Patent ID: 8386721

Claim:
A storage system comprising: an interface which is logically partitioned into a first logical interface and a second logical interface based on a first ratio which is adjustable; a cache memory which is logically partitioned into a first logical cache memory and a second logical cache memory based on a second ratio which is adjustable; a plurality of disk drives which form a first RAID group and a second RAID group; a file control processor which controls file type access and is partitioned into a first logical file control processor and a second logical file control processor based on a third ratio which is adjustable; and a disk control processor which controls block type access and is partitioned into a first logical disk control processor and a second logical disk control processor based on a fourth ratio which is adjustable; wherein the first logical interface, the first logical cache memory, the first RAID group, the first logical file control processor, and the first logical disk control processor form a first virtual storage system, and when a first file type request is received from a first host computer at the first logical interface, the first logical file control processor translates the first file type request to a first block type request, and the first logical disk control processor controls to read first data corresponding to the first block type request from the first logical cache memory if the first logical cache memory temporarily stores the first data, or controls to read the first data from the first RAID group if the first logical cache memory does not store the first data, wherein the second logical interface, the second logical cache memory, the second RAID group, the second logical file control processor, and the first logical disk control processor form a second virtual storage system, and when a second file type request is received from a second host computer at the second logical interface, the second logical file control processor translates the second file type request to a second block type request, and the second logical disk control processor controls to read a second data corresponding to the second block type request from the second logical cache memory if the second logical cache memory temporarily stores the second data, or reads the second data from the second RAID group if the second logical cache memory does not store the second data.