US Patent 9201600 Storage cluster

A plurality of storage nodes in a single chassis is provided. The plurality of storage nodes in the single chassis is configured to communicate together as a storage cluster. Each of the plurality of storage nodes includes nonvolatile solid-state memory for user data storage. The plurality of storage nodes is configured to distribute the user data and metadata associated with the user data throughout the plurality of storage nodes such that the plurality of storage nodes maintain the ability to read the user data, using erasure coding, despite a loss of two of the plurality of storage nodes. A plurality of compute nodes is included in the single chassis, each of the plurality of compute nodes is configured to communicate with the plurality of storage nodes. A method for accessing user data in a plurality of storage nodes having nonvolatile solid-state memory is also provided.