Patent ID: 7664914
Filing Date: 2010-02-16
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A hierarchical control apparatus of a hierarchical storage system in which a disk array apparatus and a library apparatus having a plurality of media are hierarchically configured, comprising: a control unit holding information in which one of duplexed library apparatuses is set as a master and the other is set as a slave for each medium in each of the duplexed library apparatuses, and statistical information of the library apparatuses including processing time, wherein the control unit comprises: an automatic redundant copy unit detecting that the statistical information of a medium reaches a predetermined amount, replacing the medium with a free medium, and copying data to the free medium; a master/slave setting unit, when the replaced medium to which the data is copied is included in a library apparatus set as a master, setting a medium of the other library apparatus including the replaced medium as a slave and a medium of the other library apparatus as a master among the duplexed library apparatuses according to the statistical information; and an access unit reading data when there is the data in the disk array apparatus at an external request for the data, and, when there is not the data in the disk array apparatus, retrieving the requested data from one of the duplexed library apparatuses including the medium set as a master, and copying the requested data to the disk array apparatus; wherein the statistical information includes information of setting each of the duplexed library apparatuses as a master or a slave, and information of a total amount of written data, a total amount of read data, total processing time and a total number of mountings of each library apparatus; and the master/slave setting unit obtains a busy rate for each library apparatus from the statistical information, and then sets a medium of the library apparatus including the replaced medium as a slave and a medium of the other library apparatus as a master based on the busy rates.