This memo describes a system for the automated replication of data files and their descriptions to various file servers across the Internet. The system maintains a distributed database which contains the locations of each file distributed by the system, and will provide a list of locations for any file upon request. It provides assurances of integrity and authenticity of the replicated files. It is intended for use with the World Wide Web, Gopher, and similar applications, to provide higher availability, improved response, and better use of network resources. There are a number of problems associated with the current Internet information infrastructure, which result in poor service to its users.
Many files are available at only a single file server.
If a file server is unavailable, there is no mechanism to find alternate servers for that file. The primary location of a file may be halfway across the globe, or on the other side of a low- bandwidth link. Files are currently replicated from one server to another using a variety of ad hoc mechanisms. There is currently no mechanism for ensuring the integrity of replicated files, nor any assurance that a copy of a file which is available on a server has not been modified by someone other than the author. The following set of architectural features is proposed to address these problems.