Next Generation Erasure Coding Techniques

Straight forward erasure coding methods can offer significant improvements to reliability, availability and storage efficiency. But these improvements are not nearly as optimal as they could be. Recently, we discovered a new method for storing erasure coded data in spite of an arbitrary number of failures. We call this technique Adaptive Slice Placement. This technique dispenses with old assumptions and redefines familiar concepts, and in the process yields a storage system with substantial benefits over traditional erasure coded systems. Adaptive Slice Placement can reduces overhead by a third while at the same time substantially improving reliability, availability, and performance. Please join us for our first public presentation of this new erasure coding technique.

Learning Objectives

Some of the limitations and drawbacks of first-generation erasure coding
How second-generation erasure coding works, and how it leads to such improvements
Why adaptive slice placement necessary to realize second-generation erasure coding