Random Walks in Routing Landscapes

In this paper we present a combinatorial optimisation view on the routing problem for connectionless packet networks by using the metaphor of a landscape. We examine the main properties of the routing landscapes as we define them and how they can help us on the evaluation of the problem difficulty and the generation of effective algorithms. We also present the random walk statistical technique to evaluate the main properties of those landscapes and a number of examples to demonstrate the use of the method.