1. A method for handling requests in a storage system, the storage system including a plurality of storage nodes connected to each other via a communications network, the method comprising: a first storage node of the plurality of storage nodes receiving a first request, wherein data stored within the data storage system is organized using a distributed directory structure, a plurality of collection objects distributed among the plurality of storage nodes correspond to directories or subdirectories in the distributed directory structure, the first storage node stores a first collection object corresponding to a directory in the distributed directory structure, the first collection object comprises a reference to a second collection object stored on at least a second storage node in the storage system, the second collection object corresponding to a first subdirectory of the directory represented by the first collection object, the reference to the second collection object comprises a unique identifier for the second collection object, and the first request implicates a plurality of directory tree levels of the distributed directory structure; the first storage node determining that a second request is to be sent based on the first request implicating data associated with the first subdirectory and based on the first subdirectory being included in the plurality of directory tree levels implicated by the first request, the first subdirectory being represented by the second collection object; the first storage node determining to which storage nodes the second request should be sent by: the first storage node sending a first multicast message that includes the unique identifier for the second collection object included in the reference to the second collection object, the first storage node receiving a response to the first multicast message from at least the second data storage node, and the first storage node determining to send the second request to at least the second storage node based on the second storage node responding to the first multicast message; the first storage node sending the second request to at least the second storage node storing the second collection object referenced by the first collection object using a unicast message, wherein the second request indicates a number of directory tree levels that are implicated by the second request, the number of directory tree levels that are implicated by the second request is one level less than the plurality of directory tree levels implicated by the first request, and the second collection object comprises a reference to a third collection object stored on at least a third storage node and a reference to a data file stored in the data storage system; the first storage node receiving a second response to the second request from the second storage node, the second response comprising at least information obtained from the third storage node storing the third collect object referenced by the second collection object; and the first storage node sending a first response to the first request, the first response comprising at least the information obtained from the third storage node that is included in the second response.