Patent ID: 7546486

Claim:
A method of maintaining fixed-content objects in a storage system, comprising: receiving a fixed-content object to be stored in accordance with information storage management policies; storing the fixed-content object to a first storage component; storing object management data associated with the fixed-content object to a first object management component; identifying at the first object management component that an object management routine associated with the first management component is authorized to make changes to object management data associated with the fixed-content object; storing the fixed-content object to at least a second storage component; storing the object management data associated with the fixed-content object to at least a second object management component; identifying at the second object management component that the object management routine associated with the first object management component is authorized to make changes to the object management data associated with the fixed-content object; identifying at the second object management component that the object management routine associated with the second object management component is authorized to provide information related to the fixed-content object, but is not authorized to make changes to the object management data associated with the fixed-content object; identifying at the first object management component that the object management routine associated with the second object management component is authorized to provide information related to the fixed-content object, but is not authorized to make changes to the object management data associated with the fixed-content object; after detecting a failure in communication between the first object management component and the second object management component, identifying at the second object management component that an object management routine associated with the second object management component is authorized to make changes to the object management data associated with the fixed-content object; and after detecting restoration of communication between the first object management component and the second object management component, synchronizing the first object management component and the second object management component so that only one of the object management components is authorized to make changes to the object management data associated with the fixed-content object.