The Internet's large-scale topology

TL;DRAbstract

We have seen in the previous chapter that the graphs representing the physical layout of the large-scale Internet look like a haphazard set of points and lines, with the result that they are of little help in finding any quantitative characterization or hidden pattern underlying the network fabric. The intricate appearance of these graphs, however, corresponds to the large-scale heterogeneity of the Internet and prompts us to the use of a statistical analysis as the proper tool for a useful mathematical characterization of this system. Indeed, in large heterogeneous systems, large-scale regularities cannot be found by looking at local elements or properties. Similarly, the study of a single router connectivity or history will not allow us to understand the behavior of the Internet as a whole. In other words, we must abandon local descriptions in favor of a large-scale statistical characterization, taking into account the aggregate properties of the many interacting units that compose t

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