1. A storage system comprising a storage apparatus having a storage control unit communicatively coupled to an external apparatus,
the storage control unit configured to form a plurality of virtual storage areas, each virtual storage area serving as a unit storage area used by the external apparatus as a data storing area and being formed using a unit logical storage area selected among a plurality of unit logical storage areas provided by a physical storage medium;
the storage control unit configured to link each of the virtual storage areas to any one of a plurality of attributes, each attribute representing a storage state of data stored in a corresponding one of the virtual storage areas, wherein
the storage control unit includes a logical storage area management unit configured to manage and maintain the link of each of the virtual storage areas and any one of the attributes to each of logical storage area groups, each logical storage area group configured to include a respective one of the unit logical storage areas, wherein
the logical storage area management unit,
when receiving a command to change an attribute of any one of the virtual storage areas to a different attribute, is configured to determine presence or absence of a unit logical storage area that belongs to a logical storage area group linked to the different attribute and that is not yet allocated to any one of the virtual storage areas, and
when determining the presence of a unit logical storage area that is not yet allocated to any one of the virtual storage areas, the logical storage area management unit is configured to link a unit logical storage area determined to be present to a corresponding one of the virtual storage areas, read out data stored in a unit logical storage area linked to a virtual storage area subjected to an attribute change, and store the read data in the unit logical storage area determined to be present in accordance with a storage state represented by the different attribute,
wherein
the physical storage medium includes a plurality of physical disks, wherein
the plurality of attributes includes an encryption attribute representing encryption of the data to be stored in a respective one of the unit storage areas, and a plain text attribute representing storage data to be stored in a form of plain text data, wherein
the storage control unit configures a parity group as a RAID group organized with the physical disks, and keeps a corresponding relation between each parity group and a respective one of the unit logical storage areas and any one of the attributes, and wherein
the logical storage area management unit is configured to maintain, using management tables, a corresponding relation between the unit logical storage areas, each pool area, and the attributes,
the logical storage area management unit comprising:
an encryptiondecryption control part that when receiving a command to change an attribute of one of the virtual storage areas, is configured to judge presence or absence of a pool area linked to the changed attribute, and that when judging the presence of a pool area, is configured to judge presence or absence of a unit storage area linked to the pool area judged to be present; and
a data transfer processing part that when judging the presence of the unit storage area linked to the pool area judged to be present, is configured to link the unit storage area judged to be present to the virtual storage area subjected to the attribute change, to read out data stored in the unit logical storage area linked to the virtual storage area subjected to the attribute change, and to store the read data in the unit logical storage area judged to be present in accordance with a storage state represented by the different attribute, the data transfer processing part configured to judge presence or absence of a parity group not linked to the unit logical storage area judged to be present when judging the absence of a pool area linked to the changed attribute, and to newly create a pool area using the unit storage area judged to be present included in the parity group not linked to the unit logical storage area judged to be present to execute an attribute change process when the presence of the pool area linked to the changed attribute is judged.
2. The storage system of claim 1, further comprising an external storage apparatus that includes a physical storage medium to provide a plurality of unit logical storage areas, wherein
the storage control unit of the storage apparatus is communicatively coupled to the external storage apparatus, is configured to link any one of the attributes to each of the logical storage area groups including a unit storage area of the external storage apparatus to maintain the link of the one of the attributes, and is configured to provide one of the unit logical storage areas provided by the external storage apparatus to the external apparatus.
3. The storage system of claim 1, wherein
when the attribute change is carried out, the logical storage area management unit is configured to cancel a corresponding link between the unit logical storage area having been linked to an attribute before the attribute change and the virtual storage area subjected to the attribute change, delete the data stored in the unit logical storage area in which the corresponding link has been canceled, and link the unit storage area in which the corresponding link has been canceled to the logical storage area group linked to an attribute before the attribute change to maintain the link.
