Case study 7.docx - Complexity of Computer and...

Complexity of Computer and Communication Systems

Complexity of Computer and Communication Systems
2
Abstract
This case study deals with the problem of the complexity of computer and communication
systems . It will look into the three traditional solutions to deal with this problem such as
modularity, layering and hierarchy and propose an alternative solution in the form of self-
organization.

Complexity of Computer and Communication Systems
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As of July 2016, according to the unofficial estimate Google had 2.5 million servers
and it keeps growing every year. The complexity of such large interconnected systems can be
mind-baffling. As technological progress advanced, humans have evolved to deal with the such a
complex web of interconnected and interdependent entities in several ways. A complex system
can be defined as consisting of many diverse and autonomous but interrelated and interdependent
components or parts linked through many interconnections. Complex systems cannot be
described by a single rule and their characteristics are not reducible to one level of description.
They exhibit properties that emerge from the interaction of their parts and which cannot be
predicted from the properties of the parts.
Modularity, layering, and hierarchy are some of the means to cope with the complexity
of a system. Modularity is a form of creating a complex system from a set of components built
and tested independently. A main