Storage system and first storage system

Abstract

To provide a storage system and a first storage system that improve usability when storing an electronic file in the storage system.SOLUTION: A storage system 100 includes: a first storage system 110 having a first processor 111 and a first storage device 112; a second storage system 120 that is capable of transmitting and receiving an electronic file to and from the first storage system 110 and that has a second processor 121 and a second storage device 122; and a file control unit 114 that, when the first storage system 110 receives a request for storing the electronic file, determines, on the basis of first capacity information indicating available capacity of the second storage device 122, whether the electronic file can be stored in the second storage device 122, and controls storage of the electronic file if it is determined that the electronic file can be stored.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a storage system comprising a plurality of storage devices with different capacities, and a first storage system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been storage systems equipped with multiple storage devices with different storage capacities. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology in which, when a cloud storage device where an electronic file is to be stored runs out of free space, another storage device with sufficient free space is detected and the electronic file is stored therein. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7119465 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 requires time to find storage with ample free space, and if no storage with ample free space can be found, it takes time for a user attempting to store an electronic file to become aware of the situation.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and provides a storage system and a first storage system that allow a user to quickly know whether an electronic file can be stored in any of a plurality of storage devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One storage system of the present invention comprises a first storage system having a first processor and a first storage device, a second storage system capable of sending and receiving electronic files to and from the first storage system and having a second processor and a second storage device, and a file control unit that, when the first storage system receives a request to store an electronic file, determines whether the electronic file can be stored in the second storage device based on first capacity information indicating the storage capacity of the second storage device, and performs control related to the storage of the electronic file if it is determined that the electronic file can be stored.

[0007] One storage system of the present invention comprises a first storage system having a first processor and a first storage device, a second storage system capable of mutually sending and receiving electronic files with the first storage system and having a second processor and a second storage device, and a file control unit that, when the first storage system receives a request for storing an electronic file, presents first capacity information indicating the storage capacity of the second storage device as information indicating the storage capacity of the first storage device.

[0008] A first storage system according to one aspect of the present invention is a first storage system having a first processor and a first storage device, and is equipped with a transmission / reception unit that transmits and receives electronic files between a second storage system having a second processor and a second storage device, a capacity acquisition unit that acquires first capacity information indicating the storage capacity of the second storage device, and a file control unit that, when a request to store an electronic file is made, determines based on the first capacity information whether the electronic file can be stored in the second storage device, and if it is determined that the electronic file can be stored, performs control related to the storage of the electronic file. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] In a system having a plurality of storage devices, a storage system and a first storage system can be provided that are highly user-friendly and allow a user to easily know whether or not an electronic file can be stored when attempting to store it. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the device configuration of a storage system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of a storage system. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing flow of a storage system. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state of a second storage device virtually synchronized with the browsing state of a first storage device. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a presentation state of unmemorizable information. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a storage system according to another example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of a storage system and a first storage system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are presented as examples to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For example, the shapes, structures, materials, components, relative positional relationships, connection states, numerical values, mathematical formulas, the content of each step in a method, and the order of each step shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and may include content not described below. Furthermore, while geometric expressions such as parallel and orthogonal may be used, these expressions do not indicate mathematical precision and include substantially acceptable errors, deviations, and the like. Furthermore, expressions such as simultaneous and identical also include substantially acceptable ranges.

[0012] The drawings are schematic diagrams in which emphasis, omission, or adjustment of proportions is appropriately made for the purpose of explaining the present invention, and differ from the actual shapes, positional relationships, and proportions. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis shown in the drawings represent Cartesian coordinates arbitrarily set for the purpose of explaining the drawings. In other words, the Z-axis is not necessarily an axis along the vertical direction, and the X-axis and Y-axis are not necessarily located within a horizontal plane.

[0013] In addition, in the following, multiple inventions may be collectively described as one embodiment, and some of the contents described below may be described as optional components related to the present invention.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the device configuration of a storage system 100. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the storage system 100. The storage system 100 is a system that can output electronic files in response to requests from a terminal device 200 or the like and store electronic files transmitted from the terminal device 200 or the like, and is equipped with a first storage system 110 and a second storage system 120. The first storage system 110, the second storage system 120, and the terminal device 200 may be connected via a single type of network, or may be connected via multiple types of networks, such as a first network 210 and a second network 220 that are connected via an address translation device 230. The device configuration and functional configuration of the storage system 100 will be explained below in order, but the order of explanation does not necessarily correspond to the order of processing.

