Patent ID: 7966357

Claim:
A method for providing a plurality of virtual file servers in an information processing system including a file server which is coupled to a client computer, a storage device including one or more volumes, and a management computer, comprising the steps of: a reservation step to reserve a plurality of file cache regions to be used for caching by the plurality of virtual file servers; a storage step to store a plurality of IP addresses set by the management computer, and resource management information including correspondence relationships among the plurality of IP addresses and the plurality of file cache regions and the plurality of virtual file servers; a file request processing step to process a plurality of file requests transmitted from the client computer and designating the plurality of virtual file servers, by use of an assigned file cache region being a part of the plurality of file cache regions, an assigned IP address being a part of the plurality of IP addresses, and an assigned volume region being a sub-region of the one or more volumes, which corresponds to a certain virtual file server of the plurality of virtual file servers, in accordance with the resource management information; a hierarchical information storage step to store, in hierarchization management information, a plurality of identifiers corresponding to the plurality of virtual file servers, each identifier indicating the file server being an assignment source of the assigned file cache region used by a corresponding one of the plurality of virtual file servers; a virtual file server creation step to create a child virtual file server by receiving a child virtual file server creation request which designates one of the plurality of virtual file servers, and store an identifier of the designated virtual file server as an identifier corresponding to the child virtual file server in the hierarchization management information; and a first management step to receive a first login request designating a login virtual file server among the plurality of virtual file servers, and a first management request which is related to the first login request and which designates the child virtual file server, and execute a first management process according to the first management request, if an identifier, stored in the hierarchization management information and related to the child virtual file server, indicates the login virtual file server.