A computer system configured to store a plurality of files, and a data file, which includes inode and migration or purge information associated with the files. The computer system searches the data file to identify files that are candidates for migration or purge. A plurality of pathnames associated with the files is stored in the data file or a separate data file, and the computer system obtains the pathnames of candidate files from the data file (or separate data file). When candidate files are identified, their inodes are used to look up their pathnames in the plurality of pathnames. The data file may include information about whether a file has been modified and its time of last access. To determine whether a file is a candidate for migration, its entry in the data file is checked to determine whether it has been modified. If it has, it is identified as a migration candidate. A file is determined to be a purge candidate if it has not been modified and its time of last access is older than a predetermined value.