A flow-based FIFO sub-system for a disk formatter in a data processing
system that performs data width conversion. The sub-system has a first
FIFO unit having a first width interfacing to a first bursting channel,
and a second FIFO unit having a second width interfacing to a second
bursting channel, the second width not being a multiple of the first
width and the first width not being a multiple of the second width. Data
width conversion is performed between the first FIFO unit and the second
FIFO unit to convert data moving from the first FIFO unit to the second
FIFO unit from the first width to the second width, and to convert data
moving from the second FIFO unit to the first FIFO unit from the second
width to the first width. The sub-system also includes an Error
Correcting Code interface between the first FIFO unit and the second FIFO
unit for performing in-line correction.