Patent ID: 7373474

Claim:
A storage system, comprising: a storage device provided with a memory device and a storage control device for controlling storage of data with respect to the memory device so as to handle it as a storage volume, a frame relay device for relaying communication between a plurality of devices including the storage device; wherein the frame relay device has: ports for connecting the plurality of devices, a control unit for switching the connection between the ports, a DB for retaining configuration information including a configuration of the storage volumes of the plurality of devices connected to the frame relay device via the ports, and an exclusive control unit for performing an exclusive control process with respect to the configuration information in the DB upon setting for utilizing the storage volume among the plurality of devices, a first storage device serving as an initiator and a second storage device serving as a target which are connected to the frame relay device via the ports; wherein, with respect to the configuration information in the DB of the frame relay device, setting for mapping a first storage volume owned by the first storage device with a second storage volume owned by the second storage device is performed in a form including information of association of IDs thereof and the ports, and, when access from the first storage volume to the second storage volume is to be performed between the devices connected to the frame relay device, relay is performed at the frame relay device in accordance with the configuration information in the DB, wherein, in accordance with reception of a command from the first storage device, the frame relay device performs setting including mapping of the first and the second storage volumes with respect to the configuration information in the DB, and, upon the setting including mapping, the exclusive control unit obtains an update lock of the configuration information in the DB, wherein, if the second storage volume specified by the command is in an unused state, the exclusive control unit performs a process of updating the configuration information in the DB and unlocking the update lock, and, if the second storage volume is in a used state, the exclusive control unit performs a process of rejecting update of the configuration information in the DB.