Method, system and article of manufacture for data distribution over a network

摘要

A data distribution network includes a distribution-coordinating server and a plurality of client nodes. Each of the client nodes is configured to pull or push data from other clients or servers. The distribution-coordinating server monitors the locations of data sources and the statuses of data transfers between clients. By tracking the locations of data on the network and client data requests, the distribution-coordinating server can instruct the clients to perform data pushes and/or pulls to coordinate large-scale distributions of data among a multitude of clients. Metadata describing the data and clients can be exchanged between the clients and the distribution-coordinating server to coordinate the data distributions. Also, the distribution-coordinating server can be configured to coordinate data distributions through network security firewalls.