Medium Access

Sub Layer
Presented by
P. Anusha,
Asst Prof, CSE(AIML)
 Introduction
 The protocols used to determine who goes next on a
multiaccess channel (Broadcast channel) belong to a sublayer
of the data link layer called the MAC (Medium Access
Control) sublayer.
 MAC sublayer is especially important in LANs, particularly
wireless ones because wireless is naturally a broadcast channel.
 MAC protocols are designed to coordinate transmission of
packets, retransmission of damaged packets, and resolution of
collisions during contention periods among stations
 Channel Allocation Problem
 In a broadcast network, the single broadcast channel is to be
allocated to one transmitting user at a time. When multiple users
want to access the same network, then channel allocation
problem occurs.
 So, to allocate the same(single) channel between multiple users,
some techniques are used, which are called channel allocation
techniques in networks, for the efficient use of frequencies,
time-slots and bandwidth like -
Static channel Allocation
Dynamic channel allocation
 Static channel Allocation
 The traditional way of allocating a single channel between multiple users is
called static channel allocation with Multiplexing.
 Multiplexing is more than one signal on a carrier.
 It also called as fixed channel allocation (fixed portion).
Example: FM radio station among many users
 The FDM and TDM belongs to static channel allocation, either a fixed
frequency or fixed time slot is allotted to each user.
 If the spectrum is cut up into N regions and fewer than N users are
currently interested in communicating, a large piece of valuable spectrum
will be wasted.
Performance of static FDM can easily be seen with
simple queueing theory calculation.
 Let us start with mean time delay T,
 Send a frame onto a channel of capacity C bps.
 Let us assume frames arrive randomly at an average arrival time λ frames/sec
 Average length of the frame is 1/µ bits.
 With the help of these parameters the service rate of channel is μC frame/sec
 Standard queueing theory result is −

 Now divide the single channel into N independent subchannels, each with
capacity C/N bps.
 The mean input rate on each subchannel is λ/N.
 Finally we get
 Dynamic channel allocation
 The technique in which channels are not permanently allocated to the
users is called dynamic channel allocation. In this technique, no fixed
frequency or fixed time slot is allotted to the user.
 The channel allocation depends upon the traffic to the users.
 This technique optimizes bandwidth usage and provides fast data
transmission.
 Dynamic channel allocation is further categorized into two parts as
follows:
Centralized dynamic channel allocation
Distributed dynamic channel allocation
Assumptions in dynamic channel allocation:

 Independent Traffic
 Single Channel
 Observable Collisions
 Continuous or slotted Time
 Carrier sense or No Carrier sense.
 MULTIPLE ACCESS PROTOCOLS
 If there is a dedicated link between the sender and the receiver
then data link control layer is sufficient, however if there is no
dedicated link present then multiple stations can access the
channel simultaneously.
 Hence multiple access protocols are required to decrease collision
and avoid crosstalk.
 The multiple access protocols can be broadly classified into three
categories namely Random access Protocols, Controlled access
Protocols and Channelization Protocols
 Random Access Protocols (RAPs)
 In random access or contention methods, no station is superior to another station
and none is assigned the control over another.
 Any station can send data depending on medium’s state( idle or busy). It has two
features:
 1. There is no fixed time for sending data
 2. There is no fixed sequence of stations sending data
 The Random access protocols are further subdivided as:
 ALOHA
 Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA)
 Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD)
 ALOHA
 It was designed for wireless LAN but is also applicable for shared medium.
In this, multiple stations can transmit data at the same time and can hence lead to
collision and data being garbled.
ALOHA

