Modulation code and ECC rate optimization using symbol context mutual information

A method comprising:

• determining a known pattern for a data frame written to a non-volatile storage medium of a data storage device;
• determining a series of symbol contexts comprising different bit sequences for a selected multi-bit symbol length;
• determining a mutual information value for each symbol context in the series of symbol contexts;
• and
• determining, based on the mutual information values for the series of symbol contexts in the data frame, a set of configuration settings for a channel circuit of a data storage device;
• and
• storing the set of configuration settings to the data storage device for use in operating the channel circuit.

A system comprising:

• at least one processor;
• at least one memory;
• means for determining a known pattern for a data frame written to a non-volatile storage medium of a data storage device;
• means for determining a series of symbol contexts comprising different bit sequences for a selected multi-bit symbol length;
• means for determining a mutual information value for each symbol context in the series of symbol contexts;
• and
• means for determining, based on the mutual information values for the series of symbol contexts in the data frame, a set of configuration settings for a channel circuit of a data storage device;
• and
• means for storing the set of configuration settings to the data storage device for use in operating the channel circuit.