Patent ID: 8001104

Claim:
A method, comprising: generating signature data indicating a plurality of metadata copy locations, each metadata copy location identifying one of a plurality of storage devices and a copy location within the storage device, wherein each copy location contains one copy of the metadata, wherein the metadata includes system configuration information; storing a copy of the signature data with copies of the metadata in the storage devices indicated in the metadata copy locations of the signature data; using the signature data to determine a copy location of valid metadata; reading one copy of the valid metadata from the determined copy location in one of the storage devices to obtain system configuration information from the valid metadata to use to operate; initiating an operation to alter the copy locations of the metadata copies in the storage devices storing the metadata; determining new copy locations in the storage devices for the metadata; updating each copy location of the signature data to indicate the new copy locations for the metadata; and copying metadata and the updated signature data to any of the new copy locations that do not already include metadata and signature data.