Patent ID: 7305463

Claim:
A computer system comprising: a plurality of storage apparatuses each of which has physical storage devices which configure a plurality of volumes; a plurality of host computers which control input/output of data for logical volumes that are configured from said plurality of volumes of said storage apparatuses; a plurality of switches coupled to said storage apparatuses and said host computers; a first management module having a memory, coupled to said storage apparatuses, said host computers and said switches via a first network; and, a second management module coupled to said storage apparatuses, said host computers and said switches via said first network, and coupled to said first management module via a second network; wherein said first management module gathers first, second and third characteristic information related to at least one of said storage apparatuses, said host computers, and said switches, stores said gathered characteristic information to said memory, and provides other management modules with said characteristic information via said second network, wherein said second management module receives said provided characteristic information, and sends instruction related to controlling on the basis of the characteristic infonnation to at least one of said storage apparatuses, said host computers, and said switches corresponding to said characteristic information via said first network; wherein said storage apparatuses send to said first management module the first characteristic information including volume configuration information of said plurality of volumes of said storage devices via said first network, wherein said host computers send to said first management module the second characteristic information including logical volume configuration information among applications, said logical volumes, and said volumes via said first network, wherein said switches send to said first management module the third characteristic information including connecting information between said host computers and said volumes of said storage apparatuses able to be recognized by said host computers via said first network, wherein said first management module receives the first, second, and third characteristic information, makes mapping information from the received characteristic information, and provides other first management modules with said mapping information via said second network, wherein said second management module receives said mapping information, and sends said instruction related to controlling at least one of said host computers, one of said storage apparatuses, and one of said switches, which is specified by said mapping information via said first network; and wherein said instruction related to controlling is an instruction for acquiring information related to performance of at least one of said host computers, one of said storage apparatuses, and one of said switches.