Local Information Based Algorithms for Packet Transport in Complex Networks

TL;DR

This paper presents four new deterministic algorithms for packet transport in complex networks, which outperform random walk methods especially on scale-free networks by utilizing local node and edge information.

Contribution

Introduction of four novel local information-based algorithms for packet transport that improve efficiency and load handling in complex networks.

Findings

Algorithms outperform random walk in scale-free networks

Mean delivery time-based algorithm jams without degree info

Algorithms handle larger loads than random walk

Abstract

We introduce four algorithms for packet transport in complex networks. These algorithms use deterministic rules which depend, in different ways, on the degree of the node, the number of packets posted down each edge, the mean delivery time of packets sent down each edge to each destination and the time since an edge last transmitted a packet. On scale-free networks all our algorithms are considerably more efficient and can handle a larger load than the random walk algorithm. We consider in detail various attributes of our algorithms, for instance we show that an algorithm that bases its decisions on the mean delivery time jams unless it incorporates information about the degree of the destination node.