Patent ID: 7293131
Filing Date: 2007-11-06
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method by which a storage system accesses a file in response to an access request, said storage system including a plurality of disks and a disk controller, said disk controller being coupled to said plurality of disks and controlling said plurality of disks, said access request being received from one of computers coupled to said storage system, said file being stored in said storage system, said method comprising the steps of: an access-request reception step for receiving, by said disk controller, said access request from one of said computers, said access request including file-related information used for identifying a file; a file attributes retrieval step for retrieving, by said disk controller, file attributes with said file-related information used as a key, said file attributes include data life-cycle information which indicates a data life-cycle with plural time periods to which said file presently belongs, the plural time periods including at least a creation time period during which said file is created, an update time period during which said file is frequently updated, a reference time period during which, after the update time period, updating of said file occurs less frequently and referencing of said file mainly occurs and a storage time period during which, after the reference time period, access to said file rarely occurs; and a file access step for performing, by said disk controller, control so that said data in an identified file is accessed, if said file has been identified at said file attributes retrieval step.