4.

4 max {fe/ce} = fCE/2 = 3/2

|fB,D|=5

A w=1 f=2.5 B

w=?
f=2.5
f=2.5
w=1 E
w=1

f'=3
w=? w=1

D w=1 f=2.5 C |f'C,E|=3

4.5 no. We look again at cut {BC} {ADE}, and assume falsely that Min-CongOSPF/ECMP can achieve the optimum. Then
we must choose weights s.t there are at least two shortest paths through both AB, BC in order to divide initial flow
from B, otherwise for either edge fe/ce= 5/2 > 4/3. However, now we notice that no matter how we built shortest paths
to use ECMP, after passing initial flow from E we have an edge e? {BC,CE,CD} for which min{max{fe/ce}} = 3/2 > 4/3,
so achieving the optimum is impossible.
4.6
|fB,D|=5

A w=1 f=8/3 B

w=?
f=8/3
f=7/3
w=1 E
w=1

f'=8/3
w=1 w=2
f'=1/3

D w=1 f'=1/3 f=7/3 C |f'C,E|=3

4.7 A crucial issue with the change is that since all weights in the network are 1, there can be many different "shortest
paths" according to ECMP between two nodes, which can lead to heavy flows across the same link.
For example, say A, D and C all want to send flows to E, B wants to send to D. Then the modified ECMP leads to
congestion across all of the lower edges in the network (for each e? {AE,AD,DE,DC,CE} fe/c e > 1), with very heavy
flow across link DE because all flows pass through, while normal ECMP leads to no congestion at all.

commodities (C,E,2), (A,E,2), (D, E, 2), (B,D,2):

modified ECMP normal ECMP

A 1 B A 1 B

13/6 2

1 1 1
3/2 E E
2/3

1 8/3 13/6 2
2

D 3/2
2/3 C D 1 C