Handle System

Handle System

Type
Inventor
Inception
Manufacturer
Available
Discontinued
Website	[ Official website]
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The Handle System is a comprehensive system designed for assigning, managing, and resolving persistent identifiers, known as "handles," for digital objects and other resources on the Internet. Developed by the Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI) in 1995, the Handle System provides a robust and scalable infrastructure for ensuring the long-term accessibility and management of digital information.

Overview

The Handle System is a distributed system that allows for the creation and management of unique identifiers, which can be used to reference digital objects such as documents, datasets, and multimedia files. These identifiers, or "handles," are designed to be persistent, meaning they remain unchanged over time even if the location or other attributes of the resource change.

Handles are typically expressed in the form of a prefix and a suffix, separated by a slash. For example, "10.1000/182" is a handle where "10.1000" is the prefix and "182" is the suffix. The prefix is usually assigned to an organization, while the suffix is determined by the organization to uniquely identify a resource.

Architecture

The Handle System is built on a distributed architecture that consists of multiple components:

• Handle Servers: These are the core components that store and resolve handles. They are distributed across the network to ensure reliability and scalability.
• Global Handle Registry (GHR): This is a central registry that maintains information about all handle prefixes and the handle servers responsible for them.
• Local Handle Services: Organizations can set up their own handle services to manage their specific prefixes and associated handles.

Functionality

The primary functions of the Handle System include:

• Resolution: The process of mapping a handle to its current state or location. This is similar to how a DNS resolves domain names to IP addresses.
• Administration: The ability to create, update, and delete handles, as well as manage associated metadata.
• Security: The system supports secure access and management of handles through authentication and authorization mechanisms.

Applications

The Handle System is widely used in various domains, including:

• Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs): DOIs are a type of handle used extensively in academic publishing to uniquely identify journal articles, books, and other scholarly works.
• Data Management: Handles are used to manage and reference datasets in research data repositories.
• Cultural Heritage: Libraries, museums, and archives use handles to manage digital collections and ensure long-term access.

Advantages

The Handle System offers several advantages:

• Persistence: Handles are designed to be stable and persistent, ensuring long-term access to digital resources.
• Scalability: The distributed architecture allows the system to scale efficiently as the number of handles grows.
• Interoperability: Handles can be used across different systems and platforms, facilitating interoperability and integration.

Also see

• Digital Object Identifier
• Persistent identifier
• Uniform Resource Identifier
• Domain Name System

References

• Kahn, R., & Wilensky, R. (1995). A Framework for Distributed Digital Object Services. Corporation for National Research Initiatives.
• Sun, S. (2003). The Handle System: Overview and Applications. Journal of Digital Information.