Mission impossible: Computing the network coding capacity region

Abstract: One of the main theoretical motivations for the emerging area of network coding is the achievability of the max-flow/min-cut rate for single source multicast. This can exceed the rate achievable with routing alone, and is achievable with linear network codes. The multi-source problem is more complicated. Computation of its capacity region is equivalent to determination of the set of all entropy functions $\Gamma^*$, which is non-polyhedral. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that this difficulty can arise even in single source problems. In particular, for single source networks with hierarchical sink requirements, and for single source networks with secrecy constraints. In both cases, we exhibit networks whose capacity regions involve $\Gamma^*$. As in the multi-source case, linear codes are insufficient.