Accumulating access frequency and file attributes for supporting policy based storage management

Abstract

A system and method for performing policy-based storage management using data related to access frequency and file attribute accumulation. A switch device provides transparency for transactions between a client and a storage network. The transparency allows objects (e.g., files or directories) to be moved (e.g., migrated) on the storage network without affecting a reference to the object used by the client (e.g., a file handle). A monitoring module generates accumulation data associated with the transactions for use in policy-based management. The accumulation data can describe uses of the file such as how often certain files are accessed, modifications to files such as creations of new directories or files, and other uses.