Abstract: A garbage collection process for a data deduplication storage system is disclosed. In one implementation, a method is disclosed to perform garbage collection that works effectively across a scale-out cluster and across very large amounts of data. The method includes compacting data in an object store in the scale-out cluster by examining data in a reference map of data blocks in the object store to determine which of the locations within a back-end object in an object store are referenced, and which locations are no longer referenced by a process. The back-end object in an Object Store are altered to remove block data from locations which are no longer referenced, and a hash-to-location table is updated to remove the entries for the removed block data.

Abstract: A data replication system and process is disclosed. A device receives files respectively via a network from a remotely disposed computing device and partitions the received files into data objects. The device creates hash values for the first data objects and stores the data objects on remotely disposed storage systems at location addresses. The first device stores in records of a storage table, for each of the data objects, the hash values and corresponding location addresses. The device receives an indication to replicate a portion of the stored data objects and replicates the stored data objects by copying the indicated data objects stored on the first remotely located storage system to the second remotely located storage system, and after replicating the indicated data objects, copies or recreates the one or more hash values and the one or more location addresses and the one or more key-to-location (e.g.

Abstract: A data cloning system and process is disclosed. A device receives files via a network from a remotely disposed computing device and partitions the received files into data objects. The device creates hash values for the data objects and stores the data objects on remotely disposed storage systems at location addresses. The device stores in records of a storage table, for each of the data objects, the hash values and corresponding location addresses. The device receives an indication to clone a portion of the received files and performs the clone operation by storing in records of a second storage table, a key for each cloned file referring to the same set of hash values and location addresses as the corresponding original file. This has the effect of cloning the original received files without needing to copy the corresponding data objects.

Abstract: A method of performing an information transformation (T1-T4) within a communications network is provided. The information transformation (T1-T4) has one or more information objects (OA-OE, O1-O5) as inputs and the method includes providing in or associated with an output of said information transformation, tracking information that uniquely identifies all inputs to the transformation. Also provided is a system for locating a copy of a required information object within a communications network. The system records the location of copies of required information objects (OA-OE, O1-O5) within the communications network (1) and provides information referring to a network location of at least one copy upon request. A unique identifier of the required information object is used to verify the integrity of the information object.