1. A computer-implemented method for forwarding a packet with a hierarchically structured variable-length identifier (HSVLI) in a network, wherein the computer includes a processor, the method comprising: performing a first lookup for a packet based on an HSVLI in a local forwarding information base to determine forwarding information for the packet, wherein the packet comprises an interest for a piece of content expressed using the HSVLI; wherein the HSVLI indicates a piece of content and is hierarchically structured, and comprises contiguous components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level, and wherein the length of a respective HSVLI is not fixed; in response to not finding a match for the HSVLI in the local forwarding information base, determining a forwarding decision for the HSVLI; configuring the local forwarding information base with the determined forwarding decision; performing a second lookup for the packet based on the HSVLI in the local forwarding information base to determine forwarding information for the packet.