Computer Communications

& Networks

FARAZ ALI
[email protected]
+92-321-404-1740
 Outline

• Introduction
• Contention Protocols
• ALOHA
• Slotted ALOHA
• CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access)
• CSMA/CD (CSMA with Collision Detection)
• CSMA/CA (CSMA with Collision Avoidance)

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 Introduction

• Multiple access control channels

• Each node is attached to a transmitter/receiver which
communicates via a channel shared by other nodes
• Transmission from any node is received by other nodes

Node 3

Node 4
Node 2 Shared Multiple
Access Control
Channel to BS

Node 1 …
Node N
Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 Introduction (Cont’d)

• Multiple access issues

• If more than one node transmits at a time on the control
channel to BS, a collision occurs
• How to determine which node can transmit to BS?
• Multiple access protocols
• Solving multiple access issues
• Different types:
• Contention protocols resolve a collision after it occurs. These
protocols execute a collision resolution protocol after each
collision
• Collision-free protocols (e.g., a bit-map protocol and binary
countdown) ensure that a collision can never occur.

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 Channel Sharing Techniques

Static
Channelization

Channel Sharing
Techniques
Scheduling

Dynamic Medium
Access Control
Random Access

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 Classification of Multiple Access Protocols

Multiple access protocols

Contention-based Conflict-free

Random access Collision resolution

ALOHA, TREE, FDMA,

CSMA, WINDOW, TDMA,
etc
BTMA, CDMA,
ISMA, Token Bus,
etc
BTMA: Busy Tone Multiple Access DQDB, etc
ISMA: Internet Streaming Media Alliance DQDB: Distributed Queue Dual Bus
Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 Contention Protocols

• ALOHA
• Developed in the 1970s for a packet radio network by Hawaii
University.
• Whenever a station has a data, it transmits. Sender finds out
whether transmission was successful or experienced a collision by
listening to the broadcast from the destination station. Sender
retransmits after some random time if there is a collision.
• Slotted ALOHA
• Improvement: Time is slotted and a packet can only be transmitted
at the beginning of one slot. Thus, it can reduce the collision
duration.

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 Contention Protocols (Cont’d)

CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access)

Improvement: Start transmission only if no transmission is ongoing
CSMA/CD (CSMA with Collision Detection)
Improvement: Stop ongoing transmission if a collision is detected
CSMA/CA (CSMA with Collision Avoidance)
Improvement: Wait a random time and try again when carrier is quiet. If
still quiet, then transmit
CSMA/CA with ACK
CSMA/CA with RTS/CTS

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 ALOHA

Node 1 Packet Waiting a random time

Node 2 Packet
Retransmission Retransmission

1 2 3 3 2
Time
Collision

Node 3 Packet

Collision mechanism in ALOHA

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 Throughput of ALOHA
• The probability that n packets arrive in two packets time is given by
n
(2G) e 2G
Pn 
n!
where G is traffic load.
• The probability P(0) that a packet is successfully received without
collision is calculated by letting n=0 in the above equation. We get

P0  e  2G
• We can calculate throughput S with a traffic load G as follows:

S G P0 G e  2G

• The Maximum throughput of ALOHA is

1
S max  0.184
2e Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 Slotted ALOHA

Node 1 Packet

Nodes 2 & 3 Packets

Retransmission Retransmission

1 2&3 2 3
Time

Slot Collision

Collision mechanism in slotted ALOHA

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 Throughput of Slotted ALOHA

• The probability of no collision is given by

P0  e  G

• The throughput S is

S G P0 G e  G

• The Maximum throughput of slotted ALOHA is

1
S max  0.368
e

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 Throughput

0.5

0.4 0.368

0.3
Slotted Aloha
S

0.2 0.184

0.1 Aloha

00 2 4 6 8
G
G
Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access)

• Max throughput achievable by slotted

ALOHA is 0.368.
• CSMA gives improved throughput compared
to Aloha protocols.
• Listens to the channel before transmitting a
packet (avoid avoidable collisions).

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 Collision Mechanism in CSMA

Node 1 Packet
Node 5 sense
Node 2 Packet
Node 3 Packet Delay

1 2 3 4 5
Time
Delay Collision

Node 4 sense

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 Kinds of CSMA

Unslotted Nonpersistent CSMA

Nonpersistent CSMA

Slotted Nonpersistent CSMA

CSMA

Unslotted persistent CSMA

Persistent CSMA

Slotted persistent CSMA

1-persistent CSMA

p-persistent CSMA

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
Nonpersistent/x-persistent CSMA Protocols

p-persistent CSMA Protocol:

Step 1: If the medium is idle, transmit with probability p, and delay
for worst case propagation delay for one packet with probability (1-p)
Step 2: If the medium is busy, continue to listen until medium
becomes idle, then go to Step 1
Step 3: If transmission is delayed by one time slot, continue with Step 1
A good tradeoff between nonpersistent and 1-persistent CSMA

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 How to Select Probability p ?

