The Medium Access Sublayer

• Broadcast Networks
• Broadcast channels are multiaccess channels or random
access channels.
• Compete for channel
• Sublayer of the data link layer called the MAC
(Medium Access Control) sublayer.
• Used in LANs
• Channel Allocation Problem
•Static Channel Allocation
•Dynamic Channel Allocation

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 Static Channel Allocation in LANs and MANs

FDM: Frequency Division Multiplexing

TDM: Time Division Multiplexing

Suitable for fixed number of users with constant traffic

Disadvantage:
When the number of users is large and continuously varying
The traffic is bursty (peak traffic to mean traffic = 1000:1), FDM
presents some problems.

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 A simple queuing theory calculation
For a channel of capacity C bps, with an arrival rate of 
frames/sec, each frame having a length drawn from an
exponential probablity density function with mean 1/
bits/frame, the mean time delay
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T 
C  

Divide the single channel up into N independent

subchannels, each with capacity C/N bps. The mean input
rate on each of the subchannel will now be /N.
Recomputing T,

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TFDM   NT
 (C / N )  (  / N )
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Delay is N time worse in FDM
Dynamic Channel Allocation in LANs and MANs

a) Station Model. t :Prob. Of frame being generated

»  : arrival rate of new frame
b) Single Channel Assumption.

c) Collision Assumption. : All stations can detect collision,

collided frame retransmitted, no other errors

d) (a) Continuous Time.

(b) Slotted Time.

e) (a) Carrier Sense.

(b) No Carrier Sense.

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Dynamic Channel Allocation in LANs and MANs

Five key assumptions:

1. Station Model. The model consists of N independent
stations, each with a program or user that generates frames
for transmission.

The probability of a frame being generated in an interval of

length t is t, where  is a constant (the arrival rate of
new frames).

Once a frame has been generated, the station is blocked and

does nothing until the frame has been successfully
transmitted.

Each station has only one program/user , so while a station is

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locked, no new work is generated
Five key assumptions:
2. Single Channel Assumption. A single channel is available
for all communication. All stations can transmit on it and
all can receive from it.

As far as the hardware is concerned, all stations are

equivalent, although some protocol software may assign
priorities to them.

3. Collision Assumption. If two frames are transmitted

simultaneously, they overlap in time and the resulting
signal is garbled. This event is called a collision.

All stations can detect collisions. A collided frame must be

transmitted again alter. There are no errors other than those
generated by collisions.
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Five key assumptions:
4a. Continuous Time. Frame transmission can begin at any
instant. There is no master clock dividing time into discrete
intervals.

4b. Slotted Time. Time is divided into discrete intervals (slots).

Frame transmissions always begin at the start of a slot. A slot
may contain 0, 1, or more frames, corresponding to an idle slot,
a successful transmission, or a collision, respectively.
5a. Carrier Sense. Stations can tell if the channel is in use before
trying to use it. If the channel is sensed as busy, no station will
attempt to use it until it goes idle.

5b. No Carrier Sense. Stations cannot sense the channel before

trying to use it. They just go ahead and transmit. Only later can
they determine whether or not the transmission was successful.
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 Multiple Access Protocols
1. ALOHA
Pure ALOHA
• nodes transmit on a common channel
• transmit frame of fixed length
• when two transmissions overlap, they garble each other
(collision)
• the central node acknowledges the correct frames it receives
• when a node does not get an acknowledgment within a
specific timeout, it assumes that its frame collided
• when a frame collides, the transmitting node schedules a
retransmission after a random delay
Restransmission delay should be random, else same frames
will collide again and again
Feedback in LAN is immediate (negligible prop delay in
LAN) vs. Satellite (Large prop delay) 8
Contention systems
Pure ALOHA
pure ALOHA

time

Nodes can starting transmitting at any time.

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Pure ALOHA Frames are transmitted at completely
arbitrary times.

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Efficiency of pure ALOHA
Frame time : Time needed to transmit a fixed length frame (frame length/rate)

N : Mean number of frames generated per frame time (New frames are
generated with Poisson distribution with mean N)
nodes
collision?
new frame G channel
No
old frame S  G  P0

Yes

G: the mean number of transmission attempts per frame time

(new and old combined)
Assume the probability of k transmission attempts per frame time is also
Poisson
S: Throughput = offered load X Prob. Of successful transmission
For reasonable throughput N between 0 to 1, G~N
S  G  P0 where P0 is the probability that a frame does not11
suffer a collision