Patent ID: 7130874

Claim:
A method for maintaining data in a distributed computing environment and processing a product information request, comprising: storing data sets at a primary storage site; processing a data structure indicating associations of data sets in the primary storage site secondary storage sites, and update frequencies; in response to processing the data structure, determining secondary storage sites and determining at least one data set in the primary storage site comprising information used in an electronic commerce web site to transmit the determined at least one data set to each determined secondary storage site at an update frequency associated with the determined at least one data set; transmitting the determined at least one data set to each of the determined secondary storage sites according to the update frequency, wherein the determined secondary storage sites are at different geographical locations, and wherein different data sets transmitted to the different secondary storage sites include location specific data for the location of the secondary storage site; receiving a client request from a client for product information at the primary storage site; redirecting the client request for product information to one of the secondary storage sites; and returning product information to the client originating the client request from the secondary storage site to which the client request was redirected.