A server administrator needs to copy a directory containing millions of small log files, totaling 2TB, from one local NVMe drive to another on a production Windows Server. The server also runs several I/O-intensive database applications. The administrator must ensure the copy process does not contend for OS file cache resources that are heavily used by the databases. Which of the following tools should the administrator use to achieve the fastest possible transfer while specifically bypassing the system cache?
The correct answer is FastCopy. FastCopy is a third-party Windows utility renowned for its high-speed file transfers. Its performance advantage, especially in scenarios with many small files, comes from using multithreading and direct I/O, which bypasses the operating system's file cache. This prevents the copy operation from purging the cache and impacting the performance of other I/O-intensive applications like databases. While Robocopy with the /J switch also uses unbuffered I/O, FastCopy is specifically optimized for this mode of operation and is often faster. XCOPY is a legacy tool, and SCP is for secure network transfers, which is not applicable to a local copy operation.
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Why does bypassing the OS file cache improve performance in this scenario?
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What makes FastCopy faster than Robocopy with the /J switch?
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What type of file operations is FastCopy particularly well-suited for?