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Spring 09

Solution Assignment No. 2

Question No. 1
Describe the Hidden Node and Exposed Node problems in 802.11 Standard?

SR

Answer:
Hidden Node Problem:
Consider the figure below.

[Larry L. Peterson]

B can exchange frames with A and C but it cannot reach D, while C can reach B and D
but not A. [Larry L. Peterson] (A and Ds reach is not shown in the figure.) Suppose both
A and C want to communicate with B and so they each send it a frame. A and C are
unaware of each other since their signals do not carry that far. These two frames collide
with each other at B, but unlike an Ethernet, neither A nor C is aware of this collision. A
and C are said to be hidden nodes with respect to each other. [Larry L. Peterson]
Exposed Node Problem:
Consider the figure above. Suppose B is sending to A. Node C is aware of this
communication because it hears Bs transmission. It would be a mistake for C to
conclude that it cannot transmit to anyone just because it can hear Bs transmission. For
example, suppose C wants to transmit to node D. This is not a problem since Cs
transmission to D will not interfere with As ability to receive from B. (It would interfere
with A sending to B, but B is transmitting in our example.) [Larry L. Peterson]

Question No. 2
(10 Marks)
Suppose you are designing a sliding window protocol for a 1-Mbps point to point link
from Lahore to Karachi, which has a one-way latency of 1.25 seconds. Assuming that
each frame carries 1KB of data, what is the minimum number of bits you need for the
sequence number?

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Answer:
One way latency = 1.25 seconds
Hence, RTT = 2 * 1.25 = 2.5 seconds
Transmit time for one frame (1 KB) = 8000 / 1 Mbps = 0.008 seconds
Hence to keep the pipe full for complete RTT time, no of frames that can be sent
= 2.50 / 0.008
= 312.5
= 313
To keep tract of 313 packets at least nine bit sequence number is required (as 29 = 512).

SR

Question No. 3
(20 Marks)
Using the example network shown in figure below, give the virtual circuit tables for all
the switches after each of the following connections is established. Assume that the
sequence of connections is cumulative; that is, the first connection is still up when the
second connection is established, and so on. Also assume that the VCI assignment always
picks the lowest unused VCI on each link, starting with 0.

Answer:
a) Host A connects to host B
VC table at Switch 1:
Incoming
Incoming VCI
Interface

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

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2

VC table at Switch 2:
Incoming
Incoming VCI
Interface
3
0
VC table at Switch 3:
Incoming
Incoming VCI
Interface
0
0
VC table at Switch 4:
Incoming
Incoming VCI
Interface
-

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

1
1

0
1

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

0
1

0
0

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

VC table at Switch 1:
Incoming
Incoming VCI
Interface
2
0
3
0

SR

b) Host C connects to host G

VC table at Switch 2:
Incoming
Incoming VCI
Interface
3
0
3
1
VC table at Switch 3:
Incoming
Incoming VCI
Interface
0
0
VC table at Switch 4:
Incoming
Incoming VCI
Interface
3
0

c) Host E connects to host I

VC table at Switch 1:
3

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VC table at Switch 2:
Incoming
Interface
3
3
2

Incoming VCI

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

0
0

1
1

0
1

Incoming VCI

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

0
1
0

0
1
0

0
0
1

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

3
2

0
0

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

VC table at Switch 3:
Incoming
Incoming VCI
Interface
0
0
0
1
VC table at Switch 4:
Incoming
Incoming VCI
Interface
3
0

VC table at Switch 2:
Incoming
Interface
3
3
2
3

VC table at Switch 1:
Incoming
Interface
2
3
0

d) Host D connects to host B

SR

Incoming
Interface
2
3

Incoming VCI

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

0
0
0

1
1
1

0
1
2

Incoming VCI

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

0
1
0
2

0
1
0
0

0
0
1
2

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

VC table at Switch 3:
Incoming
Incoming VCI
Interface
0
0

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0
0

1
2

2
3

0
1

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

Incoming VCI

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

0
0
0

1
1
1

0
1
2

Incoming VCI

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

0
1
0
0
0

0
0
1
2
3

Incoming VCI

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

0
1
2
3

3
2
3
1

0
0
1
0

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

1
3

0
0

VC table at Switch 4:
Incoming
Incoming VCI
Interface
3
0

VC table at Switch 3:
Incoming
Interface
0
0
0
0

0
1
0
2
0

VC table at Switch 2:
Incoming
Interface
3
3
2
3
1

VC table at Switch 1:
Incoming
Interface
2
3
0

SR

e) Host F connects to host J

VC table at Switch 4:
Incoming
Incoming VCI
Interface
3
0
2
0

f) Host H connects to host A

VC table at Switch 1:

