Abstract: A data management system for duplicating specific data initially located at a main server in at least one other server within a common data network. When a user requests the specific data from the main server, the main server instructs the end user to request the specific data from a particular server that not only contains a copy of the specific data but also fulfills a certain set of criteria. Such criteria may be based on the physical distance between a particular server and the end user, or the number of hubs in a preferred path between a particular server and the end user. The present invention is useful for placing data, such as multimedia content, that is streamed from a source to a destination. When positioning multimedia content, the physical proximity of the source to the destination is an important factor.