1. A method of operation for a data storage system to replicate a plurality of objects across a plurality of processor-based devices, the method comprising: receiving, by at least one processor, replication configuration information which identifies, for each of the plurality of processor-based devices, whether the processor-based device needs a form of each of the objects, and whether the processor-based device presently has a form of each of the plurality of objects stored on a respective nontransitory processor-readable medium of the processor-based device; storing, by the at least one processor, the replication configuration information on the nontransitory processor-readable medium of each of the plurality of processor-based devices; causing, by the at least one processor, a transfer of at least one form of at least one of the objects between at least two of the plurality of processor-based devices over a data communications channel based at least in part on the stored replication configuration information; determining, by at least one processor of one of the processor-based devices, a need for a first form of an object by the one of the processor-based devices; determining, by the at least one processor of the one of the processor-based devices, that a second form of the object is currently stored on the nontransitory processor-readable medium of the one of the processor-based devices, the second form of the object different from the first form of the object; automatically generating, by the at least one processor of the one of the processor-based devices, the first form of the object from the second form of the object; and storing, by the at least one processor of the one of the processor-based devices, the generated first form of the object on the nontransitory processor-readable medium of the one of the processor-based devices.