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If you’re running Snoop-de-dupe on WHS/SBS 2011 or later then you have the option to replace duplicate files with a hard-link. Hard-linking a file replaces the file data within one file with a pointer to the duplicate data within another file. Thus, hard drive space is re-claimed. |
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Note, if you hard-link “File A” to “File B” and then delete “File B” then “File A” will remain on your Server as you would expect. You never have to worry about “accidently” deleting a duplicate hard-linked file when you delete the file it has been hard-linked to |
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If C:\MyDocument.txt and C:\GoodStuff\Document.txt are duplicates and you replace them with a hardlink. Both file entries are still there, but they now point to the same data. Thus, any changes made to C:\MyDocument.txt are also reflected in C:\GoodStuff\Document.txt and vice-versa. This is because the two entries point to the same data. Another way to think of hardlinks is a person who has nicknames or aliases. If John Doe is also known as Doughman, he would answer to either name, and anything that happens to John Doe also happens to Doughman. So if Doughman breaks his arm, John Doe also broke his arm, because they are the same person. |
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More technical details about hard links |
