Patent ID: 6941439

Claim:
A system for storing data comprising: a plurality of disk array systems ( 400 in FIGS. 1 and 6 ), each of which comprises plural disks ( 670 in FIG. 6 ) and a processor ( 610 in FIG. 6 ) controlling the plural disks; and an address translation server ( 200 in FIG. 1 ) coupled to each of the plurality of disk array systems and a host computer ( 100 in FIG. 1 ), wherein the address translation server includes a mapping table ( 214 ) which stores a correspondence between a virtual address designated by the host computer and a block address sent to a disk array system and which stores information indicating whether or not the disk array system having a storage area indicated by the corresponding block address can process a command having an associated attribute, wherein the address translation server is configured to: receive a first command from a host computer ( FIG. 5 step 1001 ), the first command having an associated first attribute; convert a virtual address included in the received command to a block address based on the mapping table; determine whether or not a disk array system having a storage area indicated by the block address can process a command that is associated with an attribute based on the mapping table ( FIG. 5 step 1007 ); if the disk array system can process a command having an associated attribute ( FIG. 5 step 1008 ), then create a second command that is associated with a second attribute; and send the second command to the disk array system ( FIG. 5 step 1004 ), the second attribute being based on the first attribute.