Relay apparatus

1. A relay apparatus connectable to a server and a plurality of storage devices, the relay apparatus comprising:

a storage unit that stores first information including information of each of the plurality of storage devices therein, the plurality of storage devices each being physically connected to the relay apparatus;

a connection maintaining unit that, prior to receiving a request from the server, establishes, based on the first information, first logical connections each logically connecting the relay apparatus to a storage devices among the plurality of storage devices each of which the information is included in the first information, adds information of each of the first logical connections in the first information, and maintains the established first logical connections;

a transfer destination management unit that, receives the request from the server while the connection maintaining unit is maintaining the first logical connections, identifies a second logical connection based on the first information, the second logical connection being a logical connection connected to a first storage device among the first logical connections, the first storage device being a storage device of a transmission destination of the request among the plurality of storage devices; and

a transfer unit that transfers the received request to the first storage device through the second logical connection, wherein

the plurality of storage devices manage data by using key-value storage,

the request includes a request key,

in the first information, a key range is associated with the first storage device,

the connection maintaining unit associates, in the first information, each of the first logical connections with a corresponding storage device among the plurality of storage devices, and

the transfer destination management unit identifies the second logical connection based on a comparison between the request key included in the request and the key range.

2. The relay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the relay apparatus is connected to a plurality of servers,

the storage unit stores second information therein,

the transfer destination management unit records a correspondence between a third logical connection and the second logical connection in the second information, the third logical connection being a logical connection connecting the relay apparatus to a first server, the first server being a server of a transmission source of the request among the plurality of servers, and

when the transfer unit receives, from the first storage device, a response to the request, the transfer unit identifies the third logical connection based on the second information, and transfers the received response to the first server through third logical connection.

3. The relay apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

the transfer destination management unit

records the correspondence between the third logical connection and the second logical connection in response to receiving the request from the first server, and

deletes the correspondence between the third logical connection and the second logical connection in response to receiving the response from the first storage device.

4. The relay apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

the request and the response include third information,

the correspondence recorded in the second information includes the third information, and

the transfer unit searches the second information by using the second logical connection and the third information included in the response.

5. The relay apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein

the third information is a request key.

6. A relay apparatus connectable to a server, the relay apparatus comprising:

a storage unit that stores first information including information of each of a plurality of storage devices physically connected to the relay apparatus;

a connection maintaining unit that prior to receiving a request from the server, establishes logical connections, based on the first information, connecting to the plurality of storage devices, adds information of each of the logical connections to the first information, and maintains the logical connections;

a transfer destination management unit that, in response to receiving a request from the server, identifies, among the logical connections which are being maintained, a logical connection connecting to one storage device among the plurality of storage devices based on the request received from the server;

a transfer unit that transfers the received request to the one storage device through the logical connection, and wherein

the plurality of storage devices manage data by using key-value storage, and

the transfer destination management unit identifies the logical connection based on a key included in the received request from the server.

7. The relay apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein

the relay apparatus is connected to a plurality of servers, and

the relay apparatus stores a transfer path of the request, the transfer path including a correspondence between the logical connection and a logical connection connecting the relay apparatus to a server of a transfer source of the request among the plurality of servers, identifies a server of a transfer destination of a response from the one storage device based on the stored transfer path, the response being a response to the request, and transfers the response to the identified server.

8. The relay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the connection maintaining unit establishes the first logical connections before a logical connection between the relay apparatus and the server is established.

9. The relay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first logical connections is a TCP connection.

10. The relay apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the relay apparatus establishes the logical connections before a logical connection between the relay apparatus and the server is established.

11. The relay apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein each of the logical connections is a TCP connection.