data. [Explanation of symbols]

[0159] 1...Secondary use environment construction support system, 2...Storage device, 3...Production database server, 4...Secondary use database server, 5...Secondary use environment construction support device, 6...Region, 7...Zone, 10...CPU, 16...Storage device management information, 17...Secondary use environment construction determination program, 18...Secondary use volume replication execution program, 20...Region / zone management table, 21...Storage device-volume management table, 22...Service / configuration information management table, 23...Database server-storage volume management table, 24...Network management table, 30...Database catalog screen, 40...Settings screen, 50...Construction candidate plan list screen, 52...Replication volume connection information screen, 60...Construction plan list.

Claims

1. 1. A support device that supports construction of a secondary use environment, the secondary use environment being connected to a plurality of sites each having a server and a storage device, the server utilizing data stored in the storage device, a construction candidate plan calculation unit that calculates a plurality of construction candidate plans for the secondary use environment, including a copy method for copying the data between a specified copy source site and a copy destination site of the data; a construction candidate plan presentation unit that calculates, for each of the construction candidate plans calculated by the construction candidate plan calculation unit, the time and cost required for copying the data and the operating cost of the secondary use environment to be constructed, and presents the multiple construction candidate plans together with their evaluations based on the calculation results; An assistance device comprising:

2. The evaluation is a priority; Presenting the plurality of candidate construction plans in a ranked format based on the priority.

2. The support device according to claim 1 .

3. The database information of each site and the network information between each site are stored, The construction candidate proposal presentation unit Based on the database information, the network information, and a request regarding the operation mode of the secondary use environment, a plurality of candidate construction plans including the time and cost required for copying the data and the operation cost are calculated.

2. The support device according to claim 1 .

4. The request may be The secondary use environment is operated based on at least one of the following: whether performance or cost is to be prioritized in constructing the secondary use environment; and whether the secondary use environment is operated based on the construction completion time of the secondary use environment, the operation period of the secondary use environment, or the frequency of use. The copy method includes a method of moving data between sites when copying, and a method of setting an access path to data when copying and moving data between sites when an access request is made.

4. The support device according to claim 3.

5. The copy method includes a method of synchronizing with the data of the copy source and a method of not synchronizing with the data of the copy source.

5. The support device according to claim 4.

6. Further comprising a replication execution unit that, when one of the construction candidate plans is selected from the plurality of construction candidate plans, replicates the data by copying the data from the copy source site to the copy destination site in a copy method corresponding to the selected construction candidate plan.

2. The support device according to claim 1 .

7. The replication execution unit, Output information about the volume of the secondary use environment that was created 7. The support device according to claim 6.

8. 1. A support method executed by a support device that is connected to a plurality of sites each having a server and a storage device and supports construction of a secondary use environment in which the server uses data stored in the storage device, comprising: A first step of calculating a plurality of construction candidate plans for the secondary use environment, including a copy method for copying the data between a designated copy source site and a copy destination site of the data; a second step of calculating, for each of the calculated construction candidate plans, the time and cost required to copy the data and the operating cost of the secondary use environment to be constructed, and presenting the multiple construction candidate plans together with their evaluations based on the calculation results; An assistance method comprising:

9. The evaluation is a priority; Presenting the plurality of candidate construction plans in a ranked format based on the priority. The method according to claim 8 .

10. The support device holds database information of each site and network information between each site, In the second step, the support device Based on the database information, the network information, and a request regarding the operation mode of the secondary use environment, a plurality of candidate construction plans including the time and cost required for copying the data and the operation cost are calculated. The method according to claim 8 .

11. The request may be The secondary use environment is operated based on at least one of the following: whether performance or cost is to be prioritized in constructing the secondary use environment; and whether the secondary use environment is operated based on the construction completion time of the secondary use environment, the operation period of the secondary use environment, or the frequency of use. The copy method includes a method of moving data between sites when copying, and a method of setting an access path to data when copying and moving data between sites when an access request is made. The method according to claim 10 .

12. The copy method includes a method of synchronizing with the data of the copy source and a method of not synchronizing with the data of the copy source. The method according to claim 11 .

13. The method further includes a third step of replicating the data by copying the data from the source site to the destination site in a copy method corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of construction candidate plans. The method according to claim 8 .

14. In the third step, the support device Output information about the volume of the secondary use environment that was created The method according to claim 13 .

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