Combining Hash-Based Duplication with Sub-Block Differencing to Deduplicate Data

One or more computer-readable storage media embodying instructions that are operable when executed by one or more computer systems to:

• access data;
• partition the data into a plurality of sub-blocks;
• determine whether a first one of the sub-blocks is identical to another one of the sub-blocks or similar to another one of the sub-blocks;
• if the first one of the sub-blocks is identical to another one of the sub-blocks, apply hash-based deduplication to storage of the first one of the sub-blocks with respect to the other one of the sub-blocks;
• and
• if the first one of the sub-blocks is similar to another one of the sub-blocks, apply sub-block differencing to storage of the first one of the sub-blocks with respect to the other one of the sub-blocks.

A method comprising:

• accessing by one or more computer systems a deduplicated version of data;
• and
• re-creating by the one or more computer systems the data from the deduplicated version using:
• results of hash-based deduplication applied to storage of sub-blocks of the data that are identical to other sub-blocks of the data;
• and
• results of sub-block differencing applied to storage of sub-blocks of the data that are similar to other ones of the sub-blocks.

One or more computer-readable storage media embodying instructions that are operable when executed by one or more computer systems to:

• access a deduplicated version of data;
• and
• re-create the data from the deduplicated version using:
• results of hash-based deduplication applied to storage of sub-blocks of the data that are identical to other sub-blocks of the data;
• and
• results of sub-block differencing applied to storage of sub-blocks of the data that are similar to other ones of the sub-blocks.

One or more computer-readable storage media embodying data that was stored on the media at least in part by:

• accessing the data by one or more computer systems;
• partitioning by the one or more computer systems the data into a plurality of sub-blocks;
• determining by the one or more computer systems whether a first one of the sub-blocks is identical to another one of the sub-blocks or similar to another one of the sub-blocks;
• if the first one of the sub-blocks is identical to another one of the sub-blocks, applying by the one or more computer systems hash-based deduplication to storage of the first one of the sub-blocks with respect to the other one of the sub-blocks;
• and
• if the first one of the sub-blocks is similar to another one of the sub-blocks, applying by the one or more computer systems sub-block differencing to storage of the first one of the sub-blocks with respect to the other one of the sub-blocks.