Patent ID: 7860825

Claim:
A method, comprising: generating a global set universally unique identifier for a data set object using a one-way hash sum and local random data, the global set universally unique identifier representing a unique number in a distributed data sharing system; creating an item object for the data set object, the item object having the global set universal unique identifier, system metadata and application metadata; normalizing the system metadata and the application metadata to produce a predictable deterministic ordering of the metadata in a format that allows the one-way hash sum to use the normalized metadata to produce a repeatable value, the format comprising a concatenated string of sorted names and values from a field of the system metadata or application metadata; creating an item universally unique identifier for the item object of the data set object using the one-way hash sum, the normalized system metadata and the normalized application metadata, the item universally unique identifier also representing a unique number in the distributed data sharing system; and storing the data set object and the item object for the data set object at a client.