A method and system are related to updating objects over limited bandwidth
networks. Objects are updated between two or more computing devices using
remote differential compression (RDC) techniques such that required data
transfers are minimized. In one aspect, efficient large object transfers
are achieved by recursively applying the RDC algorithm to its own
metadata; a single or multiple recursion step(s) may be used in this case
to reduce the amount of metadata sent over the network by the RDC
algorithm. Objects and/or signature and chunk length lists can be chunked
by locating boundaries at dynamically determined locations. A
mathematical function evaluates hash values associated within a horizon
window relative to potential chunk boundary. The described method and
system is useful in a variety of networked applications, such as
peer-to-peer replicators, email clients and servers, client-side caching
systems, general-purpose copy utilities, database replicators, portals,
software update services, file/data synchronization, and others.