Multiple

Access
Protocols

Multiple Access
Multiple hosts sharing the same medium
What are the new problems?

Shared Media
Ethernet bus
Radio channel
Token ring network

Multiple Access protocols

Single shared broadcast channel
Two or more simultaneous transmissions by nodes:

interference
Collision if node receives two or more signals at the same time

Multiple Access Protocol

Distributed algorithm that determines how nodes share

channel, i.e., determine when node can transmit

Communication about channel sharing must use channel
itself!
No out-of-band channel for coordination

Channel Partitioning
Frequency Division Multiplexing
Each node has a frequency band
Time Division Multiplexing
Each node has a series of fixed time slots
What networks are these good for?

Computer Network Characteristics

Transmission needs vary
Between different nodes
Over time
Network is not fully utilized

Ideal Multiple Access Protocol

Broadcast channel of rate R bps
1. When one node wants to transmit, it can send at
rate R.
2. When M nodes want to transmit, each can send at
average rate R/M
3. Fully decentralized:
no special node to coordinate transmissions

no synchronization of clocks, slots

4. Simple

Random Access Protocols

When node has packet to send
transmit at full channel data rate R.
no a priori coordination among nodes

two or more transmitting nodes collision,

random access MAC protocol specifies:
how to detect collisions
how to recover from collisions (e.g., via delayed retransmissions)

Examples of random access MAC protocols:

slotted ALOHA
ALOHA
CSMA, CSMA/CD, CSMA/CA

Data link layer divided into two functionality-oriented sublayers

Taxonomy of multiple-access protocols discussed in this chapter

RANDOM ACCESS

In random access or contention methods, no station is superior to another station

and none is assigned the control over another. No station permits, or does not
permit, another station to send. At each instance, a station that has data to send
uses a procedure defined by the protocol to make a decision on whether or not to
send.

ALOHA
Carrier Sense Multiple Access
Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection
Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance

Frames in a pure ALOHA network

Procedure for pure ALOHA protocol

Vulnerable time for pure ALOHA protocol

Frames in a slotted ALOHA network

Vulnerable time for slotted ALOHA protocol

Space/time model of the collision in CSMA

Vulnerable time in CSMA

Behavior of three persistence methods

Flow diagram for three persistence methods

Figure 12.12 Collision of the first bit in CSMA/CD

12.22

Collision and abortion in CSMA/CD