Concept of Node Usage Probability From Complex Networks and Its Applications to Communication Network Design

In this paper, we study the traffic performance in communication networks from a complex network perspective. We introduce a new metric, namely, node usage probability, for characterizing the traffic load distribution and how frequently a node is chosen to relay packets in a network. Based on the concept of node usage probability, effective network design strategies, including routing algorithms and resource allocation schemes, can be developed to improve the overall traffic performance. We compare the performance of a minimum-node-usage routing algorithm with that based on other popular routing algorithms, such as shortest path (SP) and minimum degree (MD) routing algorithms, for various network topologies and resource allocation schemes. Simulation results show that routing algorithms based on minimizing node usage (MNU) can effectively balance traffic loads and resource allocation based on the node usage probability outperforms the uniform and degree-based allocation schemes. Our analysis and simulation results provide insights into how networks should be designed, including the choice of topology, the routing method, and the resource allocation scheme, for achieving optimal network performance.