Unified Volume Guard Management for Storage Clusters
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Solution Overview
Problem
In information processing systems with external storage systems, there is a lack of access guard mechanisms for protecting logical volumes, leading to complex and unreliable setting procedures for volume guard functions, which compromises the safety and reliability of data access operations.
Innovation Solution
A management server is introduced to collect and combine volume guard information from multiple storage systems, generating a selectable volume guard system that allows administrators to easily set and manage access permissions for both internal and external logical volumes, thereby enhancing the reliability and safety of data access operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If volume guard functions are implemented separately in each storage system, then access control for internal logical volumes is ensured, but the setting procedure becomes complex and unreliable for external storage systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple storage systems into a unified cluster managed by a single management server. The management server integrates volume guard settings across internal and external storage systems, allowing administrators to configure access control policies centrally rather than separately for each storage system. This merging approach simplifies the setting procedure while maintaining reliable volume guard functions across the entire cluster.
Solution Approach 2:
The management server provides a universal interface for managing volume guard functions across different types of storage systems (internal and external). It implements a common setting mechanism that works uniformly for all storage systems in the cluster, enabling the same volume guard policies to be applied regardless of whether the target is an internal or external storage system.
2Reliability
If access control is implemented at each storage system level, then data protection within individual systems is achieved, but unified management across multiple storage systems becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The management server acts as an intermediary between administrators and multiple storage systems. It receives access control requests, translates them into appropriate commands for each target storage system (internal or external), and coordinates the execution of volume guard functions across the entire cluster. This intermediary approach maintains data protection reliability while simplifying the management structure by providing a single point of control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments management functions into two layers: unified policy management at the management server level and execution at individual storage system levels. The management server handles high-level volume guard policy configuration, while each storage system executes the specific access control operations. This segmentation allows unified management across multiple systems while maintaining the reliability of individual data protection mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
In a system comprising a first storage system providing plural first logical volumes including real logical volume and a virtual logical volume with a host, a second storage system having a second logical volume, and a management computer, when the first storage system receives an access request to the virtual logical volume, it accesses a second logical volume associated with the virtual logical volume. In this system, when the management computer receives a request to guard one of the plural first logical volumes, it checks whether a target first logical volume of the request is a real logical volume or a virtual logical volume, in case of the virtual logical volume, generates and provides a possible at least one option to guard the virtual logical volume by considering a program for volume guard, which each of the first storage system and the second storage system has.