Storage system

A storage system (100) comprising:

• a plurality of storage units (110-120), each one of which comprising a plurality of storage zones (121-126) having mutually different expected data retrieval times;
• a loader for storing a data unit in said plurality of storage units, said loader being arranged for converting said data unit into N blocks, wherein N≧2, the blocks comprising redundant information such that any one of a plurality of selections comprising K of the N blocks suffices for retrieving the data unit, wherein K≧1 and for storing said N blocks in said plurality of storage units such that each storage unit comprises at most one of said N blocks and that said N blocks are distributed at least approximately equally among faster and slower ones of said storage zones.

A method of retrieving data units from a system (100) comprising a plurality of storage units (110-120), each one of which comprising a plurality of storage zones (121-126) having mutually different expected data retrieval times, at least one data unit being stored in said plurality of storage units (110-120), said data unit comprising N blocks, wherein N≧2, the blocks comprising redundant information such that any one of a plurality of selections comprising N−K of the N blocks suffices for retrieving the data unit, wherein K≧1, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining a particular one of said plurality of selections, thereby taking into account said expected data retrieval times;
• and
• retrieving the blocks pertaining to that particular selection.

Method of storing a data unit in a system (100) comprising a plurality of a storage units (110-120), each one of which comprising a plurality of storage zones (121-126) having mutually different expected data retrieval times, the method comprising the steps of:

• converting said data unit into N blocks, wherein N≧2, the blocks comprising redundant information such that any one of a plurality of selections comprising N−K of the N blocks suffices for retrieving the data unit, wherein K≧1;
• storing said N blocks in said plurality of storage units such that each storage unit comprises at most one of said N blocks and that said N blocks are distributed at least approximately equally among faster and slower ones of said storage zones.