Erasure code replication revisited

Erasure coding is a technique for achieving high availability and reliability in storage and communication systems. We revisit the analysis of erasure code replication and point out some situations when whole-file replication is preferred. The switchover point (from preferring whole-file replication to erasure code replication) is studied, and characterized using asymptotic analysis. We also discuss the additional considerations in building erasure code replication systems.