[0015] The type of the first network 210 is not particularly limited, and can be, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) that performs communication based on private IP addresses (local IP addresses). Specifically, the first network 210 is a network that complies with IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.3. The first storage system 110 and the terminal device 200 are connected to this first network 210. However, the devices connected to the first network 210 are not limited to these.

[0016] The type of second network 220 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a WAN (Wide Area Network), commonly known as the Internet, provided by a telecommunications carrier that allows communication based on a global IP address.

[0017] The address translation device 230 is a device that has a NAT (Network Address Translation) function that converts an IP address into another IP address. In this embodiment, the address translation device 230 is a so-called router.

[0018] The first storage system 110 is a device that stores and manages electronic files that include actual data such as text and images, and metadata that indicates file sizes, file names, etc., and is equipped with a first processor 111 that implements various processing functions by executing programs, and a first storage device 112 that non-temporarily stores data such as electronic files. The specific first storage system 110 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, a NAS (Network Attached Storage) is given as the first storage system 110. The first storage system 110 may also be, for example, a desktop computer or a laptop computer.

[0019] The second storage system 120 is a device that stores and manages electronic files and includes a second processor 121 and a second storage device 122. The second storage system 120 can mutually transmit and receive electronic files to and from the first storage system 110, the terminal device 200, and the like via a network using a second control unit 123 implemented by causing the second processor 121 to execute a program. The second control unit 123 can also transmit first capacity information indicating the available storage capacity of the second storage device 122. In this embodiment, the storage capacity of the second storage device 122 is greater than (larger than) the storage capacity of the first storage device 112. The storage capacity of the second storage device 122 may be the storage capacity secured for the first storage system 110 by a contract or the like, or may be the overall storage capacity of the second storage device 122 included in the second storage system 120. While the specific second storage system 120 is not particularly limited, in this embodiment, a server is exemplified as the second storage system 120. From the perspective of the first storage system 110 and the terminal device 200, the second storage system 120 functions as a so-called cloud.

[0020] In this embodiment, by having the first processor 111 of the first memory system 110 execute a program, the processing units realized are a file control unit 114, a transmission / reception unit 115, a capacity acquisition unit 116, and a size reduction unit 131.

[0021] The transmitting / receiving unit 115 transmits and receives electronic files to and from the second storage system 120. The transmitting / receiving unit 115 also transmits and receives electronic files to and from the terminal device 200. For example, the transmitting / receiving unit 115 receives electronic files transmitted from the terminal device 200. The transmitting / receiving unit 115 also transmits the received electronic files to the second storage system 120. The transmitting / receiving unit 115 also receives electronic files from the second storage system 120 in response to a request from the terminal device 200 or spontaneously.

[0022] The capacity acquisition unit 116 acquires first capacity information indicating the storable capacity of the second storage device 122 from the second storage system 120. The storable capacity is the difference obtained by subtracting the total capacity of already stored files from the capacity of the storage device, or the difference obtained by subtracting the total capacity of already stored files from the storage capacity allocated by contract or the like. The capacity acquisition unit 116 may acquire the first capacity information by inquiring about the first capacity information from the second storage system 120 at predetermined time intervals. Alternatively, the capacity acquisition unit 116 may acquire the first capacity information transmitted by the second storage system 120 at predetermined time intervals. Alternatively, if the second storage system 120 transmits the first capacity information after the change in the first capacity information, the capacity acquisition unit 116 may acquire the transmitted first capacity information.

[0023] In this embodiment, the capacity acquisition unit 116 acquires, from the first storage device 112, second capacity information indicating the available storage capacity of the first storage device 112.

[0024] When the terminal device 200 makes a request to store an electronic file in the first storage device 112, the file control unit 114 determines whether the electronic file can be stored in the second storage device 122 based on the first capacity information acquired by the capacity acquisition unit 116, and controls the storage of the electronic file if it is determined that the electronic file can be stored. If it is determined that the electronic file cannot be stored, the file control unit 114 does not execute the control to store the electronic file.

[0025] A request for storing an electronic file is, for example, a request by a user of the terminal device 200 to check the contents of the first storage device 112 using a file manager or the like in order to store an electronic file, a request by a user from the terminal device 200 using a file manager or the like to store an electronic file in the first storage device 112, or an action to send an electronic file from the terminal device 200 to the first storage system 110.

