A handle is an identifier that satisfies the first group of criteria. The CNRI Handle Management System is an implementation of the architecture that satisfies the middle group of criteria. Current activities are aimed at having handles incorporated within standard user interfaces. Naming authorities Names of naming authorities are unique for all time. Handle Servers Store the handle and associated location information.
Process requests from clients to resolve handles.
Return location data to the client. Handle Server Directory Provides a list of Handle Servers. The Handle Management System is in operation and available for public use. Resolving a handle The following diagram shows the most common way that the handle server can be used to resolve a handle and return references to the objects that it identifies. A hash table is used to indicate which of the server computers holds the information associated with a specific handle.