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3. Background

In ICN, content names are used for routing content requests. This name-based routing has several challenges:

  • Scalability: The number of content objects is much larger than the number of hosts. Maintaining a routing table for all content names is challenging.
  • Producer Mobility: When a content producer moves, the routing information needs to be updated, which can be slow and costly.
  • Off-Path Caching: ICN supports in-network caching. However, accessing cached content that is not on the direct path from the requester to the producer is difficult with pure name-based routing.

An NRS can address these challenges by decoupling the content name from its location.