Patent ID: 7523287

Claim:
A storage system having first and second storage devices; a management host for managing the first and second storage devices; a requesting host for making a request directed to a memory area for use of the first storage device; and an Internet storage name service (iSNS) server for managing a discovery domain (DD), and a network connecting among the storage devices, the server and the hosts, wherein: the management host comprises a processing portion and a memory portion; the memory portion of the management host stores group management information including a name of the memory area for use of the first storage device and a name of an external memory area physically configured in the second storage device, said memory area for use being a virtual memory area presented to the requesting host as configured in the first storage device while mapped to the external memory area; the management host notifies the second storage device of the name of the external memory area, based on the name of the memory area for use; the second storage device configures a memory area in the second storage device as the external memory area with the name of the external memory area notified from the management host; the iSNS server registers a lower DD between the first and second storage devices; the first storage device registers a mapping-setting of the name of the memory area for use and the name of the external memory area; the iSNS server registers an upper DD between the requesting host and the first storage device; and the requesting host mounts on the memory area for use of the first storage device, and manages the external memory area after the external storage area is configured.