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Similar Graphs: Characterization and Subclasses

Hesham H. Ali1, Naveed A. Sherwani Alfred Boals2
1Department of Mathematics and Computer Science University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE 68182
2Department of Computer Science Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI 49008 ULS.A.

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce the concept of similar graphs. Similar graphs arise in the design of fault-tolerant networks and in load balancing of the networks in case of node failures. Similar graphs model networks that not only remain connected but also allow a job to be shifted to other processors without re-executing the entire job. This dynamic load balancing capability ensures minimal interruption to the network in case of single or multiple node failures and increases overall efficiency. We define a graph to be \((m, n)\)-similar if each vertex is contained in a set of at least \(m\) vertices, each pair of which share at least \(n\) neighbors. Several well-known classes of \((2, 2)\)-similar graphs are characterized, for example, triangulated, comparability, and co-comparability. The problem of finding a minimum augmentation to obtain a \((2, 2)\)-similar graph is shown to be NP-Complete. A graph is called strongly \(m\)-similar if each vertex is contained in a set of at least \(m\) vertices with the property that they all share the same neighbors. The class of strongly \(m\)-similar graphs is completely characterized.