Deduplication – Windows Server 2012

Domo,

Tonight, let’s have a loot about deduplication. Coming with Windows Server 2012, this technologie factorize datas sequences to gain space on NTFS disks (Other tha system disks).

If i may resume, it’s easy to say that’s it’s useless for databases storageor other I/O carnivorous, but for filers, archives or backups it’s perfect, you will massive space !

To start, let’s install the feature

Import-Module ServerManager
Add-WindowsFeature -name FS-Data-Deduplication
Import-Module Deduplication

 

And have a look a cmdlets availables

Get-Command -Module Deduplication

 

 

Cmdlet to active deduplication isEnable-DedupVolume.

Get-Help Enable-Dedupvolume

 

 

The only argument attended is the volume. To list availables volumes use this cmdlet:

Get-Volume

 

 

 

Enable-DedupVolume -Volume E:

 

 

Now, deduplication is actived for the E: volume. By default, deduplication jobs are created when you activate it on a volume. You can see them with the following cmdlet.

Get-DedupSchedule

 

Obviously you can edit or add jobs as you like, remeber cmdlets available with this module 😉

Now deduplication is configured, let’s have a look where deduplication databases are stored, YOU MUST Backup them, if you encounter a crash, you won’t be able to get deduped datas anymore.

Two folders have to be backup :

  • “Chunk Store”  stocké dans /System Volume Information/Dedup/ChunkStore*
  • “Dedup Configuration” stocké dans /System Volume Information/Dedup/Settings*

More information here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/hh769304(v=vs.85).aspx

To finish with deduplication, let’s launch a manual dedup job.

Start-DedupJob –Volume E: –Type Optimization

 

You can list jobs like this

Get-DedupJob

And to see deduplication status…

Get-DedupStatus

 

 

If you encouter errors during access deduplicated files, you can use the following command to repair errors, Microsoft thinks about everything 😉

Start-Dedupjob -volume E: -Type -Scrubbing -Full

 

Hope you’ll find use about deduplication !

See ya !

More informationss:

  • http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831434.aspx
  • http://technet.microsoft.com/fr-fr/library/hh831602.aspx
  • http://blogs.technet.com/b/bruce_adamczak/archive/2012/10/19/follow-me-and-learn-windows-server-2012-data-deduplication.aspx