Patent ID: 8407315

Claim:
A machine comprising: a. a computer configured to provide a remote system with: i. a set of signatures corresponding to a set of files local to the computer; ii. a set of updates for a set of files to be updated; b. the remote system, the remote system comprising a processor and a memory, and configured to: i. identify the set of files to be updated based on comparing a first set of signatures with a second set of signatures, wherein: the first set of signatures is the set of signatures corresponding to the set of files local to the computer; and the second set of signatures is a set of signatures corresponding to a set of preexisting base files; ii. request, from the computer, updates for each file comprised by the set of files to be updated; wherein the computer is configured to generate the set of updates for the set of files to be updated based on a set of instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium and operable to configure the computer to generate difference packages indicating how files comprised by the set of files local to the computer can be derived from preexisting base files; wherein: A. providing the remote system with the set of signatures corresponding to the set of files local to the computer comprises: I. separating the set of signatures corresponding to the set of files local to the computer into a plurality of sub-sets of signatures; II. providing each sub-set of signatures comprised by the plurality of sub-sets of signatures to the remote system; B. the remote system comprises a plurality of nodes; C. identifying the set of files to be updated based on comparing the first set of signatures with the second set of signatures comprises: I. allocating the plurality of sub-sets of signatures among the plurality of nodes; and II. at each node comprised by the plurality of nodes, comparing the signatures comprised by the sub-set of signatures allocated to the node with one or more signatures corresponding to preexisting base files.