Patent ID: 8782354

Claim:
A storage apparatus which is connected to a host apparatus requesting data I/Os and connected to an external storage apparatus comprising a storage device respectively via a network, comprising: a control device configured to control data writing to a storage area, wherein the storage device of the external storage apparatus is configured to store data which is read and written by the host apparatus, wherein the control device is further configured to: manage function information which indicates a function executed by a controller of each of a plurality of storage apparatuses which are available as the external storage apparatus; provide a predetermined storage area of the storage device of the external storage apparatus to the host apparatus as one or more virtual volumes, and manage IDs of the one or more virtual volumes; obtain attribute information of the predetermined storage area from the external storage apparatus; specify the function provided by the external storage apparatus which provides the predetermined storage area by referring to the managed function information; and manage each of the one or more virtual volumes with the function information which indicates the specified function for the predetermined storage area associated with each of the virtual volumes.