[0026] An example of control related to the storage of electronic files is control in which, when it is determined that an electronic file requested to be stored in the first storage device 112 from the terminal device 200 or the like cannot be saved in the second storage device 122 based on the first capacity information acquired by the capacity acquisition unit 116, storage impossibility information indicating that the electronic file cannot be stored is presented to the user of the terminal device 200 that requested the storage of the electronic file before control to store the electronic file is performed. This allows the user to recognize that the electronic file cannot be stored in the storage system 100 immediately upon requesting storage of the electronic file in the first storage system 110, without the user being aware of the existence of the second storage system 120.

[0027] Furthermore, control related to the storage of electronic files means that, for example, when information indicating that an electronic file cannot be sent or received between the first storage system 110 and the second storage system 120 due to a problem with the second network 220 is received from the transmitting / receiving unit 115, the file control unit 114 does not control the storage of the electronic file. For example, the file control unit 114 transmits to the transmitting / receiving unit 115 information indicating that the electronic file requested to be stored by the terminal device 200 will not be received, and presents storage-impossible information indicating that the electronic file cannot be stored to the user who requested the storage of the electronic file. In this way, if an electronic file cannot be stored due to a network problem or the like, by presenting the storage-impossible information to the user of the terminal device 200, the user can recognize that storage is impossible before operating the terminal device 200 to store the electronic file, thereby saving the user time and effort.

[0028] When the size reduction unit 131 determines based on the second capacity information that the requested electronic file cannot be stored in the first storage device 112, it generates a reduced electronic file by reducing the size of the electronic file and stores it in the first storage device 112. By storing the generated reduced electronic file in the first storage device 112 and deleting the original electronic file from the first storage device 112, the free space in the first storage device 112 can be increased, and the requested electronic file can be stored in the first storage device 112. By storing the original electronic file of the reduced electronic file in the second storage device 122 of the second storage system 120, a state in which the first storage device 112 and the second storage device 122 are virtually synchronized can be created. Virtual synchronization refers to a state in which the file systems, including file names and extensions, appear identical between the first storage device 112 and the second storage device 122. When a user accesses a reduced electronic file in the first storage device 112, the user can use the electronic file by retrieving the corresponding electronic file from the second storage device 122.

[0029] When a reduced electronic file is stored in the first storage device 112, if an electronic file corresponding to the reduced electronic file is stored in the first storage device 112, the size reduction unit 131 deletes the electronic file and overwrites the electronic file with the reduced electronic file. In this embodiment, the size reduction unit 131 makes the electronic file so-called sparse, and generates a reduced electronic file with almost no actual data.

[0030] The reduced electronic file may have relationship information that can indicate a one-to-one relationship with the electronic file that created the reduced electronic file. For example, the relationship information may include a file system path, whether or not reduction has been performed, etc. The relationship information may also include some or all of the metadata included in the electronic file that created the reduced electronic file. The relationship information may also include some or all of the metadata included in the electronic file that created the reduced electronic file. In this embodiment, the file name and extension of the reduced electronic file are the same as those of the electronic file that created the reduced electronic file.

[0031] Metadata may include some or all of the following: file attributes (such as file type, size, creation date, last update date, and access permissions); content metadata (such as file title, creator, keywords, and category); and structural metadata (information about the file structure). Specifically, file attributes include file type, file size, creation date, last update date, and access permissions. Content metadata includes file title, creator, keywords, category, description, and tags. Structural metadata includes file components and file relationships (such as parent-child and sibling relationships). Relationship information may also include actual data that is not metadata. For example, if the original digital file is a video file, the relationship information may include a thumbnail image of one of the frames.

[0032] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of the storage system 100. A user of the terminal device 200 uses a file manager or the like to view the contents of a folder stored in the first storage device 112 of the first storage system 110 that is locally present (S101). The user can view the contents of the folder using a display or the like, for example, as shown in the top of FIG. 4. The file control unit 114 also displays first capacity information such as "Remaining: XXX KB." The upper side of FIG. 4 shows electronic files stored in the first storage device 112. The lower side shows electronic files stored in the second storage device 122. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, electronic files A, B', C to E, F', G, H', and I, which have a one-to-one relationship with electronic files A to I stored in the second storage device 122, are stored in the first storage device 112. The dashed rectangular lines in FIG. 4 indicate reduced electronic files. The reduced electronic file B′ corresponds to the electronic file B, the reduced electronic file F′ corresponds to the electronic file F, and the reduced electronic file H′ corresponds to the electronic file H.

[0033] If the user gives up on storing the electronic file based on the presented first capacity information (S102, No), the flow ends.

