Methods to select segments of an evicted cache unit for reinsertion into the cache

Abstract

A data processing system and methods for performing cache eviction are disclosed. An exemplary method includes maintaining a metadata set for each cache unit of a cache device comprising a plurality of cache units, each cache unit having a plurality of segments. In response to determining that a cache eviction is to be performed, a cache unit is evicted based on its metadata set. The exemplary method includes selecting one or more segments of the evicted cache unit to copy to a second cache unit based on the metadata set of the evicted cache unit, copying the selected one or more segments to the second cache unit, and writing the second cache unit to a storage device. The metadata set may include deletion hints (DH) to indicate valid segments, last access time (LAT) or age based metadata, an access count, or a score for each segment based on the metadata set.