Patent ID: 6996742

Claim:
A method for streaming content striped in RAID 5 format from an array of disk drives to a plurality of subscribers to minimize disruptive service from a disk drive failure, said method comprising: accessing content data striped in said RAID 5 format, on an extent-by-extent basis, from a plurality of disk drives configured in an array without reading the parity extents; streaming the content data to the plurality of subscribers on an extent-by-extent basis, sequentially, from the plurality of disk drives; detecting an actual disk drive failure; and transitioning to a stream regeneration mode of operation comprising: reading the content contemporaneously from all extents in a parity group associated with a failed disk drive; regenerating a failed portion of the content data from a failed extent in the parity group corresponding to the failed disk drive; and streaming the content data in the parity group to the plurality of subscribers, extent-by-extent, immediately following the regenerating of the content data from the failed extent in the parity group.