Methods and systems for anchoring hypertext transfer protocol (http) level services in an information centric network (icn)

Abstract

Methods and systems anchor hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) level communication in an information-centric networking (ICN) network. Both content requests and responses to servers within the ICN network and to servers located outside the ICN network, in an IP network for example, are disclosed. Communication may be between two IP capable only devices at the HTTP level, one connected to an ICN network while the other one is connected either to an ICN or IP network. The disclosed namespaceenables IP based HTTP communication within the ICN network. An information-centric networking (ICN) network attachment point (NAP) or border gateway (BGW) may receive an HTTP request packet and encapsulate the received HTTP request packet. The ICN NAP/BGW may then forward the HTTP request packet towards the local ICN network servers. The HTTP request packet may be published to a named content identifier (CID) that may be determined through a hash function of a fully qualified domain name (FQDN). The ICN NAP may receive a HTTP response packet for a subscribed information item, which may be included in a named rCID. The named rCID may be determined through a hash function of a uniform resource locator (URL). Instead of using the hash of a URL and an FQDN directly, a separate scope identifier, which may be a root identifier, may be chosen for HTTP-over-ICN communication for the overall ICN namespace. The scope identifier may include a particular structure for the ICN namespace being built up. Using a root identifier may allow for separating HTTP-over-ICN communication from other ICN communication, for example, for operational or migration reasons. Under the root scope identifier, there may be two sub-scope identifiers, a first sub-scope identifier (I) for communication within the ICN network and a second sub-scope identifier (O) for communication to IP addresses outside the ICN network. The ICN may be based on the PURSUIT publish-subscribe architecture or on the Named Data Networking (NDN) project and the like.