Method of billing for utilization of a data storage array, and an array controller therefor

摘要

Utilisation by hosts of a data storage array is billed by allocating to the array a number of areas to which data can be written. A table of area usage is formed for each area. An area or areas are allocated to hosts as required. In response to data being written by a host to a sector of an area, a record of used sector is written to the respective table. On the basis of the information in the area usage tables, hosts are billed for the actual level of utilisation of the allocated area or areas.