Network complexity is the number of nodes and alternative paths that exist within a computer network, as well as the variety of communication media, communications equipment, protocols, and hardware and software platforms found in the network.
Simple network: A small LAN with no alternative paths, a single communication protocol, and identical hardware and software platforms across nodes would be classified as a simple network.
Complex network: An enterprise-wide network that uses multiple communication media and communication protocols to interconnect geographically distributed networks with dissimilar hardware and software platforms would be classified as a complex network.
See also
- Connectivity (graph theory) – Basic concept of graph theory
- Robustness of complex networks – Ability of a complex network to withstand failures and perturbations
References
- Michael H. Behringer (2009). "Classifying network complexity" (PDF). Proceedings of the 2009 workshop on Re-architecting the internet. ACM. pp. 13–18. doi:10.1145/1658978.1658983. ISBN 978-1-60558-749-3.
- Danail Bonchev, Gregory A. Buck (2007). "Quantitative Measures of Network Complexity". Complexity in Chemistry, Biology, and Ecology. Boston, MA: Springer. pp. 191–235. doi:10.1007/0-387-25871-X_5. ISBN 978-0-387-23264-5.