METHOD AND APPARATUS TO CHANGE TIERS

摘要

Systems and methods directed to changing tiers for a storage area that utilizes thin provisioning. Systems and methods check the area subject to a tier change command and change the tier based on the tier specified in the tier change command, and the tier presently associated with the targeted storage area. The pages of the systems and methods may be further restricted to one file per page.

主权项

1. A system comprising:
a storage subsystem comprising: a plurality of storage devices configured to provide a plurality of pages having a plurality of tiers; and a central processing unit (CPU) configured to provide a virtual volume to which one or more pages of the plurality of pages are allocated, wherein the virtual volume comprises a first storage area to which at least a part of a certain page of the plurality of pages is allocated, the certain page having a first tier; for the CPU receiving a command for changing a tier of the first storage area in the virtual volume to a second tier, the CPU is configured to determine whether the first tier of the certain page allocated to the first storage area is different from the second tier indicated in the command, for the first tier of the first page allocated to the first storage area being different from the second tier, the CPU is configured to execute the command by: allocating a new page having the second tier instead of the certain page; and copying data in the certain page to the allocated new page; for the first tier of the certain page allocated to the first storage area not being different from the second tier, the CPU is configured to not execute the command.