Abstract: In large installations of document management systems, files are often duplicated. Users may place their own copies of files in convenient locations, or for other reasons files may be unintentionally duplicated. Duplication of files causes many problems for systems reliant on document management, chiefly because the additional (identical) files accept extra storage space, and must be handled like all other files, which results in greater network and resource utilization (with a concomitant increase in processing, search and retrieval times). A tool to standardize the identification of duplicate files (based on their binary contents), as well as the identification of a primary duplicate (the original file) across multiple repositories in a manner that minimizes the time for identification is disclosed.

Abstract: In large installations of document management systems, files are often duplicated. Users may place their own copies of files in convenient locations, or for other reasons files may be unintentionally duplicated. Duplication of files causes many problems for systems reliant on document management, chiefly because the additional (identical) files accept extra storage space, and must be handled like all other files, which results in greater network and resource utilization (with a concomitant increase in processing, search and retrieval times). A tool to standardize the identification of duplicate files (based on their binary contents), as well as the identification of a primary duplicate (the original file) across multiple repositories in a manner that minimizes the time for identification is disclosed.