Patent ID: 7664806

Claim:
A method for accessing data over a wide area network comprising: providing a decentralized architecture comprising a plurality of data nodes each having a database and routing information, a query processor and a path index, and a plurality of router nodes each having a routing state; restricting communication between the plurality of router nodes in accordance with an agreement; maintaining a routing state in said router nodes; aggregating path information associated with a routing state by combining data paths to form a common data path, thereby reducing a number of data paths stored in memory of said router nodes; broadcasting routing information updates to said routing state from said databases to said router nodes; creating mapping indices utilizing said routing state to data items; initiating communication between at least two of the plurality of routers in accordance with the agreement, the communication concerning enabling access to one or more of said data items from at least one data node through at least one of the plurality of routers and being based on said mapping indices, wherein initiating communication comprises sending an advertisement comprising at least one of a path insertion or path deletion from a first one of the plurality of routers to at least one of the plurality of routers with which the first one of the plurality of routers has the agreement; and blocking propagation of the advertisement by the at least one of the plurality of routers with which the first one of the plurality of routers has the agreement when the at least one of the plurality of routers has more than one next-hop router in a routing state for path information associated with the advertisement.