Patent ID: 7373643

Claim:
An apparatus for transmitting data to a target comprising: a means for updating, present on a distribution media, and further comprising data, data information and a cryptographic hash of said data information; a means for transmission between said distribution media and said target, a means for obtaining data information from said distribution media; and, a means for processing said first cryptographic hash of said data information; whereby said means for obtaining data information from said distribution media obtains said first cryptographic hash from said means for updating present on said distribution media, which first cryptographic hash is comprised of a unique data identifier, and is transmitted through said means for transmission to said means for processing, and which upon receipt of said first cryptographic hash of said data information compares said first cryptographic hash to a second cryptographic hash installed on said target in order to determine if said data should be transmitted to said target, said data being less than the content of a file when only portions of a file, and not the entire file itself, require updating, and wherein at least one cryptographic hash is generated at said target and is stored at said target; said stored cryptographic hash corresponding with the data of said target.