Vulnerability of Communication Networks

A communication system can often be represented as an interconnection of stations and links. The assumption is that the system is subject to enemy attack aimed at isolating stations from each other. Vulnerability criteria are defined, and asymptotic and recurrence relations are given for computing the vulnerability of several classes of networks with a large number of stations. Based on the analysis procedures, optimum synthesis procedures are suggested. A simple model is analyzed first, then the results of the analysis are extended to include systems with repair, memory, and to those whose interconnections depend on distance. The main objective of this paper is to show under what conditions asymptotic expression for vulnerability can be derived.