Patent ID: 7694081

Claim:
A method for controlling a storage system, the storage system comprising one or more channel adapters sending and receiving information to and from a host computer; one or more disk drives; one or more disk adapters connected to the disk drives and controlling data transmission to and from the disk drives; and a plurality of switches located between the one or more channel adapters and the one or more disk adapters and switching a plurality of paths connecting the one or more channel adapters and the one or more disk adapters, the plurality of switches being connected to form multiple stages in the direction of information transmission, the switches in each stage being connected so that only two paths via the switches are defined from a given channel adapter from among the one or more channel adapters to a given disk adapter from among the one or more disk adapters and the two paths have no switches in common between the given channel adapter and the given disk adapter, each of the two paths going through the same number of switches, and there being another path connecting each of the two switches located in the same stage on the two paths, the method comprising the steps of: during information transmission via the paths, receiving a command sent from the host computer to a channel adapter from among the one or more channel adapters; extracting a volume number and a block address from an address included in the received command; recording the extracted volume number and block address as a set with a number for identifying the channel adapter from which the command has been received; reporting to the other of the two switches located in the same stage on the two paths, about the recordation of the set of the extracted volume number and block address with the number for identifying the channel adapter from which the command has been received, using the path connecting the two switches located in the same stage on the two paths, to have the other switch perform the same recordation; judging whether the received command is a data read command or a data write command; if the received command is judged as being the data write command, checking whether recorded sets of volume numbers and block addresses with numbers for identifying channel adapters from which commands have been received include any set of the volume number and block address extracted from the received command with a number for identifying a channel adapter that is different from the channel adapter from which that command has been received; and if it is found, as a result of the checking, that the volume number and block address extracted from the received command are recorded as a set with a number for identifying a channel adapter that is different from the channel adapter from which that command has been received, reporting to the channel adapter that is different from the channel adapter from which that command has been received, that the data write command has been received.