Patent ID: 8239507

Claim:
A system for providing service, comprising: a service anchor apparatus having a unit configured to hold an original of an application program for providing a service; a plurality of end-user accommodation apparatuses, each having a unit configured to connect with a terminal of an end user via a network; and at least one relay apparatus located on a route between the service anchor apparatus and the plurality of end-user accommodation apparatuses, wherein the system includes a mechanism configured to create, via said at least one relay apparatus, a copy of the application program itself in each of the plurality of end-user accommodation apparatuses, and the original of the application program is held by the service anchor apparatus to be run on the service anchor apparatus, and the copy of the application program is run on said each of the plurality of end-user accommodation apparatuses to provide the service to the terminal of the end user via the network, whereby the system is a distributed system in which a plurality of copies of the application program are to be run respectively on said plurality of end-user accommodation apparatuses to provide the service to a plurality of end-user terminals, wherein the mechanism includes a unit configured in the service anchor apparatus to create the copy of the application program in said at least one relay apparatus with information added to the copy, the information indicating a period for which the copy is to be held; and said at least one relay apparatus holds the copy for the period, referring to the information.