Topological Design of Computer Communication Network Structures: A Comprehensive Review

Background: One of the key considerations in the topological design of a network is the fault tolerance and survivability of the network topology. A deterministic measure for fault tolerance proposed by computer scientist and researchers is the k-node connectivity number of the network graph. Fault may happen at the physical level or at the software level. Method: A few heuristics and methods are proposed in the literature for the design of k-node connected network topological structures. The methods are analyzed on the parameters such as link optimality, computational efforts, repeated searching of nodes, adopting node numbering techniques, mathematical modelling, generality of the methods etc. Findings: This article portrays the comprehensive study and investigation of existing works and current developments on the design of k-node connected topological design of computer communication network structures, applicable for both wired and wireless network structures. This paper also highlights on the various design methods applicable for specific cases and also compares the existing and current methods, for the design parameters considered. Applications/Improvement: The study concludes by stating that the previous methods and strategies are restricted only to a few network design parameters. However there is no single method which addresses most of the issues, hence there is a scope for future exploration design methods.