[0034] On the other hand, if the user performs an operation to send an electronic file (S102, Yes) and the size of the electronic file to be sent cannot be stored in the second storage device 122 (S103, No), information indicating that the file cannot be stored is presented as shown in Figure 5 (S104).

[0035] If the user performs an operation to send an electronic file (S102, Yes) and the size of the electronic file to be sent can be stored in the second storage device 122 (S103, Yes), the electronic file is sent (S105).

[0036] If the transmitted electronic file cannot be stored in the first storage device 112 (S106, No), a reduced electronic file is created from the electronic file stored in the first storage device 112 (S107). The electronic file to be the reduced electronic file is selected based on selection conditions such as file size and access frequency. The electronic file that has become the reduced electronic file is deleted from the first storage device 112.

[0037] After the reduced electronic file is created, or if the first storage device 112 can store the transmitted electronic file (S106, Yes), the transmitted electronic file is stored in the first storage device 112 (S108). In this embodiment, the transmitted electronic file is sent to the second storage system 120 and stored in the second storage device 122 (S109). This creates a virtual synchronized state between the first storage device 112 and the second storage device 122. This completes the flow.

[0038] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the present invention may be embodied in another embodiment by arbitrarily combining the components described in this specification or by excluding some of the components. Furthermore, the present invention also includes various modifications that would occur to a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention, i.e., the meaning of the wording of the claims.

[0039] For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the second storage system 120 may include a size reduction unit 131.

[0040] (summary) The first embodiment of the storage system 100 comprises a first memory system 110 having a first processor 111 and a first memory device 112, a second memory system 120 having a second processor 121 and a second memory device 122 and capable of sending and receiving electronic files to and from the first memory system 110, and a file control unit 114 that, when the first memory system 110 receives a request to store an electronic file, determines whether the electronic file can be stored in the second memory device 122 based on first capacity information indicating the storage capacity of the second memory device 122, and controls the storage of the electronic file if it is determined that the electronic file can be stored.

[0041] According to the first aspect, in the storage system 100, if an electronic file cannot be saved in the second storage device 122, saving of the electronic file in the first storage device 112 is restricted. This makes it possible to avoid unnecessary storage operations of electronic files, which contributes to improving usability.

[0042] The storage system 100 of the second aspect includes the first aspect and is equipped with a size reduction unit 131 that, when it determines based on second capacity information indicating the storage capacity of the first storage device 112 that an electronic file for which a storage request has been received cannot be stored in the first storage device 112, generates a reduced electronic file by reducing the size of the electronic file already stored in the first storage device 112 and stores the reduced electronic file in the first storage device 112.

[0043] According to the second aspect, the free space of the first storage device 112 can be increased by updating electronic files already stored in the first storage device 112 to reduced electronic files, and electronic files for which a storage request has been received can be saved in the first storage device 112.

[0044] A third aspect of the storage system 100 includes the first aspect and the second aspect, and when the file control unit 114 determines that an electronic file for which storage has been requested cannot be saved in the second storage device 122 based on the first capacity information, it presents storage-impossible information indicating that the electronic file cannot be saved to the user who requested the storage of the electronic file before performing control related to the storage of the electronic file.

[0045] According to the third aspect, the user can recognize in advance that the electronic file cannot be stored, which eliminates the need to send the electronic file and improves usability.

[0046] The fourth aspect of the storage system 100 includes any of the first to third aspects, and the file control unit 114 does not perform control related to the storage of electronic files if electronic files cannot be sent or received between the first storage system 110 and the second storage system 120.

[0047] According to the fourth aspect, it is possible to avoid an asynchronous state in which an electronic file stored in the first storage device 112 is not stored in the second storage device 122 .

[0048] The fifth aspect of the storage system 100 includes any of the first to fourth aspects, and if electronic files cannot be sent or received between the first storage system 110 and the second storage system 120, the file control unit 114 presents storage impossible information to the user who requested the storage of the electronic file, indicating that the electronic file cannot be stored.

[0049] According to the fifth aspect, the user can recognize a state in which the electronic file cannot be synchronized between the first storage device 112 and the second storage device 122 before starting the operation of transmitting the electronic file.

[0050] The sixth aspect of the storage system 100 includes any of the first to fifth aspects, and when the first memory system 110 receives a request to store an electronic file, the file control unit 114 presents first capacity information as information indicating the storage capacity of the first storage device 112.

