A storage device (1) communicating with a host computer and other storage
devices through a network is characterized in that the storage device (1)
secures memory buffers for temporarily storing data in a remote copy operation
carried out between the storage devices. A network memory (100) in the storage
device (1) includes an available buffer comprising a plurality of memory
buffers and an in-use buffer also comprising a plurality of memory buffers. A buffer
control unit (215) secures memory buffers of the available buffer as a reserved
buffer having a reserved-buffer size specified in a buffer reservation request
made by a storage management device (8) in response to the request. The
buffer control unit (215) then allocates the memory buffers of the reserved
buffer as the in-use buffer in response to a request received from the storage
management device (8) to start a remote copy operation.