Qnap Deduplication

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Ifthe data stored in a shared folder or LUN does not contain many duplicated files, you should not enable deduplication as it will not conserve enough storage space to warrant the additional NAS system resource usage.

The more data to back up, more time is required. This can lead to backup jobs taking multiple hours to complete - sometimes requiring overnight processing - without factoring in the multiple backup versions required for disaster recovery purposes. QNAP now introduces HBS 3, which adds support for QuDedup technology that eliminates redundant data at the source and then backs up the deduplicated data. It helps ease your worries about insufficient time and storage, and reinforces your backup plan with greater efficiency and reliability.

You schedule backup tasks during non-working hours, but sometimes a full night is not enough and the NAS needs to perform normal operations during working hours. This also leads to incomplete backup versions.

Keeping just one backup version may not be enough to safeguard your data. To increase your chances of recovering lost or corrupted data, you should follow the 3-2-1 rule: Keep 3 copies of important files, keep the files on at least 2 types of storage media, and store 1 copy off-site. Check how HBS can help you realize a comprehensive 3-2-1 backup plan.

QuDedup technology deduplicates backup data at the source to reduce the backup data size by up to 75%. The initial deduplication process may take some time, but the deduplicated data makes future backup tasks much faster!

Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule, and save the second backup of your files to a remote site. As the backup size is only 25% of the original size, you save time on running backup tasks - allowing you to copy this backup to multiple locations and accelerate multi-version backups for greater protection against data loss.

HBS 3 fulfills your needs for hybrid cloud backup. It supports the TCP BBR algorithm for congestion control to greatly improve extranet data transfer speeds. Your Internet just got faster so backing up NAS-based files to the cloud becomes much more efficient.

QuDedup supports block-level deduplication and data encryption on client devices. The deduplicated data is packaged and converted into an unpreviewable QNAP deduplication file format (.QDFF) and stored in the default QDFF folder. Deduplicated QDFF files are incredibly small and can be easily saved on portable-storage devices. (For example, a 10 TB file can be compressed into 1 TB - 2.5 TB.)

You can install the QuDedup Extract Tool on your computer (Windows, Mac or Linux/Ubuntu) and restore QDFF files downloaded from a remote NAS or cloud to their normal state. You can also preview deduplicated QDFF files and restore them with File Station. Cross-platform connectivity across NAS devices, computers, and the cloud makes file restoration more convenient.

The QuDedup Extract Tool allows you to preview the differences in each version of a deduplicated file. You can select single or multiple files and folders to restore. You can also install the QuDedup Extract Tool on cloud storage for previewing backed-up and deduplicated files - greatly reducing cloud data transfer costs.

The QNAP QuTS hero operating system utilizes the ZFS file system, which inherently supports inline deduplication and inline compression. However, to enhance efficiency, especially considering the 4K block size, QNAP has also incorporated data compaction into QuTS hero. This process of compaction occurs prior to deduplication. Here's a breakdown of how it functions, in sequential order, all performed inline (meaning it occurs in real-time as data is being written):

Each file is subjected to inline compression. If the data within the file is compressible, it is first compressed using the LZ4 algorithm. This algorithm is lightweight, ensuring it does not heavily burden the system.

Compressed file will be smaller ( with compression ratio depending on data) , but it's worth noting that even after compression, files may still span across several partially filled 4K blocks.

In the figure below, you can see that the file size is reduced from 8 blocks to 6 blocks; however, file 1 and file 3 are 1.5 blocks each, occupying not 3 but 4 blocks , since both have a partially filled block.

When dealing with a large quantity of small files, these partially filled blocks can end up occupying a significant amount of space. The purpose of the compaction process ( which is the next step) is to consolidate multiple partially filled blocks into fewer blocks. This step is crucial, particularly in environments with numerous small files, as it significantly reduces the number of blocks required to store data

As we saw in last step Post-compression, many 4K blocks are only partially filled, especially if there are small files present, leading to numerous half-occupied 4K blocks. The compaction process leaves fully occupied 4K blocks untouched and consolidates partially filled 4K blocks to utilize space more efficiently.

