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Abstract

Apparatus and method for distributing data from a central digital data processing system to remote digital data processing systems and apparatus for storing data in digital data processing systems. The central digital data system creates a data descriptor which describes the data and its source location. The central system provides the data descriptor to the remote systems. The remote systems employ the data descriptor to retrieve the data to be distributed and place it in a destination. A given digital data processing system may function as both a central system and a remote system. The data descriptor may be provided to the remote systems by means of magnetic media or a network and the data may be retrieved from magnetic media or via a network. When retrieval is via a network, the source of the data is an inventory library. The inventory library may be part of the central system or may be part of a different host system. The destination includes a live library and a run library. The data is retrieved to the live library, and when it is to be used, the remote system installs the data by placing it in the run library. Both test and production versions of data may be present in the destination and a test version may be converted to a production version. If both test and production versions are simultaneously present, one is always in the live library and the other always in the run library.

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