Deduplication technology compresses data by removing duplicate copies of data, either from within a single file or across files. Deduplication technology has been available in many incarnations over several decades, but its deployment has been slowed because the algorithms are CPU-intensive. Kadena has developed patented techniques to reduce the CPU needed to perform block-grain deduplication.

File-grain deduplication, also known as single-instance storage, can reduce data volumes by recognizing the case when multiple files have exactly the same content—even when the files have different names, reside in different folders, and are delivered from different sources (e.g. email or USB stick). Unfortunately, file-grain delivers only modest reduction in storage.

Block-grain deduplication, a more recent invention, has almost entirely displaced file-grain deduplication. Block-grain deduplication identifies duplicate components or “blocks” within a file. Rather than store a duplicate block more than once, all instances of a duplicated block—after the first—simply refer to the first instance of that block. A single unique blocks can be referenced multiple times by a single file or by multiple files.

Data deduplication uses hash calculations to determine (1) if a block is already known and is a duplicate or (2) if a block is new. Hash calculations are CPU-intensive and any deduplication strategy that depends on large numbers hash calculations will be slow and impractical.

Kadena has developed a breakthrough technology for deduplication that is so CPU-efficient, that deduplication can now be leveraged for backups of home computers. All Kadena applications, including PocketCache™ and DeltaBack™, use this patented technology.

As a result, Kadena’s backups backups are faster, easier-to-manage, and significantly more storage-efficient than backups created by conventional methods. Due to exceptional backup efficiencies, backups can be performed hundreds or thousands of times or more, without exceeding the capacity of the drive or storage system.

Technical Information