Updating a set of memory devices in a dispersed storage network

A computer readable storage device comprises:

• a first memory for storing operational instructions that, when executed by a computing device, causes the computing device to:
• track age related failure levels of a plurality of memory devices within the storage unit in a memory assignment table;
• and
• maintain a data location table that maps a range of DSN addresses allocated to the storage unit to the plurality of memory devices and further records storing of encoded data slices having specific DSN addresses within corresponding ones of the plurality of memory devices;
• a second memory for storing operational instructions that, when executed by at least one of the computing device and a second computing device, causes the at least one of the computing device and the second computing device to:
• when the age related failure level for a memory device of the plurality of memory devices compares unfavorably to a first failure level threshold:
• determine to reassign a portion of DSN addresses assigned to the memory device;
• identify a second memory device of the plurality of memory devices having a corresponding age related soft failure level comparing favorable to the first failure level threshold;
• reassign the portion of the DSN addresses from the memory device to the second memory device;
• and
• update the data location table in accordance with the reassigning the portion of the DSN addresses.