Method and apparatus for performing server handoff in a name-based content distribution system

摘要

A server-handoff system facilitates replicating or migrating a data collection or service to one or more alternative servers of a distributed service. During operation, the system can detect a data-handoff condition for migrating or replicating data to an alternative or newly started server, and determines a namespace that is to be migrated or replicated. The namespace includes a data collection or an application publication space associated with one or more structured name prefixes. The system then identifies the alternative servers to which the namespace is to be replicated, and synchronizes a namespace configuration with the alternative content producer. The namespace configuration identifies a set of data items from the namespace which facilitates the alternative content producer to host the data or service. The alternative content producer can use the namespace configuration to obtain the data items associated with the namespace before hosting the data or service.