Patent ID: 8660997

Claim:
A method for optimizing deduplication in a data storage system, the method comprising: associating a first file name with first data blocks including first content stored in a data storage system, wherein the first file name is associated with the first data blocks by way of a reference to a first meta file inode that points to a first data file inode which points to the first data blocks for a first data file in a file system, wherein there is a one to one relationship between a plurality of file names for a plurality of data files in the file system and respective meta files that point to a single data file, when the plurality of file names are duplicates of the same data file in the file system, wherein one or more meta files and data files are implemented as one or more inodes such that a meta file is represented by a meta file inode, and a data file is represented by a data file inode, wherein a plurality of meta file inodes point to a data file inode when the plurality of metafile inodes are associated with duplicate copies of the same content, wherein the same content is accessible via the data file inode to which the plurality of meta file inodes point; storing a first signature derived from the first content in an indexing data structure, wherein the first signature is used to associate the first file name with the first data blocks and as means to verify whether a second content is a duplicate of the first content, based on value of a second signature derived from the second content; and in response to determining that the second content is a duplicate of the first content, associating a second file name with the first data blocks that include the first content, wherein the second file name is associated with the first data block by way of a reference to a second meta file that points to the data file which points to the first data blocks.