Smart weighted container data cache eviction

A storage system for caching data using a cache memory device, comprising:

• a cache memory device having a data cache in which to store a plurality of blocks of data over time, the data cache including a plurality of data structures each capable of containing some of the plurality of blocks of data;
• and
• a cache manager executed by a processor to:
• establish counters for each block of data stored in each data structure to track a frequency of access for that block in a first time period, and a recency of access for that block in a second time period, wherein the first time period is longer than the second time period,
• weight each data structure based on the frequency of access and the frequency of access, including computing an average of a first hit count in the first time period and a second hit count in the second time period for the blocks of data stored in the data structure, and sorting the plurality of data structures based on the computed averages,
• select, from the plurality of sorted data structures, one or more blocks of data with a lowest computed average,
• generate a first list of data structures sorted by the recency of access of any of the one or more selected blocks of data stored in the data structures,
• generate a second list of data structures sorted by the frequency of access of any of the one or more selected blocks of data stored in the data structure, and
• evict, from the data cache, a first data structure and a second data structure, the first data structure being in the first list of data structures and having a least recency of access of any of the one or more selected blocks of data, and the second data structure being in the second list of data structures and having a least frequency of access of any of the one or more selected blocks of data.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for managing a data cache in a cache memory device, the operations comprising:

• storing data in a data cache in a cache memory device, the data cache including a plurality of data structures in which a plurality of blocks of data is stored over time;
• establishing counters, for each block of data stored in each data structure, to track a frequency of access for that block in a first time period, and a recency of access for that block in a second time period, wherein the first time period is longer than the second time period;
• weighting each data structure based on the frequency of access and the frequency of access, including computing an average:
• of a first hit count in the first time period and a second hit count in the second time period for the plurality of blocks of data stored in the data structure, and sorting the plurality of data structures based on the computed averages;
• selecting, from the plurality of sorted data structures, one or more blocks of data with a lowest computed average;
• generating a first list of data structures sorted by the recency of access of any of the one or more selected blocks of data stored in the data structures;
• generating a second list of data structures sorted by the frequency of access of any of the one or more selected blocks of data stored in the data structure;
• and
• evicting, from the data cache, a first data structure and a second data structure, the first data structure being in the first list of data structures and having a least recency of access of any of the one or more selected blocks of data, and the second data structure being in the second list of data structures and having a least frequency of access of any of the one or more selected blocks of data.