Network coding: an instant primer

Network coding is a new research area that may have interesting applications in practical networking systems. With network coding, intermediate nodes may send out packets that are linear combinations of previously received information. There are two main benefits of this approach: potential throughput improvements and a high degree of robustness. Robustness translates into loss resilience and facilitates the design of simple distributed algorithms that perform well, even if decisions are based only on partial information. This paper is an instant primer on network coding: we explain what network coding does and how it does it. We also discuss the implications of theoretical results on network coding for realistic settings and show how network coding can be used in practice. Categories and Subject Descriptors H.4 [Information Systems Applications]: Miscellaneous General Terms Network Coding Keywords Network Coding

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2006
• Where: CCR
• Authors: Christina Fragouli, Jean-Yves Le Boudec, Jörg Widmer
• Keywords: CCR 2006, Network Coding, Potential Throughput Improvements, Practical Networking Systems