MANAGING FINITE DATA STORAGE UTILIZING PRESERVATION WEIGHTS

摘要

A temporal data store includes one or more data groups in an online archive or snapshot systems. Each data group in turn includes a plurality of members, data of each of which is preserved in a finite data storage having a fixed, predetermined storage capacity. Each data group further has associated therewith a time point, and each member of each data group has associated therewith a preservation weight. Upon detecting that finite data storage consumption has reached a first level, then for each member in order of increasing preservation weight beginning with the one or more members having the lowest preservation weight, successively deleting each member in increasing chronological order beginning with the oldest member first, until the finite data storage consumption has reached a second lower level. Each member of the data group may include a snapshot or a backup.