4. The storage system of claim 1, wherein only unit storage areas formed in a parity group with an encryption attribute of cipher are registered with a pool area with an encryption attribute of cipher, and only unit storage areas formed in a parity group with an encryption attribute of plain text are registered with a pool area with an encryption attribute of plain text.
5. The storage system of claim 1, further comprising a management computer communicatively coupled to the storage apparatus, wherein
the management computer is configured to generate information for commanding the storage control unit of the storage apparatus to change an attribute of a virtual storage area, based on an input attribute change condition, and to transmit the information to the storage apparatus.
6. The storage system of claim 5, wherein
the management computer is configured to output a user interface screen for each virtual storage area, the user interface screen displaying a storage capacity of each virtual storage area, the logical storage area group linked to each virtual storage area, and any one of the attributes linked to each virtual storage area.
7. The storage system of claim 5, wherein
when encrypting data to be stored in a virtual storage area is set as an attribute, the management computer is configured to output a user interface screen for selecting an encryption method used for the encryption.
8. The storage system of claim 5, wherein
when receiving a command to change an attribute set for a virtual storage area to an encryption attribute representing encrypting of data to be stored in that virtual storage area, the management computer is configured to output a user interface screen for each virtual storage area provided by the storage apparatus, the user interface screen displaying at least a storage capacity of each virtual storage area, the logical storage area group linked to each virtual storage area, and the logical storage area group to which each virtual storage area is to be linked when an encryption attribute is set for each virtual storage area.
9. A method of operating a storage system comprising a storage apparatus having a storage control unit communicatively coupled to an external apparatus, said method comprising:
forming a plurality of virtual storage areas, each virtual storage area serving as a unit storage area used by the external apparatus as a data storing area and being formed using a unit logical storage area selected among a plurality of unit logical storage areas provided by a physical storage medium;
linking each of the virtual storage areas to any one of a plurality of attributes, each attribute representing a stored state of data stored in a corresponding one of the virtual storage areas,
managing and maintaining, via a logical storage area management unit of the storage control unit, the links of each of the virtual storage areas and any one of the attributes to each of a plurality of logical storage area groups, each logical storage area group being a logical storage area including a respective one of the unit logical storage areas, wherein
the logical storage area management unit
when receiving a command to change an attribute of any one of the virtual storage areas to a different attribute, determines presence or absence of a unit logical storage area that belongs to a logical storage area group linked to the different attribute and that is not yet allocated to any one of the virtual storage areas, and wherein
when determining the presence of a unit logical storage area that is not yet allocated to any one of the virtual storage areas, the logical storage area management unit links a unit logical storage area determined to be present to a corresponding one of the virtual storage areas, reads out data stored in a unit logical storage area linked to a virtual storage area subjected to an attribute change, and stores the read data in the unit logical storage area determined to be present in accordance with a storage state represented by the different attribute,
wherein the physical storage medium includes a plurality of physical disks, wherein the plurality of attributes includes an encryption attribute representing encryption of the data to be stored in a respective one of the unit storage areas, and a plain text attribute representing storage of the data to be stored in a form of plain text data,
said method further comprising
configuring, via the storage control unit, a parity group as a RAID group organized with the physical disks, and keeping a corresponding relation between each parity group and a respective one of the unit logical storage areas and any one of the attributes, and
maintaining, via the logical storage area management unit, using management tables, a corresponding relation between the unit logical storage areas, each pool area, and the attributes,
the logical storage area management unit comprising an encryptiondecryption control part and a data transfer processing part:
the encryptiondecryption control part, when receiving a command to change an attribute of one of the virtual storage areas, judging presence or absence of a pool area linked to the changed attribute, and when judging the presence of a pool area, judging presence or absence of a unit storage area linked to the pool area judged to be present; and
the data transfer processing part, when judging the presence of the unit storage area linked to the pool area judged to be present, linking the unit storage area judged to be present to the virtual storage area subjected to the attribute change, reading out data stored in the unit logical storage area linked to the virtual storage area subjected to the attribute change, and storing the read data in the unit logical storage area judged to be present in accordance with a storage state represented by the different attribute;
the data transfer processing part judging presence or absence of a parity group not linked to the unit logical storage area judged to be present when judging the absence of a pool area linked to the changed attribute, and newly creating a pool area using the unit storage area judged to be present included in the parity group not linked to the unit logical storage area judged to be present to execute an attribute change process when the presence of the pool area linked to the changed attribute is judged.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An antenna system, comprising:
first and second antennas that are arranged on a substrate and that include:
an arc-shaped element having a concave side and a convex side;
a conducting element that extends substantially radially from a center of said concave side; and
a U-shaped element having a base portion with a center that communicates with said conducting element and two side portions that extend from ends of said base portion towards said concave side; and
third and fourth antennas that are arranged on said substrate, wherein each of said third and fourth antennas includes an inner ring and an outer ring that is concentric to said inner ring.
