1 Understanding Complex Systems: A Communication Networks Perspective Pavlos Antoniou and Andreas Pitsillides Networks Research Laboratory, Computer Science Department, University of Cyprus 75 Kallipoleos Street, P.O. Box 20537, 1678 Nicosia, Cyprus Telephone: +357-22-892687, Fax: +357-22-892701 Email:
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[email protected] Technical Report TR-07-01 Department of Computer Science University of Cyprus February 2007 Abstract Recent approaches on the study of networks have exploded over almost all the sciences across the academic spectrum. Over the last few years, the analysis and modeling of networks as well as networked dynamical systems have attracted considerable interdisciplinary interest. These efforts were driven by the fact that systems as diverse as genetic networks or the Internet can be best described as complex networks. On the contrary, although the unprecedented evolution of technology, basic issues and fundamental principles related to the structural and evolutionary properties of networks still remain unaddressed and need to be unraveled since they affect the function of a network. Therefore, the characterization of the wiring diagram and the understanding on how an enormous network of interacting dynamical elements is able to behave collectively, given their individual non linear dynamics are of prime importance. In this study we explore simple models of complex networks from real communication networks perspective, focusing on their structural and evolutionary properties. The limitations and vulnerabilities of real communication networks drive the necessity to develop new theoretical frameworks to help explain the complex and unpredictable behaviors of those networks based on the aforementioned principles, and design alternative network methods and techniques which may be provably effective, robust and resilient to accidental failures and coordinated attacks.