NetApp Asks: Why Not Deduplicate All Data? THE CLIPPER GROUP TM
SM SM Navigator Navigating Information Technology HorizonsPublished Since 1993 Report #TCG2008044LN September 12, 2008
NetApp Asks: Why Not Deduplicate All Data? Analyst: Michael Fisch
Management Summary The advertising campaign for the Florida Orange Juice Growers Association proclaims, "Orange juice: It's not just for breakfast anymore." While there is no real reason to limit orange juice consumption to breakfast time, people tend to think of it as a breakfast drink. It's habitual and cultural. Of course, the orange growers want to stimulate demand, so their ad campaign opens our minds to the possibility of drinking OJ at other times of day. Why not lunch or afternoon snack or even dinner? Seriously, why not? Storage vendor NetApp is making a similar claim about data deduplication: It's not just for backup anymore. Data deduplication began several years ago as a special technology for eliminating redundancy in disk backup systems. Since backups are - by nature - highly redundant, deduplication is able to reduce the data by a factor of around 20:1, so enterprises can back up more data to disk and/or reduce the amount of storage purchased, while enjoying faster disk-based recoveries. This synergistic combination has propelled the rapid adoption of deduplication into the mainstream. Now, NetApp is saying that orange juice isn't just for breakfast - and that deduplication can be applied to file shares and even primary application data. In support of this proposition, NetApp has made deduplication broadly available across its storage platforms by embedding it in its Data ONTAP operating system. The NetApp FAS 2000, 3000, 3100, 6000, V3000, and V6000 series now support this feature. There is no charge for the feature. Data deduplication provides greater storage efficiency, which translates into less equipment, less power, cooling, and floor space consumed, and less money spent on storage. NetApp's deduplication capability also is: . Content-agnostic - supports any application . Protocol agnostic - supports SAN and NAS connections to servers . Post-processing - minimizes impact on performance by performing deduplication after data is written Is there a catch? Depending on the type of data, the data reduction factor may not be as high as backup, though the efficiency benefits are still there. For instance, VMware virtual machines might experience a 70% data reduction and file shares a 35% reduction. Deduplication pro- cessing can also affect system performance, IN THIS ISSUE though NetApp's approach schedules it for off- peak hours. ¾ Deduplication for Storage Efficiency.... 2 ¾ Read on for more details about why NetApp NetApp Data Deduplication ................... 2 ¾is saying deduplication isn't just for backup NetApp Efficiency Technologies........... 3 anymore. ¾ Conclusion .............................................. 3
‹The Clipper Group, Inc. - Technology Acquisition Consultants Strategic Advisors ‹ ‹ ‹ ‹ ‹888 Worcester Street Suite 140 Wellesley, Massachusetts 02482 U.S.A. 781-235-0085 781-235-5454 FAX ‹Visit Clipper at www.clipper.com Send comments to editor@clipper.com TMSeptember 12, 2008 The Clipper Group Navigator Page 2
Deduplication for Storage Efficiency . Lower bandwidth costs for replica-Why would enterprises want to dedupli- tion and remote backups, and cate data? For the same reason many want . Extend disaster recovery to data not cars with better gas mileage. For the same previously protected reason people drive straight to work, instead of taking long, circuitous routes. And for that NetApp Data Deduplication matter, for the same reason your luggage has Deduplication is part of the Data ONTAP wheels: It is a more efficient use of resources. operating system that serves as the foundation Any discussion about deduplication has to of all NetApp storage platforms. Therefore, begin with the ever-rising tide of data that deduplication is available in the FAS 2000, enterprises contend with in the Information 3000, 3100, 6000, V3000, and V6000 series of Age. Critical data keeps rolling in, and it must storage platforms. They include primary be stored, managed, and ... [download for more]
