| CPC G06F 12/0246 (2013.01) | 20 Claims |

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1. A method of managing reference-count decrements (decrefs), comprising:
defining an aggregation domain that includes multiple tablets created at respective points in time, each of the tablets containing multiple sorted buckets arranged in a respective sequence of bucket identifiers that is repeated across all of the tablets, the sorted buckets containing decrefs for respective sets of metadata pages;
assigning a decref job to a specified set of bucket identifiers; and
destaging, by the decref job, multiple decrefs from the tablets to persistent metadata pages, beginning with decrefs in buckets having the specified set of bucket identifiers and proceeding until a target number of decrefs has been destaged.
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