Patent ID: 7765191

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of accessing a replicated content unit on a computer, the replicated content unit being replicated at a first time that is different from an initial time of storage of the replicated content unit and being stored in a hierarchical file system on the computer, the hierarchical file system having a plurality of directories arranged in a hierarchical tree, comprising at least one root directory and a plurality of non-root directories that each has a parent directory, wherein at least one of the plurality of directories in the tree correspond to a period of time subsumed by a period of time corresponding to the respective parent directory of the at least one of the plurality of directories, wherein the plurality of directories comprises a first plurality of directories used to locate content units based on a time of replication on the computer and a second plurality of directories used to locate content units based on an initial time of storage, wherein the replicated content unit is stored in one of the plurality of second directories, wherein a storetime file corresponding to the replicated content unit is stored in one of the plurality of first directories that corresponds to the first time, and wherein the replicated content unit is assigned an identifier that identifies the replicated content unit on the computer and that is generated, at least in part, from at least a portion of the content of the replicated content unit, the method comprising acts of: (A) receiving, at the computer, a request to identify content units replicated to the computer during a specified time range that includes the first time; (B) determining that the replicated content unit was replicated during the specified time range by determining the one of the plurality of first directories that corresponds to the first time and locating the storetime file in the one of the first plurality of directories; and (C) returning an indication that the replicated content unit was replicated to the computer during the specified time range.