Patent ID: 8874848

Claim:
A method in a multi-tiered cache comprising: detecting, by a first cache device controller for a tier of the multi-tiered cache, a change of a workload characteristic at the tier of the multi-tiered cache, where at least one of the tiers of the multi-tiered cache includes a dynamically resizable cache element, and wherein each tier is managed by a cache device controller; and communicating the change of the workload characteristic from the first cache device controller to a second cache device controller of a different tier of the multi-tiered cache to cause the second cache device controller to adjust one or both of a caching size and policy in response to the change; wherein a first workload and a second workload overlap access to at least a portion of cached data in the multi-tiered cache, wherein the first workload accesses the portion of cached data through a dynamic cache virtual storage appliance (VSA), and the second workload does not access the portion of cached data through the dynamic cache VSA, and wherein a change in behavior of the second workload causes the dynamic cache VSA to adjust one or both of a caching size and policy for the first workload.