Patent ID: 7587471
Filing Date: 2009-09-08
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A virtualizing method for constructing a virtualized-and-unified file system including at least an old network storage having a first storage device and a new network storage having a second storage device so as to allow clients connected to a network to access a virtualized network storage instead of the old and the new network storages, the method comprising the steps of: setting, in a managing unit of said new network storage, a first address and name information of the new network storage as temporary basic setup information of the new network storage; reading out basic setup information including a second P address and name information of said old network storage from the old network storage by a virtualizing system installed in the new network storage; registering the name information read out from said old network storage and an identifier of the old network storage which is unique among members of said virtualized network storage, as a member of the virtualized network storage into a host table formed in the new network storage; copying a file-and-directories tree structure from said old network storage to a unified management directory formed in said new network storage, excepting entity of files in the file-and-directories tree structure; registering the identifier of said old network storage to said unified management directory at each position corresponding to each of said files in said copied files-and-directories structure, the identifier of said old network storage serving as routing information for routing an access request designating one of said files as an access object; swapping the temporary basic setup information having been set in said managing unit and the basic setup information stored in said old network storage with each other; and replacing the name information of said old network storage registered in said host table with the name information of said new network storage, thereby enabling the new network storage to respond to said access request on behalf of the old network storage.