Deduplication eliminates redundant data by referencing duplicate files instead of re-archiving them. It frees up storage space, improves system efficiency and reduces backup space and costs. However, it relies on cryptographic hash functions and may compromise reliability if not authorized properly. It works by segmenting and comparing data, and can be implemented using software like Data Domain.
Deduplication is a process used to eliminate redundant data. In the process, a computer’s hard drive is scanned for large data streams through comparison windows. When scanning for duplicate data, sequences of eight kilobytes or more are typically selected. If the sequence is found elsewhere in the filing system, the duplicate file is referenced rather than being re-archived.
Successful deduplication can eliminate several kilobytes of data on a computer, with obvious benefits. Data duplication takes up unnecessary space in the system, and when extraneous data is removed, the user has more storage space on the computer. This will allow the system to run faster and more efficiently because it’s not bogged down with the extra data. Also, the improvement in bandwidth is increasingly noticeable as a computer has more free space.
Deduplication involves referencing the large amount of data to the earliest location and discarding the extra copies of the data, but indexing them should they become necessary. Often, the exact same data can be stored in up to 100 different places on a hard drive. If each takes up one megabyte of space, deduplication will reduce this hard drive space from 100 megabytes to just one. The process works by storing data, and the extra space it gives is very beneficial to a computer’s hard drive.
Additional benefits of deduplication include reducing the amount of backup space needed by up to 90%, reducing costs such as power, space and cooling requirements, restoring a higher level of service, eliminating many different types of errors and restoring data to several different points. One disadvantage of deduplication is that it identifies duplicate data using cryptographic hash functions, which may be unreliable and a collision or other type of error would result in data loss. Also, if the person who authorized the procedure does not know about redundancy reduction, the reliability of the computer can be compromised.
Data deduplication works by first segmenting each piece of data that is processed. Each segment is identified and compared with the data already present in the system. If the data is unique, it is stored on a disk. If it is a duplicate of the data, a reference is created instead. Deduplication can be implemented using software called Data Domain, which works with data and storage systems to filter data, referencing, deleting, or archiving each byte, as appropriate.
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