# Network complexity

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{{Short description|Number and type of nodes and alternative paths that exist within a computer network}}
'''Network complexity''' is the number of [node](/source/Node_(computer_science))s and alternative paths that exist within a [computer network](/source/computer_network), as well as the variety of communication media, communications equipment, [protocol](/source/communication_protocol)s, and hardware and software platforms found in the network.

''Simple network'': A small [LAN](/source/LAN) with no alternative paths, a single communication protocol, and identical hardware and software platforms across nodes would be classified as a simple network.

''[Complex network](/source/Complex_network)'': An enterprise-wide network that uses multiple communication media and communication protocols to interconnect geographically distributed networks with dissimilar hardware and software platforms would be classified as a complex network.

==See also==
*{{anl|Connectivity (graph theory)}}
*{{anl|Robustness of complex networks}}

==References==
*{{cite book|chapter-url=http://conferences.sigcomm.org/co-next/2009/workshops/rearch/papers/Behringer.pdf|title=Proceedings of the 2009 workshop on Re-architecting the internet|publisher=ACM|year=2009|author=Michael H. Behringer|chapter=Classifying network complexity |doi=10.1145/1658978.1658983|pages=13–18|isbn=978-1-60558-749-3 }}
*{{cite book|chapter-url=https://piazza.com/class_profile/get_resource/hpxgai1xazb2sr/hruw056vqka23c|chapter=Quantitative Measures of Network Complexity|author=Danail Bonchev, Gregory A. Buck|title=Complexity in Chemistry, Biology, and Ecology |year=2007|pages=191–235 |publisher=Springer |location=Boston, MA |doi=10.1007/0-387-25871-X_5|isbn=978-0-387-23264-5 }}

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Complexity

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Network complexity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_complexity) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_complexity?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.