Patent ID: 8312063

Claim:
A data management method, comprising: receiving multiple user files from at least one client station coupled to a data storage subsystem; storing at least some of the multiple user files in a retrieval storage pool at a first location in the data storage subsystem; creating a managed file comprising an aggregation of at least some of the multiple user files; copying received user files to an aggregation storage pool wherein said managed file creating includes creating a managed file comprising a contiguous aggregation of said user files copied to said aggregation storage pool; applying first predetermined criteria to a user file stored in the retrieval storage pool to designate the user file in the retrieval storage pool as one of a higher priority user file and a lower priority user file, wherein said first predetermined criteria include a status of the user file as one of active and inactive wherein an active user file currently resides on said client station and is designated a higher priority user file, and an inactive user file once resided on a client station but has been subsequently at least one of modified and deleted on said client station, and is designated a lower priority user file; applying second predetermined criteria to a user file received from a client station to designate the received user file as one of a higher priority user file and a lower priority user file, and wherein said storing at least some of the multiple user files in the retrieval storage pool includes storing received user files designated as higher priority user files in said retrieval storage pool, and wherein said copying received user files to an aggregation storage pool includes copying received user files designated as lower priority user files to said aggregation storage pool; and deleting from said retrieval storage pool a user file designated as lower priority user file.