Adaptive multi-interface use for content networking

An apparatus for forwarding a packet with a hierarchically structured variable-length identifier (HSVLI) in a network comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory;
• a receiving mechanism configured to receive a packet which contains an interest for a piece of content, wherein the interest includes an address-independent HSVLI;
• wherein the HSVLI identifies a specific piece of content without identifying a network address or a storage location for the piece of content, and wherein the HSVLI is hierarchically structured and comprises contiguous name components associated with the piece of content ordered from a most general level to a most specific level;
• and
• a determining mechanism configured to determine forwarding information for the packet based on the HSVLI, wherein determining the forwarding information involves:
• configuring a forwarding engine to identify a forwarding information entry that has the longest prefix match with the HSVLI by matching the name components of the HSVLI with the name components of the forwarding information entries, wherein the longest prefix match has the largest number of matched named components;
• and
• determining, from the identified forwarding information entry, one or more interfaces for forwarding the interest;
• and
• a forwarding mechanism configured to forward the packet to one or more of the determined interfaces.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for forwarding a packet with a hierarchically structured variable-length identifier (HSVLI) in a network, the method comprising:

• receiving a packet which contains an interest for a piece of content, wherein the interest includes an address-independent HSVLI;
• wherein the HSVLI identifies a specific piece of content without identifying a network address or a storage location for the piece of content, and wherein the HSVLI is hierarchically structured and comprises contiguous name components associated with the piece of content ordered from a most general level to a most specific level;
• and
• determining forwarding information for the packet based on the HSVLI, wherein determining the forwarding information involves:
• identifying a forwarding information entry that has the longest prefix match with the HSVLI by matching the name components of the HSVLI with the name components of the forwarding information entries, wherein the longest prefix match has the largest number of matched name components;
• and
• determining, from the identified forwarding information entry, one or more interfaces for forwarding the interest;
• and
• forwarding the packet to one or more of the determined interfaces.