Method, system, and program for maintaining data in distributed caches

A system for maintaining data, comprising:

• a plurality of caches;
• means for maintaining a copy of an object in at least one cache, wherein the caches may have different versions of the object, and wherein the objects are capable of having modifiable data units;
• means for maintaining update information for each object maintained in each cache, wherein the update information for each object in each cache indicates the object, the cache including the object, and indicates whether each data unit in the object was modified;
• and
• means for updating the update information for the target object and target cache to indicate that the target data unit is modified after receiving a modification to a target data unit in one target object in one target cache, wherein the update information for the target object in any other cache indicates that the target data unit is not modified.

An article of manufacture for maintaining data in distributed caches, wherein the article of manufacture causes operations to be performed, the operations comprising:

• maintaining a copy of an object in at least one cache, wherein multiple caches may have different versions of the object, and wherein the objects are capable of having modifiable data units;
• maintaining update information for each object maintained in each cache, wherein the update information for each object in each cache indicates the object, the cache including the object, and indicates whether each data unit in the object was modified;
• and
• after receiving a modification to a target data unit in one target object in one target cache, updating the update information for the target object and target cache to indicate that the target data unit is modified, wherein the update information for the target object in any other cache indicates that the target data unit is not modified.