Patent ID: 8712959

Claim:
A method, comprising: obtaining, by an agent for a configuration tracking system, asset data from an asset, wherein the asset data for the asset is descriptive of how the asset is configured at a snapshot in time, wherein the asset comprises one or more of a computer, a storage device, a network device, or a software package; transferring the asset data from the agent to a server of the configuration tracking system; storing at the server the asset data or asset information based on the asset data, wherein the server stores the asset data or the asset information within an underlying data store comprising one or more of a database, a file system, or a disk volume; providing, by the server, access to the asset data or the asset information to one or more clients; determining that the asset data or the asset information stored at the server is lost or corrupted; in response to determining that the asset data or the asset information stored at the server is lost or corrupted, reconstructing the asset data or the asset information at the server or another server of the configuration tracking system, wherein said reconstructing comprises: requesting, by the server or the other server, the agent to retrieve current asset data; retrieving by the agent the requested current asset data from the asset such that the asset serves as an authoritative source for the current asset data for said reconstructing at the server or the other server; and transferring by the agent the current asset data to the server or the other server for reconstructing the asset data or the asset information at the server or the other server; wherein said reconstructing is performed without utilizing data redundancy services provided by said underlying data store or any other underlying data store within the configuration tracking system, such that the configuration tracking system actively participates in replication and recovery of asset data to selectively replicate and recover said asset data without dependence on a replication mechanism provided by said underlying data store or any other underlying data store within the configuration tracking system.