The Handle System ® uses UTF-8, a Unicode implementation, and has no character set constraints. This means that if a handle value is changed, it can take up to 24 hours before the new value is returned. To speed resolution, the proxy servers cache handle values, with the TTL typically set to 24 hours. If a resolution request for a handle with a trailing slash is received by the proxy server and that handle is not found, the proxy server will return an error report that includes a warning that the requested handle contained a trailing slash, and a link to click to resolve the same string without the slash. The handles 20.1000/5555 and 20.1000/5555/ are both valid handles, but it is unusual for a handle to have trailing slash. The proxy server displays a "Handle Not Found" error page when queried for a handle that it cannot find. For further documentation see the Technical Manual. These values contain XML describing multiple redirection endpoints for the handle and conditions under which the proxy should use them. In addition to handle values of type URL, the proxy server understands values of handle value type 10320/loc. If there is no URL value, the proxy will display the handle record. One of the proxy servers will query for the handle, take the URL in the handle record (or if there are multiple URLs in the handle record it will select one, and that selection is in no particular order) and send an HTTP redirect to that URL to the user's web browser. Resolving Handles Using the Proxy Server Systemįor any HTTP request that combines the proxy's domain name with a handle, for example