Storage system and storage method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016246545-A1
Application number	US-201314380859-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 1, 2013
Priority date	Oct 1, 2013
Publication date	Aug 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A first storage apparatus determines whether to execute bulk requesting of causing a second storage apparatus to group a plurality of actual files corresponding to a plurality of stub files into one bulk data and transmit the bulk data. When determining to execute the bulk requesting in the determination, the first storage apparatus transmits a bulk request to the second storage apparatus. The second storage apparatus that has received the bulk request groups a plurality of actual files into one bulk data based on the bulk request, and transmits the bulk request to the first storage apparatus. The first storage apparatus that has received the bulk data extracts the plurality of actual files corresponding to a plurality of stub files, from the bulk data.

First claim

1 . A storage system comprising:
a first storage apparatus; and a second storage apparatus coupled to the first storage apparatus, wherein the first storage apparatus is configured to execute bulk request determination of determining whether to execute bulk requesting of causing the second storage apparatus to group a plurality of actual files corresponding to a plurality of stub files into one bulk data and transmit the bulk data, transmit a bulk request to the second storage apparatus when determining to execute the bulk requesting in the bulk request determination, and extract the plurality of actual files corresponding to the plurality of stub files, from the bulk data received from the second storage apparatus, and the second storage apparatus is configured to group the plurality of actual files corresponding to the plurality of stub files into the one bulk data and transmit the bulk data to the first storage apparatus, based on the bulk request, when the bulk request is received from the first storage apparatus.

2 . The storage system according to claim 1 , wherein the first storage apparatus is configured to determine to execute, in the bulk request determination, when a first condition that a plurality of stub files not less than a first threshold value are stored in a directory storing a target file requested by a host is satisfied, the bulk requesting for the plurality of stub files stored in the directory.

3 . The storage system according to claim 2 , wherein the first storage apparatus is configured to determine to execute the bulk request for the plurality of stub files in the bulk request determination, when the first condition is satisfied and when a second condition that an average size of a plurality of actual files corresponding to the plurality of stub files is not larger than a second threshold value is satisfied.

4 . The storage system according to claim 2 , wherein the first storage apparatus is configured to transmit to the second storage apparatus, when the bulk requesting is determined to be executed in the bulk request determination and when a third condition that a total size of a plurality of actual files as a target of the bulk requesting is not less than a third threshold value is satisfied, a bulk request for each of at least two groups of the plurality of actual files as the target of the bulk requesting.

5 . The storage system according to claim 4 , wherein the first storage apparatus is configured to include a request for a stub file corresponding to a target file requested by the host, in a first bulk request to be transmitted, when the third condition is satisfied.

6 . The storage system according to claim 1 , wherein the first storage apparatus is configured to execute the bulk request determination when a processing target of a command received from a host includes the stub file, and to not execute the bulk request determination when the processing target of the command does not include the stub file.

7 . The storage system according to claim 6 , wherein the first storage apparatus is configured to determine to execute in the bulk request determination, when the processing target of the command includes a plurality of actual files, the bulk requesting for a plurality of actual files corresponding to the plurality of stub files as the processing target of the command.

8 . The storage system according to claim 7 , wherein the first storage apparatus is configured to transmit to the second storage apparatus, when the bulk requesting is determined to be executed in the bulk request determination and when a total size of a plurality of actual files as a target of the bulk requesting is not less than a third threshold value is satisfied, a bulk request for each of at least two groups of the plurality of actual files as the target of the bulk requesting.

9 . A storage method comprising:
operating a first storage apparatus to execute bulk request determination of determining whether to execute bulk requesting of causing the second storage apparatus to group a plurality of actual files corresponding to a plurality of stub files into one bulk data, and, when determination is made that the bulk requesting is executed, transmit the bulk request to a second file storage apparatus coupled to the first storage apparatus; operating the second storage apparatus to group the plurality of actual files corresponding to the plurality of stub files into the one bulk data based on the bulk request, when the bulk request is received from the first storage apparatus, and transmit the bulk data; and operating the first storage apparatus to extract the plurality of actual files corresponding to the plurality of stub files, from the bulk data received from the second storage apparatus, when the bulk data is received from the second storage apparatus.

Assignees

• Hitachi Ltd

Inventors

• Yokoi Kazuhito
• Takata Masanori
• Agetsuma Masakuni
• Kodama Shoji
• Iwasaki Masaaki

Classifications

• G06F3/061 Primary

  Improving I/O performance · CPC title

• G06F3/0683

  Plurality of storage devices · CPC title

• G06F3/067

  Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title

• G06F3/0643

  Management of files · CPC title

• G06F3/0611

  in relation to response time · CPC title