Ensuring metadata and index consistency using write intents

A computing device of a group of computing devices of a dispersed storage network (DSN), the computing device comprises:

• an interface;
• a local memory;
• and
• a processing module operably coupled to the interface and the local memory, wherein the processing module functions to:
• receive a write data object request;
• write and committing the data object as a set of encoded data slices into DSN memory;
• write and committing an index consistency write-intent to DSN memory, wherein the index consistency write-intent specifies an intention to check, at a later time, for a consistent index with matching metadata associated with the data object;
• write metadata of the data object to DSN memory;
• write and committing an index entry to DSN memory;
• commit the metadata of the data object to DSN memory;
• delete the index consistency write-intent;
• and
• notify a write data object requestor of a successful data object write.

A method for execution by one or more processing modules of one or more computing devices of a dispersed storage network (DSN), the method comprises:

• receiving a write data object request;
• writing and committing the data object as a set of encoded data slices into DSN memory;
• writing and committing an index consistency write-intent to DSN memory, wherein the index consistency write-intent specifies an intention to check, at a later time, for a consistent index with matching metadata associated with the data object;
• writing metadata of the data object to DSN memory;
• write and committing an index entry to DSN memory;
• and
• wherein during a finalization of the index consistency write-intent, the index consistency write-intent would be executed to ensure consistency between the metadata of the data object and metadata located in the index entry.