Patent ID: 8171102

Claim:
A method for reading data from a dispersed data storage network that includes a plurality of slice servers, the method operating on at least one computer and comprising the steps of: accessing a list of slice servers of the plurality of slice servers, wherein each slice server on the list stores at least one data slice associated with a data segment of the data; transmitting read requests to a threshold number of the slice servers on the list; receiving data slices from slice servers of the threshold number of slice servers; determining whether a threshold number of data slices has been received from the threshold number of slice servers; when the threshold number of data slices has not been received: transmitting a read request to another slice server on the list; receiving a data slice from the other slice server; and repeating the transmitting a read request and receiving a data slice until the threshold number of data slices is received; and when the threshold number of data slices has been received, assembling the data segment from at least the threshold number of data slices by performing an information dispersal algorithm on the at least the threshold number of data slices to produce the data segment.