EMC Avamar is a backup solution with source-based deduplication ability at source. When server is installed and backed up, Avamare client will make the first full backup, then for the following backup, only changed data are transmitted through network to be stored in Avamar store. Therefore broadband will be reduced during backup through LAN or WAN, avoiding network block.

In virtual environment, Avamar operates much more effectively than conventional backup. Normally, all vmdk files are to be backed up and stored every day, every week, while Avamar only stores changes in.vmdk files, saving upto 300% network resources.

Avamar helps users decrease daily backup capacity based on eliminating redundant data of a data backup set before they are transmitted through network to be stored. This is called Source-based Deduplication. Avamar is optimized for virtual environments (VMware, multi-branch environment, LAN/NAS server…)

Avamar operates based on the principle of data block division into multiple elements with flexible length depending on each type of data.  Avamar will then compare, examine and in case of duplication, it will just store the main data and an EM stating the changes. Based on this principle, redundant data will be eliminated and the real capacity of a backup set will be relatively reduced after being transmitted.

Avamar still uses Client-Server model to backup data. In Avamar model, all division, de-dupe will be carried out at agent – source. Avamare is, therefore, called source-based data backup solution.

The following table gives us an overview of the effectiveness when applying de-duplication technology of Avamar. The left column is a full backup set in traditional definition and the right column is the backup data created every day upon applying de-duplication: