METHOD FOR WRITING MODIFIED DATA FROM A MAIN MEMORY OF A COMPUTER BACK TO A DATABASE

In a client/server computer system, a method for writing modified data in a cache memory back to a database residing in a hard disk drive. Rather than writing back all of the modified data as part of a checkpointing operation, the present invention designates an amount of the cache memory that is to be cleared for a pre-determined time interval. The amount of cache memory to be cleared is based on an estimate of how much new data is anticipated to be cached. Thereby, just enough memory is cleared and made available so as to accommodate the storage of new data. For the modified data which are to be written back to the database, a lazy writeback operation is utilized.