System and method for performing dynamic buffer management in an HFS (hierarchical file system DF/SMS)

The present invention provides a system and method for dynamic management of buffers by the buffer manager for a hierarchical file system. A system according to the present invention includes a buffer pool which is comprised of both fixed and virtual storage. The buffer pool is logically partitioned into three states, fixed, pageable and released, wherein each of the plurality of buffers in the buffer pool exists in one of these states. The system further comprises the buffer manager, which dynamically manages the buffers in the system by moving them between these three states in a non-disruptive manner based on a comparison between the actual usage of fixed and virtual storage compared with target usage values for the fixed and virtual storage.