diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-btree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/btree/impls/LSMBTreeFlushOperation.java b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-btree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/btree/impls/LSMBTreeFlushOperation.java
index 5802421..668e727 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-btree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/btree/impls/LSMBTreeFlushOperation.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-btree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/btree/impls/LSMBTreeFlushOperation.java
@@ -58,8 +58,9 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void perform() throws HyracksDataException, IndexException {
+    public Boolean call() throws HyracksDataException, IndexException {
         accessor.flush(this);
+        return true;
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -82,10 +83,4 @@
     public ILSMComponent getFlushingComponent() {
         return flushingComponent;
     }
-
-    @Override
-    public Boolean call() throws Exception {
-        perform();
-        return true;
-    }
 }
diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-btree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/btree/impls/LSMBTreeMergeOperation.java b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-btree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/btree/impls/LSMBTreeMergeOperation.java
index ef5c113..3a608fe 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-btree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/btree/impls/LSMBTreeMergeOperation.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-btree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/btree/impls/LSMBTreeMergeOperation.java
@@ -69,8 +69,9 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void perform() throws HyracksDataException, IndexException {
+    public Boolean call() throws HyracksDataException, IndexException {
         accessor.merge(this);
+        return true;
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -93,10 +94,4 @@
     public List<ILSMComponent> getMergingComponents() {
         return mergingComponents;
     }
-
-    @Override
-    public Boolean call() throws Exception {
-        perform();
-        return true;
-    }
 }
diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/api/ILSMIOOperation.java b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/api/ILSMIOOperation.java
index 9118cc3..2c3940f 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/api/ILSMIOOperation.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/api/ILSMIOOperation.java
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 
     public Set<IODeviceHandle> getWriteDevices();
 
-    public void perform() throws HyracksDataException, IndexException;
+    public Boolean call() throws HyracksDataException, IndexException;
 
     public ILSMIOOperationCallback getCallback();
 }
diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/impls/AbstractDiskLSMComponent.java b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/impls/AbstractDiskLSMComponent.java
index e814540..bc6baeb 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/impls/AbstractDiskLSMComponent.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/impls/AbstractDiskLSMComponent.java
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@
             throws HyracksDataException {
         switch (opType) {
             case MERGE:
+                // In case two merge operations were scheduled to merge an overlapping set of components, the second merge will fail and it must
+                // reset those components back to their previous state.
                 if (failedOperation) {
                     state = ComponentState.READABLE_UNWRITABLE;
                 }
diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/impls/AbstractMemoryLSMComponent.java b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/impls/AbstractMemoryLSMComponent.java
index 7b96de0..2cab564 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/impls/AbstractMemoryLSMComponent.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/impls/AbstractMemoryLSMComponent.java
@@ -86,9 +86,6 @@
                 }
                 break;
             case FLUSH:
-                // There should not be two flush requests of the same component at the same time.
-                assert state != ComponentState.READABLE_UNWRITABLE_FLUSHING
-                        && state != ComponentState.UNREADABLE_UNWRITABLE;
                 if (state == ComponentState.READABLE_WRITABLE || state == ComponentState.READABLE_UNWRITABLE) {
                     assert writerCount == 0;
                     state = ComponentState.READABLE_UNWRITABLE_FLUSHING;
@@ -111,6 +108,7 @@
             case MODIFICATION:
                 if (isMutableComponent) {
                     writerCount--;
+                    // TODO: we prevent a failedOperation from changing the state of the component as a defensive code. Revisit this to verify if this check is needed at all. 
                     if (state == ComponentState.READABLE_WRITABLE && isFull() && !failedOperation) {
                         state = ComponentState.READABLE_UNWRITABLE;
                     }
diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/impls/SynchronousScheduler.java b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/impls/SynchronousScheduler.java
index 5eb63a9..44c20f5 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/impls/SynchronousScheduler.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/impls/SynchronousScheduler.java
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
     @Override
     public void scheduleOperation(ILSMIOOperation operation) throws HyracksDataException {
         try {
-            operation.perform();
+            operation.call();
         } catch (IndexException e) {
             throw new HyracksDataException(e);
         }
diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-invertedindex/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/invertedindex/impls/LSMInvertedIndexFlushOperation.java b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-invertedindex/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/invertedindex/impls/LSMInvertedIndexFlushOperation.java
index 242d1bb..45433e7 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-invertedindex/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/invertedindex/impls/LSMInvertedIndexFlushOperation.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-invertedindex/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/invertedindex/impls/LSMInvertedIndexFlushOperation.java
@@ -63,8 +63,9 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void perform() throws HyracksDataException, IndexException {
+    public Boolean call() throws HyracksDataException, IndexException {
         accessor.flush(this);
+        return true;
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -87,10 +88,4 @@
     public ILSMComponent getFlushingComponent() {
         return flushingComponent;
     }
-
-    @Override
-    public Boolean call() throws Exception {
-        perform();
-        return true;
-    }
 }
diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-invertedindex/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/invertedindex/impls/LSMInvertedIndexMergeOperation.java b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-invertedindex/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/invertedindex/impls/LSMInvertedIndexMergeOperation.java
index 2d4bc9e..7cd921a 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-invertedindex/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/invertedindex/impls/LSMInvertedIndexMergeOperation.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-invertedindex/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/invertedindex/impls/LSMInvertedIndexMergeOperation.java
@@ -74,8 +74,9 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void perform() throws HyracksDataException, IndexException {
+    public Boolean call() throws HyracksDataException, IndexException {
         accessor.merge(this);
+        return true;
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -102,10 +103,4 @@
     public List<ILSMComponent> getMergingComponents() {
         return mergingComponents;
     }
-
-    @Override
-    public Boolean call() throws Exception {
-        perform();
-        return true;
-    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-rtree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/rtree/impls/LSMRTreeFlushOperation.java b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-rtree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/rtree/impls/LSMRTreeFlushOperation.java
index 77083d5..18d7a7e 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-rtree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/rtree/impls/LSMRTreeFlushOperation.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-rtree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/rtree/impls/LSMRTreeFlushOperation.java
@@ -64,8 +64,9 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void perform() throws HyracksDataException, IndexException {
+    public Boolean call() throws HyracksDataException, IndexException {
         accessor.flush(this);
+        return true;
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -88,10 +89,4 @@
     public ILSMComponent getFlushingComponent() {
         return flushingComponent;
     }
-
-    @Override
-    public Boolean call() throws Exception {
-        perform();
-        return true;
-    }
 }
diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-rtree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/rtree/impls/LSMRTreeMergeOperation.java b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-rtree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/rtree/impls/LSMRTreeMergeOperation.java
index 8d95c41..da7a2fb 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-rtree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/rtree/impls/LSMRTreeMergeOperation.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-rtree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/rtree/impls/LSMRTreeMergeOperation.java
@@ -75,8 +75,9 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void perform() throws HyracksDataException, IndexException {
+    public Boolean call() throws HyracksDataException, IndexException {
         accessor.merge(this);
+        return true;
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -103,10 +104,4 @@
     public List<ILSMComponent> getMergingComponents() {
         return mergingComponents;
     }
-
-    @Override
-    public Boolean call() throws Exception {
-        perform();
-        return true;
-    }
 }