Patent ID: 8359334

Claim:
A method of storing data in a storage redundancy array that includes a plurality of storage devices, the method comprising: for each of a plurality of blocks of data to be stored in the storage redundancy array, selecting a block of data for which storage space has not yet been allocated; determining whether said block of data is in a different file or in a different read ahead segment from a preceding block of data for which storage space in a first storage device of said plurality of storage devices in said array has been write allocated; selecting storage space in a second storage device of said plurality of storage devices when said block of data is in a different file; selecting storage space in the second storage device when said data block is in a different read ahead segment from said preceding block; selecting storage space in said first storage device if said block of data is not in a different file and is not in a different read ahead segment from said preceding block; assigning a write allocated storage block in said storage space to said block of data; and adding said block of data to a list of writable blocks of data for said storage device.