Complexity Analysis Involving Heterogeneous System

Masters Thesis - June 2009

Complexity analysis is one of the most complicated topics in mathematics. It involves an unusual concept and some tricky algebra. This report is a humble trail to demystify the idea in detail. Heterogonous systems are becoming bigger and more complex. While the complexity of large-scale heterogeneous systems has been acknowledged to be an important challenge, there has not been much work in defining or measuring system complexity. Thus, today, it is difficult to compare the complexities of different systems, or to state that one system is easier to program, to manage or to use than another. Here we try to understand the factors that cause heterogeneous systems to appear very complex to people. We define different aspects of system complexity and propose metrics for measuring these aspects. We also show how these aspects affect the system. Based on the aspects and metrics of complexity, we propose general
guidelines that can help to measure the complexity of systems.