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The following section gives information about Data Reduction on Dell Unity systems. Systems with data efficiency technologies enabled running versions prior to Dell UnityOS version 4.3 will see Compression instead of Data Reduction.
Storage Resources using data reduction can be replicated using any supported replication software, such as Native Synchronous Block Replication or Native Asynchronous Replication to any supported destination system. All data that is replicated, regardless if it is local replication or to a remote system, is first rehydrated, and then replicated to the destination. This method of replication ensures that all replication topologies are supported, including mixed configurations where data reduction is enabled only on one side. Replicating to systems which do not support data reduction is also supported, such as replicating to Dell UnityVSA or a physical Dell Unity system not running a code version which supports data reduction.
Dell Unity Data Reduction can also be enabled on only the source, only the destination, or both the source and destination storage resources, depending on if the system and Pool configuration support Dell Unity Data Reduction. This allows the user to fully control where to implement data reduction. One example of a supported replication configuration is when using Asynchronous Local Replication. The source storage resource may reside on an All-Flash Pool and have data reduction enabled, but the destination may be on a large capacity Hybrid Pool which does not support data reduction. Another example of a supported configuration is when replicating a storage resource from a Dell UnityVSA system or a production system not using data reduction, to a storage resource with data reduction enabled on a remote system.
From Unisphere to enable data reduction on the destination resource, in the Create a Session wizard for the Destination step, select the checkbox in front of the Data Reduction option. Figure 75 gives an example on enabling data reduction on the destination for a LUN storage resource. The Create a Session wizard for thin clones, consistency groups, VMware VMFS datastores, file systems, and VMware NFS datastores will have the same Data Reduction option in the Replication step.
In Dell UnityOS version 4.5, Advanced Deduplication was introduced for Dell Unity 450F, 550F, and 650F systems and can be enabled once Data Reduction is enabled. In Dell UnityOS version 5.0, Advanced Deduplication is also available on Dell Unity 380(F), 480(F), 680(F), and 880(F). This additional data efficiency technology has the same restrictions as noted above in relation to replication.
For more information about Data Reduction and Advanced Deduplication, please review the white paper titled Dell Unity: Data Reduction on Dell Technologies Info Hub.
Figure 75. Data Reduction and Advanced Deduplication