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NetVault SmartDisk 11.4.5 - Installation Guide

Introducing NetVault SmartDisk Understanding NetVault SmartDisk architecture Planning your NetVault SmartDisk deployment Installing NetVault SmartDisk Licensing NetVault SmartDisk Completing the installation process Uninstalling NetVault SmartDisk Reinstalling NetVault SmartDisk Upgrading NetVault SmartDisk Troubleshooting

Defining which data to deduplicate

The first step in defining your NetVault SmartDisk Deployment Strategy is determining which data to deduplicate. Not all data benefits from deduplication; therefore, it is important to determine which data is targeted to use the NetVault SmartDisk Deduplication Option to reduce its storage footprint.

Also, the longer the data is retained in NetVault SmartDisk, the better the deduplication ratios. The deduplication ratios improve because more duplicate Chunks are found thus enabling the ability to pack more data into the same storage footprint. This ability enables even more protected data to be available through disk-based media. To obtain the most ideal deduplication ratios, Quest recommends a retention period of 12 weeks or more.

Identifying the ideal targets for deduplication

High deduplication ratios are achieved when multiple generations of the same data are targeted for the same NetVault SmartDisk Instance. Data that is an ideal target for deduplication includes the following:

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Structured databases, such as Oracle and SQL Server databases, that are protected by Quest NetVault Backup Plug-ins.
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Unstructured file-system data, such as data that is stored on File Servers protected by NetVault Backup Plug-in for FileSystem.
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Workstation data, such as desktops and laptops protected by NetVault Backup Workstation Client.
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Virtual Machine (VM) images from the same OS and similar applications, such as those protected by vRanger or NetVault Backup Plug-ins for VMware and Hyper-V.
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Email servers, such as Exchange and Domino systems that are protected by NetVault Backup Plug-ins for Exchange and Domino.
 
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NOTE: While email is an ideal target for deduplication, Single Instance Store (SIS), such as storage provided by Exchange, reduces deduplicated data; therefore, the deduplication ratio for the email server is not as high as other types of data.

Understanding the cost of restoring deduplicated data

While data deduplication reduces storage costs by reducing the storage footprint, there is a cost incurred during the restore processes. During the restoration of a deduplicated backup, NetVault SmartDisk has to reassemble the Chunks as it restores the data. This reassembly process, also referred to as rehydration, lengthens the time to restore the data. Therefore, if the Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is important for a specific database, email, or file system, consider the trade-off between reducing storage costs and increasing RTO when you identify which data to deduplicate.

Identifying targets for nondeduplication

Data that does not deduplicate well and should not be deduplicated includes:

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Encrypted data — this data does not deduplicate well because the data stream is unique
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Data with demanding RTOs
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