{"draft":"draft-behringer-ncrg-complexity-framework-02","doc_id":"RFC7980","title":"A Framework for Defining Network Complexity","authors":["M. Behringer","A. Retana","R. White","G. Huston"],"format":["ASCII","HTML"],"page_count":"24","pub_status":"INFORMATIONAL","status":"INFORMATIONAL","source":"INDEPENDENT","abstract":"Complexity is a widely used parameter in network design, yet there is\r\nno generally accepted definition of the term.  Complexity metrics\r\nexist in a wide range of research papers, but most of these address\r\nonly a particular aspect of a network, for example, the complexity of\r\na graph or software.  While it may be impossible to define a metric\r\nfor overall network complexity, there is a desire to better\r\nunderstand the complexity of a network as a whole, as deployed today\r\nto provide Internet services.  This document provides a framework to\r\nguide research on the topic of network complexity as well as some\r\npractical examples for trade-offs in networking.\r\n\r\nThis document summarizes the work of the IRTF's Network Complexity\r\nResearch Group (NCRG) at the time of its closure.  It does not\r\npresent final results, but a snapshot of an ongoing activity, as a\r\nbasis for future work.","pub_date":"October 2016","keywords":["Complicated","Fragile","Self-organization","Trade-off","Technical Debt","Dependency"],"obsoletes":[],"obsoleted_by":[],"updates":[],"updated_by":[],"see_also":[],"doi":"10.17487\/RFC7980","errata_url":null}