ZFS Compression and Deduplication

ZFS in vStor offers compression and deduplication features that can significantly reduce storage space requirements. This section explores typical compression and deduplication ratios you can expect when using ZFS with vStor.

Understanding ZFS Compression

ZFS compression reduces data size as it's written to disk. Typical compression ratios range from 1.5:1 to 3:1, reducing data size by 50% to 67%.

Expected compression ratios:

• Text Files and Logs: Up to 3:1 (3 GB reduced to 1 GB)

• Databases: 2:1 to 2.5:1 (200 GB reduced to 80-100 GB)

• Media Files: 1.1:1 to 1.3:1 (10 GB reduced to 8.5-9 GB)

ZFS Deduplication

ZFS deduplication eliminates duplicate data blocks, storing only one instance of each unique block. Typical deduplication ratios range from 2:1 to 4:1.

Expected deduplication ratios:

• Virtual Machine Images: Up to 4:1 (300 GB reduced to 75-100 GB)

• Backup Files: Around 3:1 (150 GB reduced to 50 GB)

• Source Code Repositories: Often achieve 2:1

Examples

Examples of ZFS compression and deduplication in vStor:

1. Virtual Machines:

   • Deduplication ratio: 3.5:1

   • Compression ratio: 2:1

   • Result: 700 GB stored in 100 GB of disk space

2. Log Files and Databases:

   • Compression ratio: 2.7:1

   • Result: 270 GB reduced to 100 GB on disk

3. Video Files:

   • Compression ratio: 1.2:1

   • Deduplication ratio: 2:1

   • Result: Significant space savings due to common elements

See also. For best practices on using compression and deduplication, see Backup Storage: Best Practices.