CommVault Provides Block Dedupe For Dell Storage

The move raises potential issues with Dell's OEM relationship with deduplication partner Quantum.

The new version of the PowerVault DL2000 is based on CommVault's Simpana 8 data protection software, which allows data to be deduplicated as it is backed up to the appliance's internal storage array, said Michael McMahon, senior director of worldwide OEM and alliance partners at CommVault.

Deduplication, also called "dedupe," removes duplicate information as data is stored, backed up or archived. It can be done at the file level, where duplicate files are replaced with a marker pointing to one copy of the file, or at the subfile or byte level, where duplicate bytes of data are removed and replaced by pointers, resulting in a significant decrease in storage capacity requirements.

The Simpana 8 software, when combined with the DL2000, cuts the capacity required to back up the data by a ratio of 20-to-1, McMahon said.

The software allows the appliance to be set up in about 30 minutes, and automatically searches for servers on the network to allow users to set up their backups, McMahon said.

The DL2000 can be configured with a maximum of 144 TB of data, and can accept data at up to 1.5 TB per hour, he said.

For CommVault, the appliance is the culmination of a five-year relationship with Dell, said McMahon, who works out of a 20-person office across the street from the server and PC vendor.

"This is the first time we partnered to develop a hardware-based solution," he said.

Dell accounts for between 22 percent and 26 percent of CommVault's business, depending on the quarter, and McMahon said the new dedupe appliance relationship could be the start of a new phase in the two companies' relationship.

Dell also has an OEM deal with Quantum for dedupe technology.

A Dell spokesperson said the adoption of CommVault's Simpana 8 on the DL2000 does not affect the company's relationship with Quantum, and that the addition of Simpana 8 is an upgrade to an appliance that was introduced in 2008.

The jockeying for market share between dedupe vendors has of late taken a new urgency with the bidding war between NetApp and EMC over dedupe technology leader Data Domain. NetApp for now seems to have won the battle for Data Domain with this week's decision by Data Domain to accept NetApp's $1.9 billion offer.