Patent ID: 7979634

Claim:
An allocation apparatus for preventing a logical volume from being doubly allocated in a storage device shared with plural servers, comprising: a computer comprising: a memory to store a management table which manages a zone with two or more logical volumes prepared for each server by a logical volume number; means for receiving set up information of a logical volume corresponding to a logical volume number newly inputted by an operator at a management terminal to set up a zone in a logical storage area of said storage device; means for checking whether there exists the same logical volume number as that inputted by the operator, by referring to the management table; and means for allocating an unused temporary logical volume corresponding to a temporary logical volume number different from the logical volume number inputted by the operator when it is detected that said inputted logical volume number is doubly allocated in the same logical storage area; wherein the allocation means sets a temporary flag of the temporary logical volume number in the managing table and alters a target logical volume number for the server to access to the unused temporary logical volume based on said temporary flag.