Distributed file systems that use multiple servers to store data in parallel are becoming commonplace. Much work has already gone into such systems to maximize data throughput. However, metadata management has historically been treated as an afterthought. In this talk, we will look at the possibility of designing directory structures directly on Object-based Storage Devices, without the need for intervening servers. In particular, the need for atomicity is a fundamental requirement that we will explore in depth. Through performance results of benchmarks and applications we show the feasibility of using OSDs directly for metadata, including directory operations.