Patent ID: 7162499

Claim:
A network system, comprising: a first computer configured to maintain an object comprising a plurality of multi-valued attributes that each have associated values, at least one multi-valued attribute of the object having a link table value that links to a link table which includes a plurality of individual linked values, the individual linked values having associated therewith respective conflict-resolution data, where the first computer is adapted to update the conflict-resolution data associated with at least one linked value in the link table in response to a modification made to the linked value; at least a second computer configured to replicate the object to generate a replica object comprising the plurality of multi-valued attributes that each have the associated values, and comprising a replica of the link table which includes replicas of the individual linked values having associated therewith respective further conflict-resolution data, where the second computer is adapted to update the further conflict-resolution data associated with a replica linked value in response to a modification made to the replica linked value; and at least one of the first computer and the second computer being further configured to resolve a replication conflict between the linked value of the multi-valued attribute in the object and the replica linked value of the multi-valued attribute in the replica object, the replication conflict arising from the modifications made to the linked value on the first computer and made to the replica linked value on the second computer, and the replication conflict being resolved, at least in part, based upon the conflict-resolution data and the further conflict-resolution data.