Method and apparatus for data redundancy elimination at the block level

A data processing apparatus for reducing the size of an object, the apparatus comprising:

• software instructions and hardware for executing the software instructions, wherein the software instructions further comprise:
• division means for dividing an object into a plurality of blocks, wherein each block of the plurality of blocks comprises a plurality of features, each of the plurality of features corresponding to one of a plurality of fingerprints;
• calculating means for calculating a super fingerprint for each of the plurality of blocks to form a plurality of super fingerprints, wherein each of the set of the super fingerprints is calculated by merging ones of the plurality of fingerprints for a particular block of the plurality of blocks;
• means, responsive to dividing the object into the plurality of blocks, for identifying identical blocks within the plurality of blocks;
• means for suppressing the identical blocks without differentially compressing the identical blocks;
• means, responsive to suppressing the identical blocks without differentially compressing the identical blocks, for identifying similar blocks within the plurality of blocks;
• means for differentially compressing the similar blocks;
• means for performing data compression on at least one block within the plurality of blocks, wherein the at least one block is not differentially compressed, wherein the at least one block is not suppressed, and wherein the means for performing data compression on the at least one block forms a reduced object;
• and
• means for storing the reduced object in a computer storage readable media.

A computer program product, in a non-transitory computer storage readable medium, for reducing the size of an object, the computer program product comprising:

• instructions for dividing an object into a plurality of blocks, wherein each block of the plurality of blocks comprises a plurality of features, each of the plurality of features corresponding to one of a plurality of fingerprints;
• instructions for calculating a super fingerprint for each of the plurality of blocks to form a plurality of super fingerprints, wherein each of the set of the super fingerprints is calculated by merging ones of the plurality of fingerprints for a particular block of the plurality of blocks
• instructions, responsive to dividing the object into the plurality of blocks, for identifying identical blocks within the plurality of blocks;
• instructions for suppressing the identical blocks without differentially compressing the identical blocks;
• instructions, responsive to suppressing the identical blocks without differentially compressing the identical blocks, for identifying similar blocks within the plurality of blocks;
• instructions for differentially compressing the similar blocks;
• instructions for performing data compression on at least one block within the plurality of blocks, wherein the at least one block is not differentially compressed, wherein the at least one block is not suppressed, and wherein the step of performing data compression on the at least one block forms a reduced object;
• and
• storing the reduced object in a computer storage readable media.