Patent ID: 7281044

Claim:
A method for controlling a service at a center system, wherein via a network, the center system is connected to a host computer, a storage subsystem and a switch whose ports are physically connected to an I/O controller of the host computer and ports of the storage subsystem, the method comprising: receiving a storage allocation demand comprising a request for establishing a logical data I/O path between the host computer and the storage subsystem via the switch; directing the switch and the storage subsystem to assign at least one port for the logical data I/O path; making account information based upon at least the number of ports assigned at the switch; wherein: the account information comprises at least a billing information and a payment information; the storage allocation demand is received by the center system from the host computer, the center system, in response to the received demand, allocating storage volumes within the storage subsystem to the host computer; a type of the account information is based on a type of a user of the allocated storage volumes and based on stored management information and a total number of the assigned switch ports or a total capacity of the allocated storage volumes are selected based on the type of the user for making the account information; wherein if the user is a customer, the total number of allocated switch ports and the total capacity of allocated storage volumes are used; if the user is a SAN switch vendor, the total number of allocated switch ports is used; and if the user is a storage vendor, the total capacity of allocated storage volumes is used.