Patent ID: 8713405

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: allocating encoded data objects for storage in a pool of disk storage devices comprising multiple disk drives; at least some of the encoded objects being generated by different error correction algorithms and allocation is not restricted to a group of drives based on the algorithm utilized to generate the encoded object; each disk drive is divided into multiple logical storage units, each defined as a partition; a logical storage unit group (LSU group) comprising a group of partitions extending across a group of disk drives, wherein the partitions of the LSU group are each of the same size and cannot be on the same drive; the allocating of each encoded data object being performed utilizing a single allocation bitmap that extends across the LSU group to identify available locations for storage of the object, wherein the object is allocated to one available location defined by contiguous bits of the bitmap, or to multiple locations aligned along a common partition boundary allowing a gap of non-contiguous allocation between the two locations.