Patent ID: 8255365

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for backing up data from a backup source to a central repository using deduplication, the data comprising source data segments, the method comprising: receiving a backup specification having parameters identifying the backup source, a backup type, and a backup policy; requesting a fingerprint cache from the central repository responsive to the parameters of the backup specification, the central repository adapted to generate the fingerprint cache by querying a database responsive to the parameters of the backup specification to generate a set of fingerprints associated with the backup specification and forming the fingerprint cache; receiving the fingerprint cache comprising fingerprints of data segments stored in the central repository responsive to the request; generating source data fingerprints comprising fingerprints of the source data segments; storing the generated source data fingerprints comprising fingerprints of the source data segments; comparing the source data fingerprints to the fingerprints in the fingerprint cache; identifying a source data fingerprint from the compared source data fingerprints that does not match any fingerprints in the fingerprint cache; querying the central repository with the identified source data fingerprint to determine whether a data segment corresponding to the identified source data fingerprint is stored in the central repository; and responsive to the data segment corresponding to the identified source data fingerprint not being stored in the central repository, sending the corresponding source data segment to the central repository for storage.