Patent ID: 8706697

Claim:
A method performed on at least one computing device, the method for performing data retention the method comprising: receiving first data and a first manifest associated with the first data, the first manifest identifying first data retention attributes for the first data, where the first data retention attributes identify how storage of the first data is to be managed within a first namespace that has at least a portion of the first data retention attributes; creating, based on the first manifest, first partition metadata that identifies at least first storage partition attributes for at least one first storage partition; forwarding the first data and the first partition metadata to the first namespace; creating automatically the at least one first storage partition associated with the first namespace, the at least one first storage partition having at least the first storage partition attributes identified in the first partition metadata; storing the first data in the at least one first storage partition; and automatically migrating data from the first storage partition to a second storage partition associated with a second namespace responsive to an expiration of the first storage partition, where the second storage partition is separate from the first storage partition, and where the second namespace is distinct from the first namespace.