Microsoft Corporation
WEAK REFERENCES OF ALLOCATED LOGICAL CLUSTERS

Abstract:

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to weak references of allocated logical clusters. In examples, a deduplication hash table stores associations between block hashes and block addresses, such that a block can be identified and used in place of another block storing the same data. A weak reference may be generated on a block, such that an intact weak reference indicates that the block is unchanged. When a block is identified that has a hash matching that of an existing block in the hash table, it may be determined whether a weak reference on the existing block is intact. If there is not an intact weak reference on the existing block, the existing block may have changed, such that it is not used for deduplication. By contrast, if the weak reference is intact, the existing block has not changed, such that it may be used for deduplication accordingly.