In an embodiment, a system and method may manage network resources to provide a near zero-cost background replication of data. Such a system may be inhibited from causing interference with foreground data flows. Such a system may also utilize a large fraction of spare network bandwidth. A system configured to implement such a method may include one or more servers and at least one client in communication via a network. Additionally the system may include a hint server, a monitor and/or a front-end application between a demand server and the network.