Abstract: A systematic distributed storage system (DSS) comprising: a plurality of storage nodes, wherein each storage node configures to store a plurality of sub blocks of a data file and a plurality of coded blocks, a set of repair pairs for each of the storage nodes, wherein the system is configured to use the respective repair pair of storage nodes to repair a lost or damaged sub block or coded block on a given storage node. Also a distributed storage system DSS comprising h non-empty nodes, and data stored non homogenously across the non-empty nodes according to the storing codes (n,k). Further a method for determining linear erasure codes with local repairability comprising: selecting two or more coding parameters including r and ?; determining if an optimal [n, k, d] code having all-symbol (r, ?)-locality (“(r, ?)a”) exists for the selected r, ?; and if the optimal (r, ?)a code exists performing a local repairable code using the optimal (r, ?)a code.