Implicit leader election in a distributed storage network

A computing device comprising:

• an interface configured to interface and communicate with a dispersed or distributed storage network (DSN);
• memory that stores operational instructions;
• a processing module operably coupled to the interface and to the memory, wherein the processing module, when operable within the computing device based on the operational instructions, is configured to:
• receive, from a requesting computing device and via the DSN, a request to store a data object within a plurality of distributed storage (DS) units;
• generate a proposal message that includes a persistent value for a source name associated with a data object to be updated, and a first proposal attempt identifier, wherein the first proposal attempt identifier can be incremented based on a proposal attempt;
• transmit the proposal message to a plurality of distributed storage units (SUs) of the DSN;
• receive, in response to the proposal message, a proposal message acceptance response from at least one of the plurality of DS units;
• and
• in response to a determination that the at least one of the plurality of DS units has had no other request for the source name, retain the persistent value for the source name.

A computer program product comprising one or more computer readable storage media having program instructions collectively stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions executable to:

• generate a proposal message that includes a persistent value for a source name associated with a data object to be updated in a dispersed storage network (DSN), and a first proposal attempt identifier, wherein the first proposal identifier can be incremented based on a proposal attempt;
• transmitting the proposal message to a plurality of distributed storage units (SUs) of the DSN;
• receiving, in response to the proposal message, a proposal message acceptance response from at least one of the plurality of DS units;
• and
• in response to a determination that the at least one of the plurality of DS units has had no other request for the source name, retaining the persistent value for the source name.