Patent ID: 7130954

Claim:
A system comprising: a first storage system for storing data, wherein in a first situation a host computer performs read and write operations on the data stored in the first storage system by using a first protocol and a first identifier of said first storage system; and a switch apparatus connectable to the first storage system, wherein the first storage system includes a port connectable to the switch apparatus, wherein the switch apparatus comprises: a first port connectable to the first storage system, a second port connectable to the host computer, a third port connectable to a second storage system for storing data, and a plurality of processing apparatuses connectable to the first, second and third ports, wherein in a second situation the host computer is connected to the switch apparatus and the switch apparatus sets a relationship between the first identifier of the first storage system and a second identifier of the second storage system, wherein the plurality of processing apparatuses convert the first protocol, which is used in a connection between the port of the first storage system and the first port of the switch apparatus and which is used in a connection between the host computer and the second port of the switch apparatus, to a second protocol which is used in a connection between the second storage system and the third port of the switch apparatus, wherein in a third situation the host computer performs read and write operations on the data in the second storage system by using the first protocol and the first identifier and the switch apparatus controls converting the first protocol to the second protocol to perform read and write operations on the data of the second storage system when the switch apparatus transfers data from the first storage system to the second storage system, and wherein said system changes between said first, second and third situations as needed.