AZ-800 Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure Exam

Configure Data Deduplication

Implement and Tune Data Deduplication

Data Deduplication is a process that reduces storage space by identifying and removing duplicate chunks of data. It works by storing a single copy of repeated data and replacing duplicates with pointers to the original. Windows Server provides built-in deduplication features that you can enable through both PowerShell and Server Manager. This helps organizations save on disk capacity and improve storage efficiency.

You can configure deduplication policies using PowerShell cmdlets like Enable-DedupVolume, Set-DedupVolume, and Set-DedupSchedule. Alternatively, the Server Manager interface under File and Storage Services lets you enable deduplication on a volume and adjust settings with a graphical wizard. Both methods require administrator privileges and access to the target volume. Once enabled, the server will start processing files based on the rules you define.

Key policy settings include:

• File age: minimum number of days before a file is eligible
• File size thresholds: minimum and maximum sizes for deduplication
• Exclusion lists: specific file types or folders to skip

These options let you fine-tune which data gets deduplicated to balance performance and savings.

Scheduling background optimization jobs ensures deduplication runs during off-peak hours. Use Set-DedupSchedule to define jobs such as Garbage Collection, Optimization, and Scrubbing. You can set the frequency, start time, and duration for each job to avoid interference with critical workloads. Regular tuning of these schedules is important to maintain optimal performance while still capturing deduplication benefits.

Monitoring deduplication health and savings is crucial for ongoing management. Use Get-DedupStatus to see overall space savings and Get-DedupJob to track current and past jobs. In Server Manager, built-in reports show metrics like compression rate, data growth, and job results. By reviewing these reports, you can spot failures, adjust policies, and ensure that deduplication continues to deliver value.

Conclusion

In this section, you learned how to enable and configure data deduplication on Windows Server volumes. You can use both PowerShell and Server Manager to set up deduplication, giving you flexibility in how you manage storage.

You also explored how to tune policies by defining file age, size thresholds, and exclusion lists. Scheduling background jobs lets deduplication run at the best times for your environment.

Finally, monitoring with built-in reports and cmdlets helps you measure savings and maintain health. By combining implementation, tuning, and ongoing review, you ensure that data deduplication keeps your storage efficient and reliable.