4. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a persistence logic configured to persist the set of de-duplication rules in one or more of, the apparatus, the second apparatus, and the object.
1. An apparatus, comprising: a processor; a memory; and an interface to connect the processor, the memory, and a set of logics, the set of logics comprising: a parse scope logic configured to determine a set of de-duplication rules shared between the apparatus and a second, different apparatus, where the apparatus and the second apparatus are both part of a de-duplication environment in which an object is to be de-duplicated, where the parse scope logic is configured to determine the set of de-duplication rules by transmitting de-duplication rule data to the second apparatus and by receiving return de-duplication rule data from the second apparatus; and a de-duplication logic configured to de-duplicate the object as controlled by the set of shared de-duplication rules, where the de-duplication rule data includes first information about a context associated with an object to be de-duplicated, second information identifying a previously negotiated shared parse scope associated with an object, third information identifying how an object is to be parsed, fourth information identifying an action to be performed after an object is parsed, fifth information identifying one or more of, a delta hash function, and a delta storage schema for an object, or sixth information identifying balancing rules for balancing performance and reduction, and where the return de-duplication rule data includes an acceptance notification that identifies that the second apparatus is aware of a dialect identified by the de-duplication rule data and agrees to use the dialect, an update notification that identifies that the second apparatus was not aware of the dialect, that the second apparatus agrees to use the dialect, and that the second apparatus has been updated as a function of receiving the de-duplication rule data, a counteroffer notification comprising an alternative dialect data, where the alternative dialect data comprises one or more of, a rule, a hash of a rule, a rule identifier, a plurality of rules, a hash of the plurality of rules, and a plurality of rule identifiers, where the alternative dialect data is associated with an alternate dialect in use by the second apparatus, a request notification that identifies a hash of an item in the dialect for which a corresponding actual item is requested by the second apparatus, or an acknowledgement notification that identifies that the second apparatus will participate in the shared de-duplication action as controlled by a persisted parse scope previously negotiated for the object.