Have you ever checked your bill for cloud storage and wondered why you were paying to store the same thing more than once? This is the problem that data deduplication solves. It helps big hosting systems save storage space and money by eliminating extra copies of the same data. Let's break it down in simple terms.
For example, if ten servers use the same system file, the data deduplication process will keep one copy, and link the other nine servers to that single copy. This takes up a lot less space, and helps the system work much better. Very cool, right?
Here's the impact of deduplication:
• Space savings: Deduplication can reduce the amount of storage that you need by 50-90%.
• Faster backups: The less data you have, the faster the backup/restore operations.
• Less cost: The less data you have, the less hardware you need, which results in lower costs.
• Faster performance: You can run your systems more smoothly when you've less clutter.
Not utilizing deduplication in a large environment is like leaving all the lights on in your home; you are simply shedding resources.
1. File-level deduplication – Detects and deletes copies of duplicate files. This method is quick and uncomplicated.
2. Block-level deduplication - Takes a file, breaks it up into small blocks and removes any repeating blocks to save even more space.
Essentially, file-level deduplication is like cleaning up easy to see clutter while b-level will find the more hidden waste.
Yes – it has to be setup, yes – it uses some power consumption, but once the system is established it performs as expected and that is a low price to pay for the advantages it yields. It’s like teaching an electronic device to cleanup after themselves rather than expecting them to assume you want to waste the disk space.
What Is Data Deduplication?
In essence, data deduplication is a cleanup tool for your file. It looks for duplicate data, or items that are precisely the same, and keeps a single copy. Then, if the same data is needed again, rather than saving it again the deduplication simply saves a shortcut to that one copy.For example, if ten servers use the same system file, the data deduplication process will keep one copy, and link the other nine servers to that single copy. This takes up a lot less space, and helps the system work much better. Very cool, right?
Why Large Hosting Systems Use It
Large hosting systems like cloud providers, and data centers, handle unimaginably large quantities of data. Without the data deduplication approach, they would consume vast swaths of duplicate data space.Here's the impact of deduplication:
• Space savings: Deduplication can reduce the amount of storage that you need by 50-90%.
• Faster backups: The less data you have, the faster the backup/restore operations.
• Less cost: The less data you have, the less hardware you need, which results in lower costs.
• Faster performance: You can run your systems more smoothly when you've less clutter.
Not utilizing deduplication in a large environment is like leaving all the lights on in your home; you are simply shedding resources.
How It Works
Deduplication is accomplished through basically two methods:1. File-level deduplication – Detects and deletes copies of duplicate files. This method is quick and uncomplicated.
2. Block-level deduplication - Takes a file, breaks it up into small blocks and removes any repeating blocks to save even more space.
Essentially, file-level deduplication is like cleaning up easy to see clutter while b-level will find the more hidden waste.
Why It’s So Valuable
I have witnessed the transformation a deduplication platform does to a storage system: transforms it completely. It doesn’t merely save you disc space, it saves you time, it conserves processing power and therefore streamlines your backups. Backups take less time, the server runs more efficiently and clearly management is better, less complex.Yes – it has to be setup, yes – it uses some power consumption, but once the system is established it performs as expected and that is a low price to pay for the advantages it yields. It’s like teaching an electronic device to cleanup after themselves rather than expecting them to assume you want to waste the disk space.