Issue Eur. Phys. J. B Volume 50, Number 1-2, March I-II 2006 Modern Problems in Complexity Page(s) 249 - 254 Section Networks DOI 10.1140/epjb/e2006-00057-5 Published online 16 February 2006

Eur. Phys. J. B 50, 249-254 (2006)
DOI: 10.1140/epjb/e2006-00057-5

Modeling the Internet

M. Ángeles Serrano¹, M. Boguñá² and A. Díaz-Guilera<sup>2

1</sup>  School of Informatics, Indiana University, Eigenmann Hall, 1900 East Tenth Street, Bloomington, IN 47406, USA
²  Departament de Física Fonamental, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain

mdserran@indiana.edu

(Received 11 October 2005 / Received in final form 11 November 2005 / Published online 16 February 2006)

Abstract
We model the Internet as a network of interconnected Autonomous Systems which self-organize under an absolute lack of centralized control. Our aim is to capture how the Internet evolves by reproducing the assembly that has led to its actual structure and, to this end, we propose a growing weighted network model driven by competition for resources and adaptation to maintain functionality in a demand and supply balance. On the demand side, we consider the environment, a pool of users which need to transfer information and ask for service. On the supply side, ASs compete to gain users, but to be able to provide service efficiently, they must adapt their bandwidth as a function of their size. Hence, the Internet is not modeled as an isolated system but the environment, in the form of a pool of users, is also a fundamental part which must be taken into account. ASs compete for users and big and small come up, so that not all ASs are identical. New connections between ASs are made or old ones are reinforced according to the adaptation needs. Thus, the evolution of the Internet can not be fully understood if just described as a technological isolated system. A socio-economic perspective must also be considered.

PACS
89.20.Hh - World Wide Web, Internet.
05.70.Ln - Nonequilibrium and irreversible thermodynamics.
87.23.Ge - Dynamics of social systems.
89.75.Hc - Networks and genealogical trees.

© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag 2006

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