Pure ALOHA Slotted ALOHA

 The original ALOHA protocol is referred to as Pure ALOHA protocol. The
strategy is that a station can transmit a frame whenever it wants to without
checking the state of the link.
 The Slotted ALOHA divides the time into slots, and each station is asked to send
a frame only at the beginning of the new slot.
 Pure ALOHA
• The original ALOHA protocol is called pure ALOHA. The idea is that each
station sends a frame whenever it has a frame to send. However, since there
is only one channel to share, there is the possibility of collision between
frames from different stations.
• When two or more stations transmit simultaneously, there is collision and
the frames are destroyed.
Pure ALOHA vulnerable time = 2 x Tfr
 Slotted ALOHA
• A station may send soon after another station has started or soon before
another station has finished. Slotted ALOHA was invented to improve the
efficiency of pure ALOHA.
• In slotted ALOHA we divide the time into slots of Tfr s and force the station
to send only at the beginning of the time slot.
Slotted ALOHA vulnerable time = Tfr
 Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA)
Protocols
 To minimize the chance of collision and, therefore, increase the
performance, the CSMA method was developed.
 The chance of collision can be reduced if a station senses the medium
before trying to use it.
 Carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) requires that each station first listen
to the medium (or check the state of the medium) before sending. In other
words, CSMA is based on the principle "sense before transmit" or "listen
before talk."
 CSMA can reduce the possibility of collision, but it cannot eliminate it
because of propagation delay. Whenever a station sends a frame to another
station, it takes time for the first bit to reach the destination station and for
the station to sense it.
CSMA Persistent Methods(access modes)
 Carrier Sense Multiple Access with
Collision Detection (CSMA/CD)
 Carrier sense multiple access with collision detection. Stations can
terminate transmission of data if collision is detected.
 In this method, a station monitors the medium after it sends a frame to
see if the transmission was successful. If so, the station is finished. If,
however, there is a collision, the frame is sent again.
 If no collision occurs, it means the transmission was successful. And if
the collision has occurred, the station sends a jamming signal on the
network notifying other stations about the collision. The station then
waits for a random amount of time and resends the frame.
Collision-Free Protocols
 Almost all collisions can be avoided in CSMA/CD but they can still occur
during the contention period. The collision during the 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 fiber optics network came into use. Here
we shall discuss some protocols that resolve the collision during the
contention period.
Bit-map Protocol
Binary Countdown
Limited Contention Protocols
The Adaptive Tree Walk Protocol
 Bit-map Protocol
 Bit map protocol is collision free Protocol, which each contention period
consists of exactly N slots. If any station has to send frame, then it transmits a
1 bit in the corresponding slot.
 For example, if station 2 has a frame to send, it transmits a 1 bit to the 2nd slot.
 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.
 Binary Countdown
 Binary countdown protocol is used to overcome the overhead 1 bit per binary
station, where binary address stations 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.
 For example, if stations 0010, 0100, 1001, and 1010 are all trying to get the
channel, in the first bit time the stations transmit 0, 0, 1, and 1, respectively.
 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 :
 Behave like the ALOHA scheme under light load
 Behave like the bitmap scheme under heavy load.
Adaptive Tree Walk Protocol
 It 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. Here every stations as
the leaf of a binary tree first slot (after successful transmission), all stations
can try to get the slot.
 Wireless LANs
 Provides network connectivity over wireless media can be regarded as a
wireless LAN.
 Users connected by WLANs can move around within the area of network
coverage. Most WLANs are based upon the standard IEEE 802.11 or
WiFi.
 A common configuration for a wireless LAN is an office building with
Access Points (APs), used as Hub in a network.
 AP is installed to act as Bridge between Wireless and Wired Network
 AP is connected to wired network and is equipped with antennae to
provide wireless connectivity
 802.11 Wireless LAN
 Range ( Distance between Access Point and WLAN client) depends on
structural hindrances and Radio Frequency gain of the antenna at the Access
Point.
 A client is always associated with one AP and when the client moves closer to
another AP, it associates with the new AP (Hand-Off).
 Hidden Terminal problem
 Exposed terminal problem
Solution : MACA (Multiple Access with
Collision Avoidance)
 The basic idea behind it is for the sender to stimulate the receiver into outputting
a short frame, so stations nearby can detect this transmission and avoid
transmitting for the duration of the upcoming (large) data frame. This technique
is used instead of carrier sense.
 Using :
RTS (Request To Send) frame
CTS (Clear To Send) frame.