Large Scale Networks

This edited volume provides insights into and tools for the modeling, analysis, optimization, and control of large-scale networks in the life sciences and in engineering. Large-scale systems are often the result of networked interactions between a large number of subsystems, and their analysis and control are becoming increasingly important. The chapters of this book present the basic concepts and theoretical foundations of network theory and discuss its applications in different scientific areas such as biochemical reactions, chemical production processes, systems biology, electrical circuits, and mobile agents. The aim is to identify common concepts, to understand the underlying mathematical ideas, and to inspire discussions across the borders of the various disciplines. The book originates from the interdisciplinary summer school “Large Scale Networks in Engineering and Life Sciences” hosted by the International Max Planck Research School Magdeburg, September 26-30, 2011, and will therefore be of interest to mathematicians, engineers, physicists, biologists, chemists, and anyone involved in the network sciences. In particular, due to their introductory nature the chapters can serve individually or as a whole as the basis of graduate courses and seminars, future summer schools, or as reference material for practitioners in the network sciences.

This book offers a rigorous analysis of the achievements in the field of traffic control in large networks, oriented on two main aspects: the self-similarity in traffic behaviour and the scale-free characteristic of a complex network. Additionally, the authors propose a new insight in understanding the inner nature of things, and the cause-and-effect based on the identification of relationships and behaviours within a model, which is based on the study of the influence of the topological characteristics of a network upon the traffic behaviour. The effects of this influence are then discussed in order to find new solutions for traffic monitoring and diagnosis and also for traffic anomalies prediction. Although these concepts are illustrated using highly accurate, highly aggregated packet traces collected on backbone Internet links, the results of the analysis can be applied for any complex network whose traffic processes exhibit asymptotic self-similarity, perceived as an adaptability of traffic in networks. However, the problem with self-similar models is that they are computationally complex. Their fitting procedure is very time-consuming, while their parameters cannot be estimated based on the on-line measurements. In this aim, the main objective of this book is to discuss the problem of traffic prediction in the presence of self-similarity and particularly to offer a possibility to forecast future traffic variations and to predict network performance as precisely as possible, based on the measured traffic history.

Sets out the design and management principles of large-scale IP networks by weaving together theory and practice.

Annotation Offers a comprehensive explanation of the inner workings of OSPF and IS-IS, the two protocols used in very large IP networks.

This book is the culmination of three years of research effort on a multidisciplinary project in which physicists, mathematicians, computer scientists and social scientists worked together to arrive at a unifying picture of complex networks. The contributed chapters form a reference for the various problems in data analysis visualization and modeling of complex networks.

With the advent of digital computers more than half a century ago, - searchers working in a wide range of scienti?c disciplines have obtained an extremely powerful tool to pursue deep understanding of natural processes in physical, chemical, and biological systems. Computers pose a great ch- lenge to mathematical sciences, as the range of phenomena available for rigorous mathematical analysis has been enormously expanded, demanding the development of a new generation of mathematical tools. There is an explosive growth of new mathematical disciplines to satisfy this demand, in particular related to discrete mathematics. However, it can be argued that at large mathematics is yet to provide the essential breakthrough to meet the challenge. The required paradigm shift in our view should be compa- ble to the shift in scienti?c thinking provided by the Newtonian revolution over 300 years ago. Studies of large-scale random graphs and networks are critical for the progress, using methods of discrete mathematics, probabil- tic combinatorics, graph theory, and statistical physics. Recent advances in large scale random network studies are described in this handbook, which provides a signi?cant update and extension - yond the materials presented in the “Handbook of Graphs and Networks” published in 2003 by Wiley. The present volume puts special emphasis on large-scale networks and random processes, which deemed as crucial for - tureprogressinthe?eld. Theissuesrelatedtorandomgraphsandnetworks pose very di?cult mathematical questions.