Patent ID: 7155594
Filing Date: 2006-12-26
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A data transfer method in a computer system, comprising: plural computers; plural memory devices, each being separate from the others; a relay device which connects the computers and the memory devices; and a management device which manages the computers, the memory devices, and the relay device, wherein the management device sets virtual memory areas of the memory devices for the plural computers and holds first information on contents of the setting for each virtual memory area, wherein the relay device holds second information for each virtual memory area, said second information for each virtual memory area being created based upon the first information for the virtual memory area, wherein each second information of a corresponding virtual memory area indicates whether data stored in the corresponding virtual memory area can be transferred from a memory device containing said virtual memory area to another memory device, wherein each of the virtual memory areas corresponds to memory areas contained in one memory device or corresponds to a memory area formed by combining memory areas contained in plural different memory devices, and wherein the relay device selects a virtual memory area based on the second information, determines whether the selected virtual memory area is a virtual memory area formed by a memory area that combines memory areas contained in plural different memory devices, and if the selected virtual memory area is formed by combining memory areas in plural different memory devices and if an unused memory area exists in the memory device containing the selected virtual memory area, performs data transfer of data from a memory area of one of the different memory devices other than the memory device containing the selected virtual memory area to the unused memory area of the memory device containing the selected virtual memory area.