Patent ID: 8234480
Filing Date: 2012-07-31
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A capacity monitoring method for use with a computer system, the computer system including: at least one application computer including a processor, a memory, and an interface; at least one storage system coupled to the application computer; and a management computer including a processor, a memory, and an interface, which management computer is configured to be allowed to access the application computer and the storage system, wherein the storage system includes: a physical disk for storing therein data which is required to be written by the application computer and a disk controller for controlling an input/output of data to the physical disk, the physical disk including a storage area belonging to a storage pool, the capacity monitoring method comprising: providing, by the storage system, to the application computer at least one volume to which data is required to be written from the application computer; executing, by the application computer, at least one application program which requests to read/write data from/to the volume; allocating, by one of the management computer and the storage system, a part or the entirety of the storage area belonging to the storage pool to the volume; monitoring, by the management computer, a used capacity of the storage pool corresponding to a capacity of a storage area which is allocated to the volume within the storage area belonging to the storage pool, and an unused capacity of the storage pool corresponding to a capacity of a storage area which is not allocated to the volume within the storage area belonging to the storage pool; calculating, by the management computer, a prediction value of a capacity consumption speed of the application program and a prediction value of a capacity consumption speed of the storage pool; judging, by the management computer, whether or not a storage capacity required for operating the application computer for a predetermined time period is present in the storage pool based upon the prediction value of a capacity consumption speed of the storage pool to be monitored, and the unused capacity of the storage pool to be monitored; executing, by the management computer, a predetermined process operation in a case where the storage capacity required for operating the application computer for the predetermined time period is not present in the storage pool, determining whether the prediction value of the capacity consumption speed of one of the application programs is larger than an abnormal operation threshold value, specifying, by the management computer, in the predetermined process operation, that said one of the application programs is operated under an abnormal condition, based on a determination that the prediction value of the capacity consumption speed of the application program is larger than the abnormal operation threshold value, among the application programs executed by the application computer; instructing, by the management computer, the application computer to suspend the operation of the specified application program; and outputting, by the management computer, the calculated prediction value of a capacity consumption speed of the application program, and the calculated prediction value of a capacity consumption speed of the storage pool.