A distributed minimum hop routing algorithm

A two-part distributed algorithm for minimum hop routing in message-switched networks subject to end-to-end average message delay constraints is developed. The first part of the algorithm provides for unconstrained minimum hop routing, while the second corrects this routing to satisfy the delay constraints. Both parts are implemented nodewise via low-order linear programs wherein the information exchange required for each node to carry out its computations involves only adjacent neighbor nodes. The algorithm is illustrated via an example of an 8- node, 14-link network with 7 commodities, and directions for future research to enhance present results are indicated.