Accelerated data transfer using common prior data segments

A system for accelerating data transfer comprising:

• a. a first computing system having a first memory device for storing one or more files and a data store for storing data corresponding to the one or more files;
• and
• b. a second computing system having a second memory device, wherein the second computing system is coupled to the first computing system,
• wherein a data segment stored in the second memory device is transferred to the first computing system, and is compared to the data within the data store on the first memory device after being received from the second memory device, further wherein a pointer to the one or more files on the first memory device is added on the first memory device if the data segment is found within the data store on the first memory device, but a copy of a source file corresponding to the data segment is transferred from the second memory device to the first memory device if the data segment is not found in the data store.

A storage system configured to receive data from a plurality of source computing systems comprising:

• a memory device comprising:
• a. one or more files;
• b. a set of information corresponding to the one or more files;
• and
• c. a data store for storing the set of information,
• wherein a data segment received from a source computing system in the plurality of source computing systems is compared with the set of information stored within the data store and a pointer is generated on the storage system to point to a corresponding file in the one or more files if the data segment is found but if the data segment is not found within the data store, a copy of a source file on the source computing system corresponding to the data segment is transferred to the storage system.

A method of accelerating data transfer comprising:

• a. storing data in a data store on a target computing system wherein the data corresponds to one or more files stored on the target computing system;
• b. transferring a data segment of a source file from a source computing system to the target computing system over a network in response to a request for the source file by the first computing system;
• c. scanning the data store on the target computing system for the data segment received from the source computing system;
• d. generating a pointer on the target computing system that points to at least one of the one or more files, if the data that corresponds to the at least one of the one or more files matches the data segment;
• and
• e. transferring a copy of the source file from the source computing system to the target computing system, if the data that corresponds to the one or more files does not match the data segment.