Patent ID: 7337353

Claim:
A management server, managing a second storage system which provides a host computer with access to both a second physical device in the second storage system and a first logical device configuring a parity group in a first storage system coupled to the second storage system, comprising: transfer source decision means for identifying, based on information received from said second storage system prognosticating a fault or detecting a fault in said first logical device, a storage area affected by said fault as a transfer source; and data transfer instruction means for selecting, based on data capacity and evaluation of performance and reliability levels determined in advance of transfer of data of said transfer source, a storage area of a transfer target from among storage areas of said first storage system and said second storage system managed by said second storage system, and for issuing to said second storage system an instruction to configure said parity group with said transfer target and said first logical device except said transfer source and to transfer the data of said transfer source to said transfer target, wherein if said data transfer instruction means selects a storage area of a transfer target, said first logical device configures said parity group with said transfer target in said second storage system and said first logical device except said transfer source in said first storage system, wherein said data transfer instruction means selects a first device, satisfying both the conditions of having the data capacity of said transfer source and of being evaluated as meeting said predetermined performance and reliability levels, from among the storage areas of said first storage system or of said second storage system managed by said second storage system, and determines said first device to be the transfer target storage area; and when no first device exists which satisfies both of said conditions within the storage areas of said first storage system or said second storage system managed by said second storage system, a second device which at least satisfies said data capacity condition is selected, and said second device is determined to be the transfer target storage area.