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hotsox

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Is there a tool to measure level of data change on a File Server?

I'm looking for a way to measure the about of data changed in a week on a standard Windows 2003 file server?

I'd like to see not only the amount and size of files changed (I guess looking at a daily differential backup after a full could tell you me this) but I'd also like to see how much of the file has been changed. Example. A 30MB spreadsheet is updated 3 times a week and I'd like to know how much of that 30MB was changed as it may be only a few KB at a time rather than blindly thinking it's always 30MB.

I'm looking to replicate the changed data to another location and the method I'm using will replicate only the delta information changed so if I measure in that out of a 500GB file system, 10GB of files are changed per week, I need to know how much of those 10Gbs of files are changed as the transfer will only replicate the actual delta changes, not the entire file.

Hope this makes sense and someone knows about this?

Thanks,

h.
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Macros82
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Do you do incremental backups? That would be a good measure.
Otherwise you might need to install some sort of third party data management software
Shit didnt read the question. Disregard
It is very difficult to know these kind of changes. there might be tools available which can give you these kind of small change in information or file.
As far as replication is concern and if you have data on storage device that is SAN or NAS then changes happen to it will be in block form. That is if i change 30mb file with one word delete and save it then it will affect entire block in which this file is store. At the time of replication it will replicate that perticuler bock as incremental or delata change to destination. Replication works in this form only.
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I don't think what you are trying to do will work - if a 10MB spreadsheet is changed only in one cell, how can you send just one cell of information across?  Whoever is using the spreadsheet needs the entire spreadsheet, and you would have to have intimate knowledge of spreadsheets in order to know where to make the change.  Multiply this by the number of different file formats and you will be bogged down by the details.  The only practical solution is detecting what file changed and sending the entire file across.
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hotsox

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Delta replcation will work and we have been using it for DR purposes for some time. Of course there has to be an initial mirror when all the exisiting data is copied over to the target location but following that when a file is updated in the source site, only the delta changes to the file are replicated over and the target file is updated thus not requiring the whole file to be sent each time it is updated. The target files aren't to be used as a 'live' copy so users will never be accessing them unless a failover is manaully initiated.
This occasion requires sending the data over limited links which is why I need an accruate way to measure how much of the files are being modified not just the files being updated.  
I guess you want a binary diff program.  JojoDiff http://jojodiff.sourceforge.net/ is open source and may work, though I haven't used it.
Windwos server 2003 starting with R2 includes a reporting tool called File Server Resource Management which can be installed through add/remove windows components. It has a reporting tool that can tell you which files have changed, largest files, etc that can run on an automatic schedule that you set. This may be of use to you!!
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