• Assume that N nodes have a packet to send and the

medium is busy
• Then, Np is the expected number of nodes that will
attempt to transmit once the medium becomes idle
• If Np > 1, then a collision is expected to occur

Therefore, network must make sure that Np < 1 to

avoid collision, where N is the maximum number of
nodes that can be active at a time

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 Throughput

1.0 0.01-persistent CSMA

0.9 Nonpersistent CSMA
0.8
0.7
0.1-persistent CSMA
0.6
0.5-persistent CSMA
0.5
S

1-persistent CSMA
0.4
0.3
Slotted Aloha
0.2
Aloha
0.1
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
G

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
CSMA/CD (CSMA with Collision Detection)

• In CSMA, if 2 terminals begin sending packet at the same

time, each will transmit its complete packet (although
collision is taking place).
• Wasting medium for an entire packet time.
• CSMA/CD
Step 1: If the medium is idle, transmit
Step 2: If the medium is busy, continue to listen until
the channel is idle then transmit
Step 3: If a collision is detected during transmission,
cease transmitting
Step 4: Wait a random amount of time and repeats
the same algorithm
Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 CSMA/CD (Cont’d)
T0 A begins transmission
A B

T 0 + -  B begins transmission
A B

T0 +  B detects collision
A B

T0+2 - A detects collision just

before end of transmission
A B
Time ( is the propagation time)
Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 CSMA/CA (CSMA with collision Avoidance)
• All terminals listen to the same medium as CSMA/CD.
• Terminal ready to transmit senses the medium.
• If the medium is busy it waits until the end of current transmission. A
• It again waits for an additional predetermined time period DIFS
(Distributed inter-frame Space).
• Then picks up a random number of slots (the initial value of the back-off
counter) within a contention window to wait before transmitting its frame.
• If there are transmissions by other terminals during this time period (back-
off time), the terminal freezes its counter.
• It resumes count down after other terminals finish transmission + DIFS.
The terminal can start its transmission when the counter reaches zero.

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 CSMA/CA (Cont’d)

Node A’s frame Node B’s frame Node C’s frame

Delay: B
Delay: C Time
Nodes B & C sense
the medium
Nodes C starts
Nodes B resenses the medium transmitting.
and transmits its frame.
Node C freezes its counter.

Nodes C resenses the

medium and starts
decrementing its counter.

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 CSMA/CA Explained

Contention DIFS Contention window

DIFS window
Medium Busy Next Frame
Time
Defer access Slot

Backoff after defer

DIFS – Distributed Inter Frame Spacing

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 CSMA/CA with ACK

• Immediate Acknowledgements from receiver upon reception of data

frame without any need for sensing the medium.
• ACK frame transmitted after time interval SIFS (Short Inter-Frame
Space) (SIFS < DIFS)
• Receiver transmits ACK without sensing the medium.
• If ACK is lost, retransmission done.

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 CSMA/CA/ACK

DIFS Time
Data
Source
SIFS
ACK
Destination
DIFS Contention window

Next Frame
Other
Defer access Backoff after defer

SIFS – Short Inter Frame Spacing

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 CSMA/CA with RTS/CTS

• Transmitter sends an RTS (request to send) after

medium has been idle for time interval more than
DIFS.
• Receiver responds with CTS (clear to send) after
medium has been idle for SIFS.
• Then Data is exchanged.
• RTS/CTS is used for reserving channel for data
transmission so that the collision can only occur
in control message.

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 CSMA/CA with RTS/CTS (Cont’d)
DIFS SIFS
RTS Data Time
Source
SIFS SIFS

CTS ACK
Destination
DIFS
Contention window

Next Frame
Other

Defer access Backoff after defer

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 RTS/CTS

Node A Node B

Propagation delay
RTS

CTS

Data

ACK

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
 Nonpersistent/x-persistent CSMA Protocols

• Nonpersistent CSMA Protocol:

Step 1: If the medium is idle, transmit immediately
Step 2: If the medium is busy, wait a random amount of time and
repeat Step 1
• Random backoff reduces probability of collisions
• Waste idle time if the backoff time is too long

• 1-persistent CSMA Protocol:

Step 1: If the medium is idle, transmit immediately
Step 2: If the medium is busy, continue to listen until medium
becomes idle, and then transmit immediately
• There will always be a collision if two nodes want to retransmit
(usually you stop transmission attempts after few tries)

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)
Thank You
Question and Answers

Faraz Ali
(Lecturer FOIT)
(University of Central Punjab)