Patent ID: 7895395
Filing Date: 2011-02-22
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A storage system comprising: at least a first storage apparatus operatively coupled to a host apparatus; a second storage apparatus operatively coupled to the host apparatus via the network; and an auxiliary server operatively connected to the first storage apparatus and the second storage apparatus, wherein the first storage apparatus comprises: wherein the first disk controller includes first identification information for identifying the first disk controller, a first logical device identifier created based on the first identification information to allow the host apparatus to recognize the first logical device, and a first virtual/logical device identifier set containing a first real/logical device identifier and a first virtual/logical device identifier; wherein the second storage apparatus comprises: wherein the second disk controller includes second identifying information for identifying the second disk controller, a second logical device identifier created based on the second identifying information to allow the host apparatus to recognize the second logical device, and a second virtual/logical device identifier set containing a second real/logical device identifier and a second virtual/logical device identifier, wherein the first real/logical device identifier and the first virtual/logical device identifier in the first virtual/logical device identifier set respectively correspond to the second virtual/logical device identifier and the second real/logical device identifier in the second virtual/logical device identifier set, wherein at least one of the first disk controller and the second disk controller sends to the auxiliary server a logical device identifier acquisition request for acquiring a new logical device identifier available on the network containing the identifying information of itself, and wherein the auxiliary server collects virtual/logical device identifier sets of disk controllers of other storage apparatuses from the storage apparatuses that have not sent the logical device identifier acquisition request on the network according to the logical device identifier acquisition request, creates a new virtual/logical device identifier set based on the identifying information contained in the logical device identifier acquisition request and the collected virtual/logical device identifier set, and sends the created virtual/logical device identifier set to any one of the disk controllers that sent the logical device identifier acquisition request.