Patent ID: 7747577

Claim:
A method, comprising: selecting first and second client nodes that are two model nodes from a plurality of client nodes, wherein the two model nodes are selected according to a criterion such that objects to be backed up from the plurality of client nodes to a server node are more likely to have been backed up from the two model nodes than from any other client node of the plurality of client nodes, wherein the two model nodes are selected prior to receiving at the server node a request for storing an object corresponding to a third client node, wherein the two model nodes are updated more frequently with latest updates to an operating system and software applications in comparison to other client nodes in the plurality of client nodes; determining, in response to the request, that an object corresponding to the third client node has to be stored; determining whether the object has already been stored in a server node by the two model nodes, wherein the two model nodes are more likely to have backed up objects in comparison to other client nodes in the plurality of client nodes, and wherein the backed up objects can be used by the other client nodes of the plurality of client nodes; and storing the object at the server node, in response to determining that the object has not already been stored in the server node by the two model nodes, wherein the two model nodes and the server node are different computational devices, wherein the server node stores data backed up by the two model nodes in a direct access storage device, and wherein the server node stores data backed up by those client nodes that are different from the two model nodes in removable storage media.