2. The antenna system of claim 1 wherein said two side portions and said conducting element are substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to said base portion.
3. The antenna system of claim 1 wherein said inner rings have a greater ring width than said outer rings, and wherein said ring width is a radial distance between an inner circumference and an outer circumference of each of said inner rings and said outer rings.
4. The antenna system of claim 1 wherein said inner rings communicate with said outer rings, respectively.
5. The antenna system of claim 1 wherein:
said concave sides of said arc-shaped elements of said first and second antennas face said third and fourth antennas;
a first line joining said centers of said concave sides is substantially parallel to a second line joining centers of said inner and outer rings of said third and fourth antennas; and
said conducting elements of said first and second antennas are substantially perpendicular to said first and second lines.
6. The antenna system of claim 1 wherein said centers of said concave sides of said first and second antennas and centers of said inner and outer rings of said third and fourth antennas constitute vertices of a rectangle.
7. The antenna system of claim 1 wherein said convex side of said arc-shaped element radiates electromagnetic radiation and said U-shaped element directs said electromagnetic radiation.
8. The antenna system of claim 1 wherein said first, second, third, and fourth antennas communicate in a dual frequency band in a 4\xd74 multiple input multiple output (MIMO) configuration.
9. The antenna system of claim 1 wherein said first, second, third, and fourth antennas communicate in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands in a 4\xd74 multiple input multiple output (MIMO) configuration.
10. The antenna system of claim 1 wherein said arc-shaped element communicates in a 2.4 GHz frequency band and said U-shaped element communicates in a 5 GHz frequency band.
11. The antenna system of claim 1 wherein said inner rings communicate in a 5 GHz frequency band and said outer rings communicate in a 2.4 GHz frequency band.
12. The antenna system of claim 1 wherein said first and second antennas are printed on said substrate.
13. The antenna system of claim 1 wherein said third and fourth antennas are mounted on said substrate.
14. The antenna system of claim 1 wherein said conducting elements of said first and second antennas communicate with respective radio frequency (RF) transceivers.
15. The antenna system of claim 1 wherein said third and fourth antennas communicate with respective radio frequency (RF) transceivers.
16. The antenna system of claim 1 wherein said substrate comprises a first electrically conducting layer that is adjacent to a first surface of said substrate and a second electrically conducting layer that is adjacent to a second surface of said substrate, and wherein said first surface is opposite to said second surface.
17. The antenna system of claim 16 wherein said first electrically conducting layer and said first and second antennas are printed on said first surface, and wherein said first electrically conducting layer is not joined to said first and second antennas.
18. The antenna system of claim 16 wherein said third and fourth antennas are mounted on said first electrically conducting layer, and wherein said inner rings of said third and fourth antennas communicate with said first electrically conducting layer.
19. The antenna system of claim 16 wherein said first electrically conducting layer communicates with said second electrically conducting layer via through-holes.
20. The antenna system of claim 16 wherein said first and second electrically conducting layers include copper.