Patent ID: 8209505

Claim:
A storage system comprising: a drive unit in which at least one logical unit is formed; and a controller unit configured to access the at least one logical unit by controlling the drive unit in accordance with an access request sent from a host apparatus, wherein the controller unit includes: a virtual volume request unit configured to issue a virtual volume request to effect a virtual volume as the at least one logical unit, to a plurality of other storage apparatuses other than the drive unit; a data replication unit configured to replicate data in each of the plurality of other storage apparatuses that will provide a virtual volume portion of the virtual volume, according to a virtual volume approval sent each from the plurality of other storage apparatuses in response to the virtual volume request; an external storage configuration unit configured to allocate the virtual volume as the at least one logical unit of the drive unit, where said virtual volume is compilation of virtual volume portions which were provided in the plurality of other storage apparatuses in response to the virtual volume request sent from the virtual volume request unit; and a path request unit configured to issue an access request for the virtual volume to the drive unit allocated with the virtual volume, to have the drive unit route the access request to a target storage apparatus of the plurality of other storage apparatuses providing the virtual volume.