diff --git a/sql/swh-schema.sql b/sql/swh-schema.sql
--- a/sql/swh-schema.sql
+++ b/sql/swh-schema.sql
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 );
 
 insert into dbversion(version, release, description)
-      values(68, now(), 'Work In Progress');
+      values(69, now(), 'Work In Progress');
 
 -- a SHA1 checksum (not necessarily originating from Git)
 create domain sha1 as bytea check (length(value) = 20);
@@ -426,3 +426,29 @@
 );
 
 create index on release(target, target_type);
+
+
+-- In order to archive the content of the object storage, add
+-- some tables to keep trace of what have already been archived.
+
+CREATE DOMAIN archive_id AS TEXT;
+
+CREATE TABLE archives (
+  id   archive_id PRIMARY KEY,
+  url  TEXT
+);
+
+CREATE TYPE archive_status AS ENUM (
+  'missing',
+  'ongoing',
+  'present'
+);
+
+CREATE TABLE content_archive (
+  content_id  sha1 REFERENCES content(sha1),
+  archive_id  archive_id REFERENCES archives(id),
+  status      archive_status,
+  mtime       timestamptz,
+  PRIMARY KEY (content_id, archive_id)
+);
+
diff --git a/sql/upgrades/069.sql b/sql/upgrades/069.sql
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sql/upgrades/069.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+-- SWH DB schema upgrade
+-- from_version: 68
+-- to_version: 69
+-- description: add tables for the archiver.
+
+insert into dbversion(version, release, description)
+      values(69, now(), 'Work In Progress');
+
+CREATE DOMAIN archive_id AS TEXT;
+
+CREATE TABLE archives (
+  id   archive_id PRIMARY KEY,
+  url  TEXT
+);
+
+CREATE TYPE archive_status AS ENUM (
+  'missing',
+  'ongoing',
+  'present'
+);
+
+CREATE TABLE content_archive (
+  content_id  sha1 REFERENCES content(sha1),
+  archive_id  archive_id REFERENCES archives(id),
+  status      archive_status,
+  mtime       timestamptz,
+  PRIMARY KEY (content_id, archive_id)
+);
diff --git a/swh/storage/db.py b/swh/storage/db.py
--- a/swh/storage/db.py
+++ b/swh/storage/db.py
@@ -624,3 +624,62 @@
         if not data:
             return None
         return line_to_bytes(data)
+
+    def archive_ls(self, cur=None):
+        """ Get all the archives registered on the server.
+
+        Yields:
+            a tuple (server_id, server_url) for each archive server.
+        """
+        cur = self._cursor(cur)
+        cur.execute("""SELECT id, url
+                    FROM archives
+                    """)
+        yield from cursor_to_bytes(cur)
+
+    def content_archive_ls(self, cur=None):
+        """ Get the archival status of the content
+
+        Get an iterable over all the content that is referenced
+        in a backup server.
+
+        Yields:
+            the sha1 of each content referenced at least one time
+            in the database of archiveal status.
+        """
+        cur = self._cursor(cur)
+        cur.execute("""SELECT DISTINCT content_id
+                    FROM content_archive""")
+        yield from cursor_to_bytes(cur)
+
+    def content_archive_get(self, content=None, archive=None, cur=None):
+        """ Get the archival status of a content in a specific server.
+
+        Retreive from the database the archival status of the given content
+        in the given archive server.
+
+        Args:
+            content: the sha1 of the content. May be None for any id.
+            archive: the database id of the server we're looking into
+                may be None for any server.
+
+        Yields:
+            A tuple (content_id, server_id, archival status, mtime, tzinfo).
+        """
+        query = """SELECT content_id, archive_id, status, mtime
+               FROM content_archive
+               """
+        conditions = []
+        if content:
+            conditions.append("content_id='%s'" % content)
+        if archive:
+            conditions.append("archive_id='%s'" % archive)
+
+        if conditions:
+            query = """%s
+                    WHERE %s
+                    """ % (query, ' and '.join(conditions))
+
+        cur = self._cursor(cur)
+        cur.execute(query)
+        yield from cursor_to_bytes(cur)