[0051] According to the sixth aspect, the user can ascertain whether or not the storage system 100 can store a specific electronic file without being aware of the storage system 100, thereby improving usability.

[0052] The seventh aspect of the storage system 100 comprises a first memory system 110 having a first processor 111 and a first memory device 112, a second memory system 120 having a second processor 121 and a second memory device 122 and capable of mutually sending and receiving electronic files with the first memory system 110, and a file control unit 114 that, when the first memory system 110 receives a request to store an electronic file, presents first capacity information indicating the storage capacity of the second memory device 122 as information indicating the storage capacity of the first memory device 112.

[0053] According to the seventh aspect, the user can know whether or not the storage system 100 can store a specific electronic file without being aware of the storage system 100, thereby improving usability.

[0054] The first memory system 110 of the eighth aspect is a first memory system 110 having a first processor 111 and a first memory device 112, and is equipped with a transmission / reception unit 115 that transmits and receives electronic files to and from a second memory system 120 having a second processor 121 and a second memory device 122, a capacity acquisition unit 116 that acquires first capacity information that indicates the storage capacity of the second memory device 122, and a file control unit 114 that, when a request to store an electronic file is made, determines whether the electronic file can be stored in the second memory device 122 based on the first capacity information, and controls the storage of the electronic file if it is determined that the electronic file can be stored.

[0055] According to the eighth aspect, the user can store electronic files in excess of the storage capacity of the first storage device 112 without being aware of the existence of the second storage device 122, and can use the stored electronic files. [Industrial Applicability]

[0056] The present invention can be used in a storage system that includes storage devices with different storage capacities. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 100 Storage Systems 110 First Memory System 111 First Processor 112 First storage device 114 File control section 115 Transmitter / Receiver 116 Capacity acquisition part 120 Second Memory System 121 Second Processor 122 Second storage device 123 Second Control Section 131 Size reduction section 200 Terminal Device 210 First Network 220 Second Network 230 Address translation device

Claims

1. a first storage system having a first processor and a first storage device; a second storage system capable of transmitting and receiving electronic files to and from the first storage system, the second storage system having a second processor and a second storage device; a capacity acquisition unit that acquires first capacity information indicating a storable capacity of the second storage device; a file control unit that, when the first storage system receives a request for storing an electronic file, determines whether or not the electronic file can be stored in the second storage device based on the first capacity information, and performs control related to the storage of the electronic file if it determines that the electronic file can be stored in the second storage device; A storage system comprising:

2. a size reduction unit that, when determining based on second capacity information indicating the available storage capacity of the first storage device that the electronic file requested for storage cannot be stored in the first storage device, generates a reduced electronic file by reducing the size of the electronic file already stored in the first storage device and stores the reduced electronic file in the first storage device. The storage system according to claim 1 .

3. The file control unit When it is determined that the electronic file requested for storage cannot be stored in the second storage device based on the first capacity information, before controlling the storage of the electronic file, storage impossible information indicating that the electronic file cannot be stored is presented to the user who requested the storage of the electronic file.

3. The storage system according to claim 1.

4. The file control unit If the electronic file cannot be transmitted or received between the first storage system and the second storage system, the control to store the electronic file is not performed.

3. The storage system according to claim 1.

5. The file control unit If the electronic file cannot be transmitted or received between the first storage system and the second storage system, a storage impossible message indicating that the electronic file cannot be stored is presented to the user who requested the storage of the electronic file. The storage system according to claim 4 .

6. The file control unit When the first storage system receives a request for storing an electronic file, the first capacity information is presented as information indicating the storage capacity of the first storage device.

3. The storage system according to claim 1.

7. a first storage system having a first processor and a first storage device; a second storage system capable of transmitting and receiving electronic files to and from the first storage system, the second storage system having a second processor and a second storage device; a file control unit that, when the first storage system receives a request for storing an electronic file, presents first capacity information indicating the available storage capacity of the second storage device as information indicating the available storage capacity of the first storage device; A storage system comprising:

8. a first storage system having a first processor and a first storage device, a transmitting / receiving unit for transmitting and receiving electronic files between the second processor and a second storage system having a second storage device; a capacity acquisition unit that acquires first capacity information indicating a storable capacity of the second storage device; a file control unit that, when a request to store an electronic file is made, determines whether or not the electronic file can be stored in the second storage device based on the first capacity information, and performs control related to the storage of the electronic file if it is determined that the electronic file can be stored in the second storage device; A first storage system comprising:

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