Patent ID: 7861054

Claim:
A system comprising; a host computer; a storage system, which includes a storage controller connected to the host computer; and a management computer connected to the host computer and to said storage system, wherein said storage system comprises: at least one interface unit to be coupled to the host computer; a plurality of disk units configured to form a plurality of logical volumes; at least one processor coupled to interface unit and adapted to control access between the host computer and at least one of the disk units; and at least one memory unit adapted to hold write data and read data sent from the host computer and read from at least one of the disk units; and, wherein the memory unit is adapted to store management information indicating that the logical volumes are logically divided into a plurality of logical groups by the logical volumes, the processor, the interface unit and the memory unit, structural information indicating the logical volume and the logically divided partitions of the processor, its throughput, the interface unit, its available function and an allotment rate of bandwidth of an internal network, belonging to each of the logical group, and to store control information indicating whether a copy operation is allowed or not for each of the logical groups responsive to a copy request from the host computer, wherein the processor is adapted to analyze contents of access regarding the structural information and the control information and to determine permissibility or impermissibility of the copy request on the basis of both a specific nature of the copy operation and the specified logical group in the copy request and the control information to thereby maintain security between said logical groups.