@misc{rfc7980,
    series =    {Request for Comments},
    number =    7980,
    howpublished =  {RFC 7980},
    publisher = {RFC Editor},
    doi =       {10.17487/RFC7980},
    url =       {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7980},
    author =    {Michael H. Behringer and Alvaro Retana and Russ White and Geoff Huston},
    title =     {{A Framework for Defining Network Complexity}},
    pagetotal = 24,
    year =      2016,
    month =     oct,
    abstract =  {Complexity is a widely used parameter in network design, yet there is no generally accepted definition of the term. Complexity metrics exist in a wide range of research papers, but most of these address only a particular aspect of a network, for example, the complexity of a graph or software. While it may be impossible to define a metric for overall network complexity, there is a desire to better understand the complexity of a network as a whole, as deployed today to provide Internet services. This document provides a framework to guide research on the topic of network complexity as well as some practical examples for trade-offs in networking. This document summarizes the work of the IRTF's Network Complexity Research Group (NCRG) at the time of its closure. It does not present final results, but a snapshot of an ongoing activity, as a basis for future work.},
}