Patent ID: 7734781
Filing Date: 2010-06-08
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for managing data stored in a storage architecture comprising a plurality of logical storage areas in at least one storage device, the storage architecture shared by a plurality of customers such that more than one customer is assigned logical storage areas on any single storage device, the method comprising: associating with each customer, service expectancies and system policies, including expectancies and policies relating to one or more of system performance and system availability for each respective customer; storing the service expectancies and system policies for a particular customer in a service profile established for the particular customer and separate from any other customer profile, wherein the service expectancies and system policies are based on a previously established contract between the particular customer and a service provider, wherein the service expectancies and system policies relate to both system performance and system availability, wherein the service expectancies and system policies relating to system performance define a level of performance from the storage architecture to be provided to the particular customer; receiving from one of the plurality of customers a request for additional storage capacity within the storage architecture; determining which of the plurality of logical storage areas are not assigned to any of the plurality of customers and which would satisfy the requesting customer's request for additional storage capacity and which would satisfy said service expectancies and system policies associated with the requesting customer; displaying to the requesting customers an indication of available unassigned logical storage areas; receiving input from the requesting customer selecting at least one of the available unassigned logical storage areas indicated by said displaying; and assigning the selected unassigned logical storage area to the requesting customer, including, associating a customer-specific input/output port of the requesting customer to the assigned logical storage area.