Techniques for evaluating the nodal survivability of large networks

The decomposition process used to compute the node correcting factor (NCF) of a network (which requires long computation times and large memories) severely limits the physical size of the networks that can be evaluated. A technique for estimating, within a relatively short period of time, the NCF for large networks is described. This technique, known as the incremental NCF, evaluates the node survivability of a network without having to generate the entire decomposition diagram. A strategy for gathering incremental NCF values, which samples selected portions of the decomposition diagram and uses those samples to estimate the network´s node survivability is also described, and an example of the application of the concept is discussed