Computer Network Lecture: 23

Collision-Free Protocols
Collision-free protocols avoid collisions entirely. Senders must know when it is their turn to send.

Almost collisions can be avoided in CSMA/CD but they can still occur during the contention period.
The collision during contention period adversely affects the system performance, this happens when
the cable is long and length of packet are short. This problem becomes serious as fibre optics network
come into use. Here we shall discuss some protocols that resolve the collision during the contention
period.
1. Bit-map Protocol (Reservation Protocol)
2. Binary Countdown (Bidding Protocol where highest address wins)
3. Limited Contention Protocols
4. The Adaptive Tree Walk Protocol

Collision Free Protocols:

• Pay constant overhead to achieve performance guarantee
• Good when network load is high

1. Bit-map Protocol:
The protocol consists of two phases
Contention:
• There are a fixed number of content slots.
• Sender set a bit in contention slot if they have data.
Sending frames:
• Senders send in turn; everyone knows who has data.

In this protocols the node desire to transmit is broadcast before actual transmission and is called reservation
protocols. Each station announces whether it has data frame to transmit in its content slot. After that actual
frame is transmitted.

• Bit map protocol is collision free Protocol.

• In this method, each contention period consists of exactly N slots.
• If any station has to send frame, then it transmits a 1 bit in the respective slot. For example, if
station 2 has a frame to send, it transmits a 1 bit during the second slot.
In general Station 1 Announce the fact that it has a frame questions by inserting a 1 bit into slot 1. In
this way, each station has complete knowledge of which station wishes to transmit. There will never
be any collisions because everyone agrees on who goes next. Protocols like this in which the desire to
transmit is broadcasting for the actual transmission are called Reservation Protocols.

For analyzing the performance of this protocol, we will measure time in units of the contention bits
slot, with a data frame consisting of d time units. Under low load conditions, the bitmap will simply
be repeated over and over, for lack of data frames. All the stations have something to send all the time
at high load, the N bit contention period is prorated over N frames, yielding an overhead of only 1 bit
per frame.

Generally, high numbered stations have to wait for half a scan before starting to transmit low
numbered stations have to wait for half a scan (N/2 bit slots) before starting to transmit, low
numbered stations have to wait on an average 1.5 N slots.

Channel efficiency/utilization: assume N slots, d bits per frame

• Low load: ~ d/(d+N)
• High load: ~ d/(d + 1)
• Mean delay > (N-1)d/2 + N

2. Binary Countdown:
Binary countdown protocol is used to overcome the overhead 1 bit per binary station. In binary
countdown, binary station addresses are used. A station wanting to use the channel broadcast its
address as binary bit string starting with the high order bit. All addresses are assumed of the same
length. Here, we will see the example to illustrate the working of the binary countdown.

In this method, different station addresses are read together who decide the priority of transmitting.
If these stations 0010, 0100, 1001 and 1010 all are trying to seize the channel for transmission. All the
station at first broadcast their most significant address bit that is 0, 0, 1, 1 respectively. The most
significant bits are read together. Station 0010 and 0100 see the 1 MSB in another station addresses
and knows that a higher numbered station is competing for the channel, so it gives up for the current
round.

Other two stations 1001, 1010 continue. The next bit is 0 in both so they check next 3rd bit. It is 1 at
station 1010, therefore station 1001 give up. Then station 1010 starts transmitting a frame, after which
another bidding cycle starts.

3. Limited Contention Protocols:

• Collision based protocols (pure and slotted ALOHA, CSMA/CD) are good when the network
load is low.
• Collision free protocols (bitmap, binary Countdown) are good when load is high.
• How about combining their advantages?
1. Behave like the ALOHA scheme under light load
2. Behave like the bitmap scheme under heavy load.

Technique that used contention at low load to provide low delay and collision free technique at high load to
provide good channel efficiency such protocols are known as Limited Contention Protocols.

 In earlier protocols: stations acquire channel with probability p (1 – Persistent) .

 All stations acquire channel with same probability. This is known as symmetric protocols
 But sometimes performance can be improved by using a protocol that assigns different probability
(N – Persistent) to each station known as asymmetric protocols
Ability of some stations acquiring channel can be increased if competition is reduced. How to reduce
competition?

From previous protocols, it is fairly obvious that the probability of some station acquiring the channel can be
increased only by decreasing the amount of competition. Limited-contention protocols do precisely that.

• First divide the stations into groups.

• Only the members of group 0 are permitted to complete for slot 0.
• If one of them succeeds, it acquires the channel and transmits its frame.
• If the slot lies unused or if there is a collision, the members of group 1 contend for slot 1, etc
• By making appropriate division of stations into groups the amount of contention for slots can be
reduced.

How to Assign station to slots ?

 As an extreme case one group has one member

 Guarantees that there will be no collision: binary countdown
 Next case: Assign two stations per slot
 The probability that both will try to transmit during a slot is p/2

As more and more stations are added how stations will be assigned to slot?
 One method is adaptive tree walk protocols

4. Adaptive Tree Walk Protocol:

• partition the group of station and limit the contention for each slot.
• Under light load, everyone can try for each slot like ALOHA.
• Under heavy load, only a group can try for each slot.

How do we do it
1. treat every station as the leaf of a binary tree
2. first slot (after successful transmission), all stations can try to get the slot (under the root
node).
3. if no conflict, fine
4. in case of conflict, only nodes under a subtree get to try for the next one. (depth first search)

For Example:
• Slot-0: C*, E*, F*, H* (all nodes under node 0 can try which are going to send), conflict

• Slot-1: C* (all nodes under node 1 can try}, C sends

• Slot-2: E*, F*, H*(all nodes under node 2 can try}, conflict

• Slot-3: E*, F* (all nodes under node 5 can try to send), conflict

• Slot-4: E* (all nodes under E can try), E sends

• Slot-5: F* (all nodes under F can try), F sends

• Slot-6: H* (all nodes under node 6 can try to send), H sends.