The forwarding index of directed networks Original Research Article

In a given network with n vertices, a routing is defined as a set of n(n — 1) paths, one path connecting each ordered pair of vertices. The load of a vertex is the number of paths going through it. The forwarding index of the network is the minimum of the largest load taken over all routings. We give upper bounds on the forwarding index in k-connected digraphs and in digraphs with half-degrees at least k. Related conjectures are proposed.