Apparatus, system, and method to increase data integrity in a redundant storage system

A system to increase data integrity in a redundant storage system, the system comprising:

• a storage controller controlling an array of N storage elements that each store a portion of an ECC chunk and P storage elements storing parity data for the N storage elements;
• a receive module that receives a read request to read data from the ECC chunk spanning the array of N+P storage elements;
• a data read module that reads data from each of X number of storage elements of the N+P storage elements where X equals N;
• and
• an ECC correction module that corrects the read data of the ECC chunk using Error Correcting Code (“ECC”) in response to the ECC chunk comprising a number of bit errors below a correctable bit error threshold;
• and
• a substitution module that corrects the read data with substitute data generated from a substitute storage element in response to the ECC chunk comprising a number of bit errors above a correctable bit error threshold.

A method for increasing data integrity in a redundant storage system, the method comprising:

• receiving a read request to read data from an ECC chunk spanning N storage elements of an array of N+P storage elements, the N storage elements each storing a portion of the ECC chunk and P storage elements storing parity data for the N storage elements;
• reading data from each of X number of storage elements of the N+P storage elements where X equals N;
• regenerating a missing portion of the ECC chunk using parity data in response to a portion of the read data comprising the parity data;
• and
• correcting the read data with substitute data from a substitute storage element in response to the ECC chunk comprising a number of bit errors above a correctable bit error threshold.