Patent ID: 8250259

Claim:
A method of providing an interface for setting communication paths between storage apparatuses in a storage system having a plurality of storage apparatuses, the method comprising: communicatively coupling a management apparatus that comprises a communication path setting part and a coupling mode setting part to each of the storage apparatuses; providing a first user interface via the communication path setting part for setting communication paths between the storage apparatuses; providing a second user interface via the coupling mode setting part for setting respective coupling mode information stored in each of the storage apparatuses that is indicative of whether the storage apparatus is in a first mode or a second mode where, in the first mode, the storage apparatus is permitted setting of a communication path between the storage apparatus and each of a plurality of others of the storage apparatuses and, in the second mode, the storage apparatus is permitted setting of a communication path only between the storage apparatus and one of the other storage apparatuses; and displaying an error message indicating a path setting failure via the first user interface upon receiving a user input via the first user interface for setting of a communication path between any two of the plurality of storage apparatuses for which, at a time of setting the communication path, the respective coupling mode information stored in each of the two storage apparatuses indicates that the storage apparatus is in the first mode.