Fault tolerance mechanism for a storage device that stores data in stacks within an integral storage medium

A storage device comprising:

• a controller configured to receive a command to read data from a first storage location;
• an integral storage medium comprising a plurality of stacks, wherein each stack comprises a plurality of storage locations distributed throughout a portion of a volume of the integral storage medium;
• an access mechanism coupled to the controller and configured to access storage locations within the integral storage medium;
• wherein in response to a read error being detected at the first storage location, the controller is configured to control the access mechanism to access redundant data that corresponds to the data stored in the first storage location, wherein the first storage location is included in a first stack of the plurality of stacks, wherein the redundant data is stored in a second storage location.

A method of using a storage device, the method comprising:

• receiving a command to write a unit of primary data to a first storage location within a first stack in an integral storage medium comprised in the storage device, wherein the first stack comprises a plurality of storage locations distributed throughout of portion of a volume of the integral storage medium;
• storing the unit of primary data in the first storage location within the first stack;
• and
• in response to said receiving, storing a unit of redundant data that corresponds to the unit of primary data to a second storage location within the storage medium.

A method of using a storage device, the method comprising:

• receiving a command to read a unit of primary data from a first storage location in a first stack within an integral storage medium, wherein the first stack comprises a plurality of storage locations distributed throughout a portion of a volume of the integral storage medium;
• accessing the first storage location;
• and
• if an error is detected for the first storage location, accessing a second storage location within the storage medium, wherein the second storage location stores a unit of redundant data corresponding to the unit of primary data.

A storage device comprising:

• integral means for storing data, wherein the means for storing data includes one or more stacks, wherein each of the stacks includes a plurality of storage locations that are distributed throughout a volume of the integral means for storing data;
• means for accessing data stored on the integral means for storing data;
• and
• means for controlling the means for accessing data, wherein the means for controlling are configured to receive a command to access a first unit of data stored on a first storage location within a first one of the stacks, wherein if an error is detected for the first storage location, the means for controlling are configured to access a unit of redundant data stored at a second storage location within the integral means for storing data.