Patent ID: 6754792
Filing Date: 2004-06-22
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
A remote copy method of remotely copying data between a copy source storage system and a copy destination storage system, wherein said copy source storage system has a plurality of primary volumes and is connected to an external communication network through a plurality of interface cables, each of said primary volumes being associated with at least one interface cable, wherein said copy destination storage system has a plurality of secondary volumes corresponding to said plurality of primary volumes and is connected to said external communication network through a plurality of interface cables, said secondary volumes and primary volumes forming a plurality of paired volumes, each of said secondary volumes being associated with at least one interface cable of second type, said copy source storage system maintaining management information including pair status information and attribute information, the method comprising:providing first paired volumes and second paired volumes, said first paired volumes including a first primary volume of said primary volumes and a first secondary volume of said secondary volumes, said second paired volumes including a second primary volume of said primary volumes and a second secondary volume of said secondary volumes, a first interface cable set assigned to said first paired volumes, the first interface cable set including a portion assigned to said first primary volume and a portion assigned to said first secondary volume, a second interface cable set assigned said second paired volumes, said second interface cable set including a portion assigned to said second primary volume and a portion assigned to said second secondary volume; detecting a fault relating to said first interface cable set or said first paired volumes; changing said attribute information of said first primary volume of said first paired volumes from an enable state to a disable state upon detecting said fault, said attribute information of said second primary volume being left unchanged at an enable state; changing said pair status information of said first and second primary volumes from a duplex state to a suspend state; changing said pair status information of said second primary volume from said suspend state back to said duplex state while leaving said pair status information of said first primary volume at said suspend state, so that data may be copied from said second primary volume to said second secondary volume; and changing said pair status information of said first primary volume from said suspend state back to said duplex state after resolving said fault detected at said detecting step, so that data may be copied from said first primary volume to said first secondary volume.