diff --git a/hermes_adapters/posix/posix_fs_api.h b/hermes_adapters/posix/posix_fs_api.h
index 1aa5f473d..77ed16c94 100644
--- a/hermes_adapters/posix/posix_fs_api.h
+++ b/hermes_adapters/posix/posix_fs_api.h
@@ -98,8 +98,7 @@ class PosixFs : public hermes::adapter::fs::Filesystem {
     std::vector<char> filename(kMaxPathLen);
     snprintf(proclnk.data(), kMaxPathLen - 1, "/proc/self/fd/%d", fd);
     size_t r = readlink(proclnk.data(), filename.data(), kMaxPathLen);
-    filename[r] = '\0';
-    return std::string(filename.data(), filename.size());
+    return std::string(filename.data(), r);
   }
 };
 
diff --git a/tasks/data_stager/include/data_stager/factory/binary_stager.h b/tasks/data_stager/include/data_stager/factory/binary_stager.h
index bd7bc6cc2..8ddae035f 100644
--- a/tasks/data_stager/include/data_stager/factory/binary_stager.h
+++ b/tasks/data_stager/include/data_stager/factory/binary_stager.h
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ namespace hermes::data_stager {
 
 class BinaryFileStager : public AbstractStager {
  public:
-  int fd_;
+  int fd_ = -1;
   size_t page_size_;
   std::string path_;
 
@@ -21,9 +21,7 @@ class BinaryFileStager : public AbstractStager {
   BinaryFileStager() = default;
 
   /** Destructor */
-  ~BinaryFileStager() {
-    HERMES_POSIX_API->close(fd_);
-  }
+  ~BinaryFileStager() {}
 
   /** Build file url */
   static hshm::charbuf BuildFileUrl(const std::string &path, size_t page_size) {
@@ -48,10 +46,6 @@ class BinaryFileStager : public AbstractStager {
   /** Create the data stager payload */
   void RegisterStager(RegisterStagerTask *task, RunContext &rctx) override {
     ParseFileUrl(task->url_->str(), path_, page_size_);
-    fd_ = HERMES_POSIX_API->open(path_.c_str(), O_RDWR);
-    if (fd_ < 0) {
-      HELOG(kError, "Failed to open file {}", path_);
-    }
   }
 
   /** Stage data in from remote source */
@@ -61,6 +55,11 @@ class BinaryFileStager : public AbstractStager {
     HILOG(kDebug, "Attempting to stage {} bytes from the backend file {} at offset {}",
           page_size_, url_, plcmnt.bucket_off_);
     LPointer<char> blob = HRUN_CLIENT->AllocateBuffer<TASK_YIELD_STD>(page_size_);
+    fd_ = HERMES_POSIX_API->open(path_.c_str(), O_CREAT | O_RDWR, 0666);
+    if (fd_ < 0) {
+      HELOG(kError, "Failed to open file {}", path_);
+      return;
+    }
     ssize_t real_size = HERMES_POSIX_API->pread(fd_,
                                                 blob.ptr_,
                                                 page_size_,
@@ -72,7 +71,6 @@ class BinaryFileStager : public AbstractStager {
     } else if (real_size == 0) {
       return;
     }
-    // memcpy(blob.ptr_ + plcmnt.blob_off_, blob.ptr_, real_size);
     HILOG(kDebug, "Staged {} bytes from the backend file {}",
           real_size, url_);
     HILOG(kDebug, "Submitting put blob {} ({}) to blob mdm ({})",
@@ -97,10 +95,16 @@ class BinaryFileStager : public AbstractStager {
     HILOG(kDebug, "Attempting to stage {} bytes to the backend file {} at offset {}",
           page_size_, url_, plcmnt.bucket_off_);
     char *data = HRUN_CLIENT->GetDataPointer(task->data_);
+    fd_ = HERMES_POSIX_API->open(path_.c_str(), O_CREAT | O_RDWR, 0666);
+    if (fd_ < 0) {
+      HELOG(kError, "Failed to open file {}", path_);
+      return;
+    }
     ssize_t real_size = HERMES_POSIX_API->pwrite(fd_,
                                                  data,
                                                  task->data_size_,
                                                  (off_t)plcmnt.bucket_off_);
+    HERMES_POSIX_API->close(fd_);
     if (real_size < 0) {
       HELOG(kError, "Failed to stage out {} bytes from {}",
             task->data_size_, url_);
diff --git a/tasks/hermes_blob_mdm/src/hermes_blob_mdm.cc b/tasks/hermes_blob_mdm/src/hermes_blob_mdm.cc
index ba9ee34a4..e3d486f91 100644
--- a/tasks/hermes_blob_mdm/src/hermes_blob_mdm.cc
+++ b/tasks/hermes_blob_mdm/src/hermes_blob_mdm.cc
@@ -90,6 +90,10 @@ class Server : public TaskLib {
       client.AsyncCreateComplete(tgt_task);
       target_map_.emplace(client.id_, &client);
     }
+    std::sort(targets_.begin(), targets_.end(),
+              [](const bdev::Client &a, const bdev::Client &b) {
+                return a.bandwidth_ > b.bandwidth_;
+              });
     blob_mdm_.Init(id_);
     HILOG(kInfo, "(node {}) Created Blob MDM", HRUN_CLIENT->node_id_);
     task->SetModuleComplete();
diff --git a/test/unit/hermes_adapters/filesystem_tests.h b/test/unit/hermes_adapters/filesystem_tests.h
index cef1104ea..daffba071 100644
--- a/test/unit/hermes_adapters/filesystem_tests.h
+++ b/test/unit/hermes_adapters/filesystem_tests.h
@@ -193,6 +193,7 @@ class FilesystemTests {
     /* Delete the files from both Hermes and the backend. */
     TrackAllFiles();
     RemoveAllFiles();
+    Flush();
   }
 
   virtual void RegisterFiles() = 0;
diff --git a/test/unit/hermes_adapters/stdio/stdio_adapter_basic_test.cc b/test/unit/hermes_adapters/stdio/stdio_adapter_basic_test.cc
index 5f693c5a1..c26a2dab7 100644
--- a/test/unit/hermes_adapters/stdio/stdio_adapter_basic_test.cc
+++ b/test/unit/hermes_adapters/stdio/stdio_adapter_basic_test.cc
@@ -81,10 +81,11 @@ TEST_CASE("SingleWrite", "[process=" + std::to_string(TEST_INFO->comm_size_) +
     REQUIRE(TEST_INFO->status_orig_ == 0);
   }
 
-  SECTION("write to new  file") {
+  SECTION("write to new file") {
     TEST_INFO->test_fopen(TEST_INFO->new_file_, "w+");
     REQUIRE(TEST_INFO->fh_orig_ != nullptr);
-    TEST_INFO->test_fwrite(TEST_INFO->write_data_.data(), TEST_INFO->request_size_);
+    TEST_INFO->test_fwrite(TEST_INFO->write_data_.data(),
+                           TEST_INFO->request_size_);
     REQUIRE(TEST_INFO->size_written_orig_ == TEST_INFO->request_size_);
     TEST_INFO->test_fclose();
     REQUIRE(TEST_INFO->status_orig_ == 0);