  In this paper, we quantify how much codes can reduce the data retrieval
latency in storage systems. By combining a simple linear code with a novel
request scheduling algorithm, which we call Blocking-one Scheduling (BoS), we
show analytically that it is possible to reduce data retrieval delay by up to
17% over currently popular replication-based strategies. Although in this work
we focus on a simplified setting where the storage system stores a single
content, the methodology developed can be applied to more general settings with
multiple contents. The results also offer insightful guidance to the design of
storage systems in data centers and content distribution networks.
