Read channel buffer management for higher throughput decoding

A system comprising:

• read channel hardware adapted to:
• receive a set of failed data blocks read from a storage medium during execution of a read command;
• populate sample buffers in a read channel with data of a first subset of the set of failed data blocks;
• initiate an error recovery process on the data in the sample buffers, the error recovery process being a read sample combining process that entails multiple rounds of read averaging to update previously-stored samples based on newly-sampled read data;
• responsive to successful recovery of one or more data blocks in the first subset, release the recovered data from the sample buffers and repopulate sample buffer locations previously-storing the recovered data with data of a second subset of the set of failed data blocks prior to completion of the multiple rounds of read averaging on the first subset of the failed data blocks;
• and
• initiate the error recovery process on the data of the second subset of the failed data blocks while the error recovery process is ongoing with respect to data of the first subset of failed data blocks remaining in the sample buffers.

One or more tangible computer-readable storage media encoding instructions for executing a computer process, the computer process comprising:

• identifying a set of failed data blocks read from a storage medium during execution of a read command;
• populating sample buffers in a read channel with data of a first subset of the set of failed data blocks;
• initiating an error recovery process on the data in the sample buffers, the error recovery process being a read sample combining process that entails multiple rounds of read averaging to update previously-stored samples based on newly-sampled read data;
• responsive to successful recovery of one or more data blocks in the first subset, releasing the recovered data from the sample buffers and repopulating sample buffers locations previously-storing the recovered data with data of a second subset of the set of failed data blocks prior to completion of the multiple rounds of read averaging on the first subset of the failed data blocks;
• and
• initiating the error recovery process on the data of the second subset of the failed data blocks while the error recovery process is ongoing with respect to data of the first subset of failed data blocks remaining in the sample buffers.