---
title: Configure data volume for Elastic Endpoint
description: Elastic Endpoint, the installed component that performs Elastic Defend's threat monitoring and prevention, is optimized to reduce data volume and CPU...
url: https://www.elastic.co/docs/solutions/security/configure-elastic-defend/configure-data-volume-for-elastic-endpoint
products:
  - Elastic Cloud Serverless
  - Elastic Security
applies_to:
  - Serverless Security projects: Generally available
  - Elastic Stack: Generally available
---

# Configure data volume for Elastic Endpoint
Elastic Endpoint, the installed component that performs Elastic Defend's threat monitoring and prevention, is optimized to reduce data volume and CPU usage. You can disable or modify some of these optimizations by reconfiguring the following [advanced settings](/docs/solutions/security/configure-elastic-defend/configure-an-integration-policy-for-elastic-defend#adv-policy-settings) in the Elastic Defend integration policy.
<important>
  Modifying these advanced settings from their defaults will increase the volume of data that Elastic Endpoint processes and ingests, and increase Elastic Endpoint's CPU usage. Make sure you’re aware of how these changes will affect your storage capabilities and performance.
</important>

Each setting has several OS-specific variants, represented by `[linux|mac|windows]` in the names listed below. Use the variant relevant to your hosts' operating system (for example, `windows.advanced.events.deduplicate_network_events` to configure network event deduplication for Windows hosts).

## Network event deduplication

<admonition title="Added in 8.15.0">
  This functionality was added in Elastic Agent 8.15.0.
</admonition>

When repeated network connections are detected from the same process, Elastic Endpoint will not produce network events for subsequent connections. To disable or reduce deduplication of network events, use these advanced settings:
<definitions>
  <definition term="[linux|mac|windows].advanced.events.deduplicate_network_events">
    Enter `false` to completely disable network event deduplication. Default: `true`
  </definition>
  <definition term="[linux|mac|windows].advanced.events.deduplicate_network_events_below_bytes">
    Enter a transfer size threshold (in bytes) for events you want to deduplicate. Connections below the threshold are deduplicated, and connections above it are not deduplicated. This allows you to suppress repeated connections for smaller data transfers but always generate events for larger transfers. Default: `1048576` (1MB)
  </definition>
</definitions>


## Data in `host.*` fields

<admonition title="Added in 8.18.0">
  This functionality was added in Elastic Agent 8.18.0.
</admonition>

Elastic Endpoint includes only a small subset of the data in the `host.*` fieldset in event documents. Full `host.*` information is still included in documents written to the `metrics-*` index pattern and in Elastic Endpoint alerts. To override this behavior and include all `host.*` data for events, use this advanced setting:
<definitions>
  <definition term="[linux|mac|windows].advanced.set_extended_host_information">
    Enter `true` to include all `host.*` event data. Default: `false`
  </definition>
</definitions>

<note>
  Users should take note of how a lack of some `host.*` information may affect their [event filters](https://www.elastic.co/docs/solutions/security/manage-elastic-defend/event-filters) or [Endpoint alert exceptions](/docs/solutions/security/detect-and-alert/add-manage-exceptions#endpoint-rule-exceptions).
</note>


## Merged process and network events

<admonition title="Added in 8.18.0">
  This functionality was added in Elastic Agent 8.18.0.
</admonition>

Elastic Endpoint merges process `create`/`terminate` events (Windows) and `fork`/`exec`/`end` events (macOS/Linux) when possible. This means short-lived processes only generate a single event containing the details from when the process terminated. Elastic Endpoint also merges network `connection/termination` events (Windows/macOS/Linux) when possible for short-lived connections. To disable this behavior, use these advanced settings:
<definitions>
  <definition term="[linux|mac|windows].advanced.events.aggregate_process">
    Enter `false` to disable merging of process events. Default: `true`
  </definition>
  <definition term="[linux|mac|windows].advanced.events.aggregate_network">
    Enter `false` to disable merging of network events. Default: `true`
  </definition>
</definitions>

<note>
  Merged events can affect the results of [event filters](https://www.elastic.co/docs/solutions/security/manage-elastic-defend/event-filters). Notably, for merged events, `event.action` is an array containing all actions merged into the single event, such as `event.action=[fork, exec, end]`. In that example, if your event filter omits all fork events (`event.action : fork`), it will also filter out all merged events that include a `fork` action. To prevent such issues, you’ll need to modify your event filters accordingly, or set the `[linux|mac|windows].advanced.events.aggregate_process` and `[linux|mac|windows].advanced.events.aggregate_network` advanced settings to `false` to prevent Elastic Endpoint from merging events.
</note>


## MD5 and SHA-1 hashes

<admonition title="Added in 8.18.0">
  This functionality was added in Elastic Agent 8.18.0.
</admonition>

Elastic Endpoint does not report MD5 and SHA-1 hashes in event data by default. These will still be reported if any [trusted applications](https://www.elastic.co/docs/solutions/security/manage-elastic-defend/trusted-applications), [blocklist entries](https://www.elastic.co/docs/solutions/security/manage-elastic-defend/blocklist), [event filters](https://www.elastic.co/docs/solutions/security/manage-elastic-defend/event-filters), or [Endpoint exceptions](/docs/solutions/security/detect-and-alert/add-manage-exceptions#endpoint-rule-exceptions) require them. To include these hashes in all event data, use these advanced settings:
<definitions>
  <definition term="[linux|mac|windows].advanced.events.hash.md5">
    Enter `true` to compute and include MD5 hashes for processes and libraries in events. Default: `false`
  </definition>
  <definition term="[linux|mac|windows].advanced.events.hash.sha1">
    Enter `true` to compute and include SHA-1 hashes for processes and libraries in events. Default: `false`
  </definition>
  <definition term="[linux|mac|windows].advanced.alerts.hash.md5">
    Enter `true` to compute and include MD5 hashes for processes and libraries in alerts. Default: `false`
  </definition>
  <definition term="[linux|mac|windows].advanced.alerts.hash.sha1">
    Enter `true` to compute and include SHA-1 hashes for processes and libraries in alerts. Default: `false`
  </definition>
</definitions>