Patent ID: 8290993

Claim:
A method comprising storing data, wherein said data is stored in data streams, each of varying size, and each of said data streams is stored in any one of a plurality of networked locations, and wherein each of said data streams defines information, and comprises a header and a data portion including: a data element containing data, and a reference to a data element in a related one of said data streams; said method comprising the steps of: receiving a request to modify information defined by a first one of said data streams that is stored in one of said plurality of networked locations; identifying a frozen condition to the effect that information defined by said first one of said data streams is not modifiable; creating and storing in one of said plurality of networked locations a second one of said data streams that comprises a reference to the data portion in said first one of said data streams, to the effect that said second one of said data streams defines the same information as said first one of said data streams; and modifying said second one of said data streams to the effect that the information defined by said second one of said data streams is modified according to said request.