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Basic concepts of the Handle System are introduced in Identifier / Resolution System with the Handle System. This section introduces briefly the Handle System services. For more information, see Digital Object Identifier Resolution Protocol (DO-IRP) Specification.

The Handle System consists of a single distributed Global Handle Registry (GHR), and unlimited number of Local Handle Services (LHS):

•Identifiers (called Handles) are managed by LHSs. Handles under the same prefix are managed by the same LHS.

•The GHR stores the information necessary to locate the LHS responsible for any Handle in the system.

To resolve a Handle, a Handle System client will first connect to the GHR which will redirect it to the LHS responsible for the requested Handle.

To understand in more details how the GHR and LHS work, it is necessary to introduce first the prefix Handle concept.