Data dedupe or Server 2016 w/ReFS

[unsichtbarre]

I am interfacing with a client system and trying to help resolve a full Veeam Repository. It's Server 2016 and the 15TB Repository is attached with Microsoft iSCSI Initiator, formatted RsFS 64K Block. It's used exclusively for GFS backup storage and so is an ideal candidate for filesystem dedupe.

Here's what's interesting: Dedupe is not enabled or installed on the server! Imagine my surprise when I found through directory listing that there were over 40TB of files on this 15TB "disk"!?

My intention was to enable dedupe to relieve the full repository (after I moved some of the files to a different disk) to relieve congestion, but if dedupe is already working in spite of not being installed or enabled, I won't reclaim space.

How can dedupe be working if it's not installed?

THX in ADV

[veremin]

Seems like our Fast Clone technology is working as designed

[unsichtbarre]

So then can ReFS Dedupe provide any additional compression on top of Fast Clone?

[Gostev]

Yes, it does. However in general, it's not recommended by the users, because cons of enabling dedupe on ReFS far overweight pros. There's the dedicated topic for this, you can read the feedback from other community members there. Thanks!