Patent ID: 7124265
Filing Date: 2006-10-17
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A storage system which communicates with one or more outer units, comprising: a plurality of physical devices having storage regions; a plurality of logical devices that are logical units formed by using partial storage regions of said physical storage devices; access attribute mode setting means that sets one or more access attribute modes for each logical device, wherein the set access attribute mode is selected from a plurality of predetermined access attribute modes; and access control means that controls access to a logical device designated by an outer unit according to the one or more access attribute modes set for the designated logical device when a command from said outer unit requesting access to the logical device is received, and that outputs a response having information about a result of the requested access, wherein said plurality of predetermined access attribute modes include one or more device recognition control modes for applying a predetermined restriction to a device recognition operation by which an outer unit recognizes a logical device itself or preset characteristics of the logical device in the storage system according to a set one of a plurality of device recognition control modes in response to a device recognition command which requests a device recognition operation of the logical device, wherein the access control means includes device recognition control means for outputting to an outer unit, when a received command from the outer unit is a device recognition command requesting a device recognition operation and the set access attribute mode of the designated logical device designated in the received command is a device recognition control mode, an output response having information about the effect of said predetermined restriction on said device recognition operation, and wherein said device recognition control modes includes a read capacity “0” mode which allows an outer unit to recognize the logical device but not conduct read or write operations to the logical device and an inquiry restricted mode which does not allow an outer unit to recognize the logical device nor conduct read or write operations to the logical device, and wherein said plurality of predetermined access attribute modes includes a secondary volume disable mode which allows an outer unit to recognize the logical device and conduct read or write operations to the logical device but does not allow the logical device to be used as a secondary volume for another logical device in a copy pair operation.