NETWORK ERROR CORRECTION, PART Ⅰ: BASIC CONCEPTS AND UPPER BOUNDS

摘要

Error correction in existing point-to-point communication networks is done on a link-by-link basis, which is referred to in this paper as classical error correction. Inspired by network coding, we introduce in this two-part paper a new paradigm called network error correction. The theory thus developed subsumes classical algebraic coding theory as a special case. In Part Ⅰ, we discuss the basic concepts and prove the network generalizations of the Hamming bound and the Singleton bound in classical algebraic coding theory. By studying a few elementary examples, the relation between network error correction and classical error correction is investigated.