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VC table at Switch 4:
Incoming
Interface
3
2
0

Outgoing VCI

0
0
0
0

1
1
1
2

0
1
2
0

Incoming VCI

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

0
1
0
2
0
1

0
1
0
0
0
3

0
0
1
2
3
0

Incoming VCI

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

SR

VC table at Switch 3:
Incoming
Interface
0
0
0
0

Outgoing Interface

0
1
2
3

3
2
3
1

VC table at Switch 2:
Incoming
Interface
3
3
2
3
1
1

Incoming VCI

0
0
1
0

Incoming VCI

Outgoing Interface

Outgoing VCI

0
0
0

1
3
3

0
0
1

Incoming
Interface
2
3
0
1

Question No. 4
(10 Marks)
Given the extended LAN shown is Figure below, indicate which ports are not selected by
the spanning tree algorithm?

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SR

Answer:
After the completion of spanning tree algorithm, B1 becomes the root. Following ports
are not selected:
1. The port which connects B2 with LAN A, because B7 has a shorter distance to the
root than B2.
2. Both ports of B5, because B3 has a shorter distance to the root and B2 has an
equal distance but smaller id.
3. The port which connects B6 with LAN I, because B4 has an equal distance but
smaller id than B6.

Question No. 5
(5 + 5 Marks)
a) What kinds of problems can arise when two hosts on the same Ethernet share the
same hardware address? Describe what happens and why that behavior is a
problem?
If two hosts on the same Ethernet share the same hardware address, it would result in
the following:
data destined at this address would be fetched by two nodes, one of which is not
the intended destination.
data sent by one of the sources with this address would not be recognized; that
from which source it came. The source would have doubt on its own data and a
non-source would take it as its own data. There can be many other complications.
b. Explain why AAL3/4 will not detect the loss of 16 consecutive cells of a single
PDU?

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In AAL3/4 header, there is a 4-bit sequence number (SEQ), which detects cell loss or
misordering. If consecutive 16 cells are lost AAL3/4 would not detect that loss as
SEQ field would give the same value as in the correct operation of the network.

Question No. 6
Why is duration field present in 802.11 frame?

(10 Marks)

Answer:
In 802.11 frame, the duration field tell how long the sender wants to hold the medium
(i.e., it specifies the length of the data frame to be transmitted). The receiver then replies
with CTS (clear to send) frame; this frame echoes this length field back to the sender.
Any node that sees the CTS frame knows that it is close to the receiver, and therefore
cannot transmit for the period of time it takes to send a frame of the specified length.
[Larry L. Peterson]

Question No. 7
(10 Marks)
Why does wireless LAN only take measures to avoid collision and not to detect it?

SR

Answer:
Collision detection mechanism works only in environments where every node can hear
the traffic from every other node. In wireless LAN, all the nodes are not in the radio
range of each other, usually majority of the nodes are out of the radio range of the sender.
So, in wireless LAN collision avoidance measures are taken rather than collision
detection as a collision at the receiver might not be detected at the sender.

Question No. 8
(10 Marks)
Consider hosts X, Y, Z, W and learning bridges B1, B2, B3, with initially empty
forwarding tables, as in the figure below.

a) Suppose X send to Z. Which bridges learn where X is? Does Ys network

interface see this packet?
The bridges, that learn where X is, are: B1, B2 and B3.
8

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Yes, Ys network interface sees this packet as Y is connected with bridge B2 and B2
had initially empty forwarding table.

b) Suppose Z now sends to X. Which bridges learn where Z is? Does Ys network
interface see this packet?
The bridges, that learn where Z is, are: B1, B2 and B3.
No, Ys network interface does not see this packet as the packet is destined to X and
all bridges have previously learned where X is. Therefore, B2 would simply unicast
the packet towards B1.

c) Suppose Y send to X. Which bridges learn where Y is? Does Zs network

interface see this packet?

SR

The bridges, that learn where Y is, are: B1, B2.

No, Zs network interface does not see this packet as B2 (which has previously
learned about X) would unicast this packet towards B1.

d) Finally, suppose Z send to Y. Which bridges learn where Z is? Does Ws network
interface see this packet?

All bridges already know where Z is.

Yes, Ws network interface sees this packet as W is connected with bridge B3, and
B3 does not know where Y is so it broadcasts on all interfaces.

Question No. 9
(10 Marks)
Suppose a bridge has two of its ports on the same network. How might the bridge detect
and correct this?
Answer:
If a bridge has two of its ports on the same network, then every message sent by the
bridge to that network would be received at the other port of the bridge, thats how it
would detect that two of its ports are connected to the same network. As soon as the
bridge detects that two of its ports are on the same network, it can stop sending and
listening on one of the ports.

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