Abstract: Periodically re-encrypting user data stored on a storage device, including: reading user data stored on the storage device, wherein the user data is associated with a user-visible identifier; determining, from metadata associated with the user data, whether the user data is encrypted utilizing an expiring data encryption key; responsive to determining that the user data is encrypted utilizing the expiring data encryption key, re-encrypting the user data utilizing a current data encryption key; and writing the user data that is encrypted with the current data encryption key to the storage device, wherein the user data remains associated with the user-visible identifier.

Abstract: Ensuring crash-safe forward progress of a system configuration update in a storage system that includes a storage array controller and a plurality of storage devices, including: determining a number of storage devices in the storage system; determining a number of unavailable storage devices in the storage system; and determining, for the one or more system configurations, whether the system configuration can be reconstructed in dependence upon the number of storage devices in the storage system and the number of unavailable storage devices in the storage system.

Abstract: Distributing management responsibilities for a storage system that includes a storage array controller and a plurality of storage devices, including: identifying a plurality of elements in the storage system; for each of the plurality of elements in the storage system, creating a distributed manager, wherein each distributed manager is configured for gathering information describing the state of the associated element in the storage system, determining an action to perform against the associated element in the storage system, and executing an approved action against the associated element in the storage system; and creating a distributed management hierarchy that includes each of the distributed managers.