Method and apparatus to improve efficiency in the use of resources in data center

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9424057-B2
Application number	US-201314017647-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2013
Priority date	Aug 19, 2011
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

A method of managing use of resources in data center comprises: determining whether first storage subsystem includes a virtual volume or a storage pool that uses a physical volume of second storage subsystem and, if yes, migrating the physical volume to first storage subsystem; determining whether any storage subsystem includes a virtual volume created directly from a physical volume and, if yes, migrating the virtual volume to another virtual volume provisioned from the storage pool of the storage subsystem; and determining whether all virtual volumes satisfy a preset service level objective and, if no, then selecting a virtual machine which has a smallest virtual machine disk file and selecting a storage pool having a largest free space, and then selecting a virtual volume of the storage subsystem which has the selected storage pool and migrating the virtual machine disk file of the selected virtual machine to the selected virtual volume.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer system comprising:
a first platform including a first server which executes a first virtual machine and a first storage system which provides a first virtual volume whose virtual storage area corresponds to a storage area of first storage devices in the first storage system;
a second platform including a second server which executes a second virtual machine and a second storage system which provides a second virtual volume whose virtual storage area corresponds to a storage area of second storage devices in the second storage system; and
a management computer coupled to the first platform and the second platform;
wherein the first platform and the second platform are different platforms;
wherein the first server and the second server are different servers;
wherein the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine are different virtual machines;
wherein the first storage system and the second storage system are different storage systems;
wherein the first storage devices and the second storage devices are different storage devices;
wherein the first storage system in the first platform and the second storage system in the second platform configure a virtualized storage system to make the first virtual machine to be able to use either the first virtual volume or the second virtual volume, and
wherein the management computer checks whether the first virtual machine in the first platform uses the second virtual volume in the second platform, and, if the first virtual machine in the first platform uses the second virtual volume in the second platform, instructs to move the first virtual machine from the first server in the first platform to the second server in the second platform where the second virtual volume exists.

2. The computer system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an external network which couples the first platform to the second platform;
wherein the first platform further includes a first internal network which couples the first server to the first storage system, and the second platform further includes a second internal network which couples the second server to the second storage system.

3. The computer system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the management computer checks whether the first virtual machine in the first platform uses the second virtual volume in the second platform, and, if the first virtual machine in the first platform uses the second virtual volume in the second platform, instructs to move the second virtual volume from the second storage system in the second platform to the first storage system in the first platform where the first virtual machine exists.

4. The computer system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the management computer checks whether the first virtual machine in the first platform uses the second virtual volume in the second platform if the first or second virtual volume is not satisfied with a service-level objective regarding response time.

5. The computer system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an external network which couples to the first platform to the second platform;
wherein the management computer checks whether the first virtual machine in the first platform uses the second virtual volume in the second platform if consumed bandwidth of the external network exceeds a given threshold.

6. A management computer coupled to a first platform and a second platform of a computer system, the first platform including a first server which executes a first virtual machine and a first storage system which provides a first virtual volume whose virtual storage area corresponds to a storage area of first storage drives in the first storage system, the second platform including a second server which executes a second virtual machine and a second storage system which provides a second virtual volume whose virtual storage area corresponds to a storage area of second storage devices in the second storage system, wherein the first storage system in the first platform and the second storage system in the second platform configure a virtualized storage system to make the first virtual machine to be able to use either the first virtual volume or the second virtual volume, the management computer comprising:
a management controller configured to check whether the first virtual machine in the first platform uses the second virtual volume in the second platform;
wherein the first platform and the second platform are different platforms;
wherein the first server and the second server are different servers;
wherein the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine are different virtual machines;
wherein the first storage system and the second storage system are different storage systems;
wherein the first storage devices and the second storage devices are different storage devices; and
wherein if the first virtual machine in the first platform uses the second virtual volume in the second platform, the management controller performs one of (i) instructing to move the first virtual machine from the first server in the first platform to the second server in the second platform where the second virtual volume exists, or (ii) instructing to move the second virtual volume from the second storage system in the second platform to the first storage system in the first platform where the first virtual machine exists.

7. The management computer according to claim 6 ,
wherein the computer system further comprises an external network which couples the first platform to the second platform; and
wherein the first platform further includes a first internal network which couples the first server to the first storage system, and the second platform further includes a second internal network which couples the second server to the second storage system.

8. The management computer according to claim 6 ,
wherein the management controller checks whether the first virtual machine in the first platform uses the second virtual volume in the second platform if the first or second virtual volume is not satisfied with a service-level objective regarding response time.

9. The management computer according to claim 6 ,
wherein the computer system further comprises an external network which couples the first platform to the second platform; and
wherein the management controller checks whether the first virtual machine in the first platform uses the second virtual volume in the second platform if consumed bandwidth of the external network exceeds a given threshold.

10. A method for a computer system which includes a first platform including a first server which executes a first virtual machine and a first storage system which provides a first virtual volume whose virtual storage area corresponds to a storage area of first storage drives in the first storage system; a second platform including a second server which executes a second virtual machine and a second storage system which provides a second virtual volume whose virtual storage area corresponds to a storage area of second storage devices in the second storage system; and a management computer coupled to the first platform and the second platform; the method comprising:
configuring a virtualized storage system, by the first storage system in the first platform and the second storage system in the second platform, to make the first virtual machine to be able to use either the first virtual volume or the second virtual volume, and
checking, by the management computer, whether the first virtual machine in the first platform uses the second virtual volume in the second platform, and, if the first virtual machine in the first platform uses the second virtual volume in the seco

Assignees

• Hitachi Ltd

Inventors

• Emaru Hironori

Classifications

• G06F3/0647

  Migration mechanisms · CPC title

• G06F3/0607

  by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device · CPC title

• G06F3/067

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

• G06F9/5077 Primary

  Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources (specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455) · CPC title

• G06F9/5083

  Techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system · CPC title