USING ERROR CORRECTING CODES FOR PARITY PURPOSES

Software that provides a subset of error correcting code (ECC) bits to be used for parity purposes. The software performs the following steps: (i) providing, in a data block, a first set of redundant bits adapted to detect and correct errors in the data block, based, at least in part, on a first set of error detection/correction (EDC) requirements; and (ii) providing, within the first set of redundant bits, a first sub-set of parity bit(s) adapted to provide single bit error detection for the data block. The EDC requirements include: (i) a minimum hamming distance, and (ii) the bit(s) in the first set of redundant bits that are not in the first sub-set of parity bit(s) include enough bit(s) to create at least P unique (M-2)-tuples, where P equals the number of bits in the first sub-set of parity bits, and where M equals the minimum hamming distance.