Network Algorithmics

Preface

Computer networks have become an integral part of society. We take for granted the ability to transact commerce over the Internet and that users can avail themselves of a burgeoning set of communication methods, which range from file sharing to Web logs. However, for networks to take their place as part of the fundamental infrastructure of society, they must provide performance guarantees.

We take for granted that electricity will flow when a switch is flicked and that telephone calls will be routed on Mother’s Day. But the performance of computer networks such as the Internet is still notoriously unreliable. While there are many factors that go into performance, one major issue is that of network bottlenecks. There are two types of network ...