Patent ID: 7536512

Claim:
A computer implemented process for cataloging metadata of objects in a cache, the computer implemented process comprising: defining an eviction criteria for deleting an object from a cache; identifying a first plurality of eviction attributes corresponding to the eviction criteria; extracting the first plurality of eviction attributes from a second plurality of metadata of a third plurality of objects in the cache; entering the first plurality of eviction attributes into an evict entry table; responsive to entering the first plurality of eviction attributes into the evict entry table and using the plurality of disk location identifiers, mapping each disk location table entry to an evict table entry; sorting the evict table based on a sort criteria; identifying a candidate object for eviction from a sorted evict entry table by selecting a first entry in the sorted evict entry table; responsive to identifying the candidate object for eviction and using the disk location table to locate the candidate object in the cache, comparing the metadata of the candidate object to the eviction criteria used by the eviction mechanism; responsive to the eviction criteria being met by the candidate object, sending the identity of the candidate object to the eviction mechanism for deletion; responsive to the eviction mechanism deleting the candidate object, confirming the eviction of the candidate object and removing all corresponding entries from the evict entry table and the disk location table.