Multicast-enhanced update propagation in a weakly-consistant, replicated data storage system

In a multi-node computer network having a weakly consistent replicated data storage system, an enhanced update mechanism to enable continued operation of network subsets in the face of faults and network partitioning events, the enhanced update mechanism comprising:

• a multicast communication update facility configured to propagate updates from an originating replica source in the computer network to all replicas of the computer network at a single time using a best efforts design;
• and
• a pair-wise update communications facility which sends updates by pair-wise interaction to non-updated neighboring replicas, wherein the pair-wise update communications facility and the multicast communication update facility are employed together in at least some of the replicas.