Using Deduplication › Create Data Deduplication Devices

Create Data Deduplication Devices

To deduplicate data, create and choose a deduplication device group as the backup destination. When you create new deduplication devices, Arcserve Backup automatically assigns each device to a new deduplication device group.

You can create deduplication devices locally or remotely. When creating remote deduplication devices, you must manually specify security credentials by clicking the Security button on the Device Configuration dialog, as instructed in the following procedure, otherwise Arcserve Backup attempts to use the system account.

From Device Configuration, you can add one or more devices. Device Configuration verifies the validity of information specified for all devices and alerts you if a particular device failed verification.

To create data deduplication devices

1. Open the Arcserve Backup Manager Console.

   From the Navigation Bar, expand Administration and click Device Configuration.

   The Device Configuration screen opens.

2. Select Disk-based Devices and click Next.

   The Login Server screen opens.

3. Specify the primary server name, authentication type, user name and password and then click Next.
4. Specify the server on which the deduplication device is to be created and click Next. For local servers (default), you may browse and select a path. If you wish to specify a remote server, you must have administrator rights to that server and must manually type the path.

   The Disk-based Devices Configuration dialog opens.

5. Click Add to access the Deduplication Devices list.
   • Click the entry in the Device Name column to edit it or accept the default.
   • Click the entry in the Description column to edit it or accept the default.
   • Click the entry in the Data File Location column to specify a path.

     Note: You can specify a path manually or browse for an existing path. To enter a location for a remote Data File, you must specify the Machine Name or IP Address, followed by the Share Name. Use the following format:

     \\MachineName\ShareName or \\IPAddress\Sharename
     

   • Click the entry in the Index File Location column to specify a path. To avoid errors, use the format specified for the Data File Location to enter a remote location, or click the arrow to browse for an existing path.
   • Click the Group Name column and provide a name. If you leave this blank, a name is automatically provided that you can change in Group Configuration. This is the name you will select when submitting backup jobs that use deduplication devices.

     Be aware of the following:

     • The Data File Location and Index File Location fields are empty, by default. When you create the deduplication device, Arcserve Backup can create the path that you specify, if it does not exist, or you can browse for a path that exists.
     • You should specify different paths for the Index File Location and Data File Location that are on NTFS volumes, and the locations should not contain data from other applications. To help you ensure the best performance, the Index File Location should reside on a disk with a fast seek time, such as a solid state disk.
     • You do not need to specify user credentials when the index file location and the data file location reside on the local computer.
     • If the index file and the data file reside on different remote computers, ensure that Arcserve Backup can access the remote computers using the same set of credentials. You must use this approach because Arcserve Backup lets you specify only one set of credentials when configuring data deduplication devices.
     • To reduce fragmentation for the first full backup job:
     • At the beginning of the backup, the Tape Engine pre-allocates 1 GB (configurable in the registry) to the data file.
     • Before the backup is done and you reach the end of the data file, increase the size of the data file by allocating another 1 GB.
     • The last 1 GB chunk of data is rounded down so that the data file occupies the actual compressed session size after the deduplication process is complete.

   Repeat this step as necessary to add more devices.

   Note: Arcserve Backup supports configuring an aggregate total of 255 FSDs and DDDs (only if the number of physical devices configured is 0).

6. (Optional) If you specified remote path locations, click Security to provide login credentials.

   The Security dialog opens.

   Note: You must clear the Use Arcserve System Account (default) option to enable the security fields.

   Complete the required fields on the Security dialog and click OK.

   The Security dialog closes.

7. Click Next on the Disk-based Devices Configuration dialog to continue.

   Arcserve Backup verifies the information specified for all devices in the list. If information is valid, the deduplication devices are added to the list. If any information is not valid, failed devices in the list are marked with a red Failed status. Click the corresponding Failed status to determine the cause of an individual error and resolve it. When all devices pass verification, a summary screen is displayed.

8. Click Next to return to the Welcome to Device Configuration screen or click Exit to leave Device Configuration.

Important! When you create a deduplication device, the purge policy is automatically set to four weeks. That default purge policy is inherited by every job you set up for the device. If you wish to retain backups longer than four weeks, you must adjust the purge time when you submit the backup job.

More information:

Specify Copy and Purge Policies for Disk Staging Backups