The k-ary n-cube Network and its Dual: a Comparative Study

In this paper we compare the k-ary n-cube network with its dual. The dual is obtained by interchanging the role of nodes and channels. The resulting nodes in the dual network are connected to two channels only and the resulting channels are multi-way. One of the major topological advantages that can be observed in the dual network is the fixed node degree that is always equal to two irrespective of the network topology or dimension. This property enables the dual network to have wider channels. This comparative study includes the network properties, the cost, and the performance. The network performance is evaluated through simulation. The simulation results show that the dual network has a lower latency and is more efficient (makes better utilization of channels) than the kary n-cube direct network with same number of nodes and similar packaging costs.