So compaction combines the half-filled block from file 1 and the half-filled block from file 3 bringing the total number of blocks required for storage down from 6 to 5.

This final step involves everything stored in the pool and aims to further optimize storage. After compression and compaction, the system examines the files to identify similar blocks across different files. It utilizes a deduplication table to compare the hash of each block against others, identifying duplicates for removal. Any duplicate block it finds is removed and replaced by a pointer.

This sequence ensures that data storage on QNAP QuTS hero is as efficient as possible, leveraging compression, compaction, and deduplication. The only process out of the 3 that takes up memory is deduplication

QNAP QuTS hero uses ZFS file system so it natively has support inline Deduplication and inline compression. Howver the 4K block size may be further utilized with data compaction so QNAP introduced data compaction in QuTS hero also. Compaction is done before deduplication.

Inline Compaction runs on the set of files

Now compression has left many 4K blocks half filled. If you have any small files, then for sure they have many 4K blocks half occupied. what compaction does is leave the full 4K blocks as they are , and consolidate the partially filled 4K blocks together.

Now your set of files is as compressed and compact as it can be. next the system checks if there are similar blocks in any other file , it does so with the dedup table checking the hash of each block with other blocks.

Because Hybrid Backup Sync provides both functions in one application, you should first identify which feature you truly need. The setup process is similar, but you will need to take different steps to configure backup vs. sync in HBS.

Ready to get started? You can follow along with the directions in this blog or take a look at our video guides. Greg Hamer, Senior Technical Evangelist, demonstrates how to get your data into B2 Cloud Storage in under 15 minutes using HBS for either backup or sync.

The Hybrid Mount and VJBOD Cloud apps allow QNAP users to designate a drive in their system to function as a cache while accessing B2 Cloud Storage. This allows users to interact with Backblaze B2 just like you would a folder on your QNAP device while using Backblaze B2 as an active storage location.

QuDedup introduces client-side deduplication to the QNAP ecosystem. This helps users at all levels save on space on their NAS by avoiding redundant copies in storage. Backblaze B2 users have something to look forward to as well since these savings carry over to cloud storage via the HBS 3.0 update.

Network Attached Storage (NAS) servers have been growing in popularity as reliable and convenient data protection and storage devices. Ranging from modest home solutions to enterprise-level offerings with versatile features, NAS can fit the needs of individuals and small to large businesses.

QNAP Systems, Inc. is one of the key players on the NAS market, offering a wide range of reliable, fast, and easy-to-operate products. QNAP NAS devices can be used to store anything ranging from media files to confidential business data.

With support for QNAP NAS as a deployment option, NAKIVO delivers comprehensive data protection with an integrated backup appliance. Now, instead of using your NAS as mere backup storage, you can install NAKIVO Backup & Replication directly on QNAP servers and get an all-in-one backup device with optimal performance and other unbeatable benefits.

By installing NAKIVO Backup & Replication on a QNAP NAS, you create a 5-in-1 high performance backup appliance. This means that you get hardware, backup software, storage, deduplication and backup to cloud on a single device. Moreover, purpose-built backup appliances limit your choices of software and hardware and usually cost much more. A combination of NAKIVO Backup & Replication and a QNAP device lets you create a powerful backup appliance with the NAS you already have and, thus, pay as much as 5 times less.

Once created, the backup appliance can be used to perform image-based, application-aware backups of your VMware vSphere VMs, Microsoft Hyper-V VMs, Nutanix AHV VMs, Amazon EC2 instances, Microsoft Windows and Linux physical servers and workstations and Oracle databases.

NAKIVO Backup & Replication can be installed on the majority of QNAP NAS devices, from basic to high-end models. No matter which compatible NAS you choose, all the advanced backup, replication and recovery features in NAKIVO Backup & Replication will be available to you. The best part is that deployment and configuration only take minutes and you can start your first backup job right away.

By providing support for deployment on a QNAP NAS, NAKIVO delivers a backup solution that helps you save resources, delivers an extra layer of protection for your backups and a range of performance-boosting benefits.

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