Patent ID: 9189490
Filing Date: 2015-11-17
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for monitoring usage of one or more data units by a processor device in a computing environment utilizing snapshots, the method comprising: configuring the snapshots to store a state of the computing environment at a point in time; labeling a snapshot as a long-lived snapshot or a short-lived snapshot utilized for asynchronous mirroring; avoiding reference counts of the one or more data units associated with each short-lived snapshot from being updated at a creation time and a deletion time of each respective short-lived snapshot; reference counting changes to the one or more data units associated with each long-lived snapshot each time the one or more data units are updated; determining that a snapshot should be deleted; determining whether the snapshot is a short-lived snapshot or a long-lived snapshot; deleting the snapshot; when the snapshot is a short-lived snapshot, performing first reference count updates including at least one of: when the snapshot is a long-lived snapshot, performing second reference count updates that are different than the first reference count updates.