US Patent 7778183 Data replica selector

A method is provided for selecting a replication node from eligible nodes in a network. A multidimensional model is constructed that defines a multidimensional space and includes the eligible nodes, with each of the dimensions of the multidimensional model being a system characteristic. A data availability value is determined for each of the eligible nodes, and a cost of deploying is determined for each of at least two availability strategies to the eligible nodes. At least one of the eligible nodes is selected for replication of data that is stored on a source node in the network. The selecting step includes selecting the eligible node whose: data availability value is determined to be highest among the eligible nodes whose cost of deploying does not exceed a specified maximum, or cost of deploying is determined to be lowest among the eligible nodes whose data availability value does not exceed a specified minimum.