Computer Networks

Part I - Tutorial 3

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 Q1: Ethernet: Minimum
Frame Size Requirement
A round trip signal propagation time + the
processing time is the minimum transmission
requirement for a frame transmission to ensure a
proper detection of a collision.

200 m

We must consider the “worst” case.

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 Q1: Minimum Frame Size

Minimum frame size (tx. time)

= 2 x end-to-end signal propagation time
+ processing time (negligible)

End-to-end signal propagation time

= 5 x delay in segment + 4 x delay in each repeate

200 m

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 Q1: Minimum Frame Size

Minimum frame size (tx. time)

= 2 x end-to-end signal propagation time 36us
+ processing time (negligible)
8us
End-to-end signal propagation time
= 5 x delay in segment + 4 x delay in each repeate

2us 2us
10us
>Given that signal prop. time is 1us for every
100m
Delay per segment = 200 / 100 = 2 us
>Given that the delay in each repeater = 2 us
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 Q1: Minimum Frame Size

Minimum frame size (tx. time) = 36 us

at 20Mb/s, for a time period of 36 us, the

number of bits can be transmitted is:

36us x 20Mb/s= 720 bits

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 Q2:Binary Exponential
Backoff (BEB)

PROBLEM: hub
Three stations involved in a
collision in an attempt to access
an Ethernet LAN. Calculate the
probability that the next event on
the channel is also a collision.

Next event can be either:

- a successful transmission
or
- a collision.
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 Q2:Binary Exponential
Backoff (BEB)
collision

time
possible
collision retransmission time
transmissio detected (slot 0 or slot 1)
n started

Probability that the next event is also a collision:

= Prob (All choose slot 0 or 1) + Prob (Two choose slot 0)
= Prob (A=0, B=0, C=0) + Prob (A=1, B=1, C=1)
+ Prob (A=1, B=0, C=0) + Prob (A=0, B=1, C=0)
+ Prob (A=0, B=0, C=1)
= (0.5 x 0.5 x 0.5) x 5 (since A, B, & C are independent)
= 0.625
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 Question 3
In a local area network using the CSMA/CD protocol, a
modified Binary Exponential Backoff scheme is used if a
collision is detected in the channel. Assume that two stations
(A and B) are transmitting and their frames collide in one
time slot. Each of them will retransmit its data frame over a
window of size 2 slots. Station A retransmits in slot 0 with
probability of p and station B retransmits in slot 0 with
probability of q.
•If p = 1/3 and q = 2/3, what is the probability that the first
event in the channel will be a success?
•How would you maximize the probability that the first event
in the channel will be a success, by choosing proper values
for p and q?
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 Q3 answer

A p

B q

0 1

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 Q3(i) answer
A B Probability Success?
0 0 pq
0 1 p(1-q) Yes
1 0 (1-p)q Yes
1 1 (1-p)(1-q)

p = 1/3, q = 2/3

Pr( first event is success) = p(1-q)+(1-p)q

= 1/3*1/3 + 2/3 *2/3
= 5/9

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 Q3(ii) answer
A B Probability Success?
0 0 pq
0 1 p(1-q) Yes
1 0 (1-p)q Yes
1 1 (1-p)(1-q)

Pr( first event is success) = p(1-q)+(1-p)q

minimize pq + (1-p)(1-q) is achieved when
pq =0 and (1-p)(1-q) =0

To maximize the throughput, one can choose

(i)p = 0, q =1, or
(ii)p =1 , q = 0
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 Question 4

Suppose that an 11-Mbps 802.11b WLAN is

transmitting 64-byte frames back-to-back over a
radio channel with a bit error rate of 10 −7. How
many frames per second will be damaged on
average?

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 Q4 Answer

A frame contains 512 bits. The bit error rate is p = 10−7. The
probability of all 512 of them surviving correctly is (1 − p)512,
which is about 0.9999488. The fraction damaged is thus
about 5 × 10−5. The number of frames per second is 11 × 106 /
512 or about 21,484. Multiplying these two numbers together,
we get about 1 damaged frame per second.

Taylor expansion:
(1 − p)512 ≈ 1-p*512 = 1- 10−7 *512 = 0.9999488

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 Question 5
You are commissioned to design an experimental wireless network
for SCE to support its 100 wireless devices. You have decided to
adopt a multi-access reservation protocol (MARP) for frame
transmission in the data link layer. Specifically, each transmission
cycle consists of two phases: a reservation phase and a transmission
phase. In the reservation phase, a chosen MAC protocol is used for
transmission stations to reserve the channel; and in the transmission
phase, the station that successfully reserves the channel transmits
one frame. The data rate in the wireless channel is 1 Mbps. The
length of the data frame is 1000 bits, among which the reservation
frame carries 10 information bits.

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 Q5(i) Answer
(i) If the MAC protocol used in the reservation phase has a
utilization of 0.8, what will be the throughput of the MARP?
Phase 1: Reservation
Phase 2: Transmission

μ-v

v 1000 10
 1000 s,  10 s
1mbps 1mbps
Sr=0.8
1000 1000
S  99.75%
990  10 1002.5
0.8
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 Q5(ii) Answer
(ii) Assume that the slotted Aloha protocol is used in the reservation phase.
The utilization for the slotted Aloha protocol is Ge-G, where G = np, n is the
number of stations, and p is transmission probability. Calculate an optimal
transmission probability to maximize the throughput of the MARP, and the
corresponding maximum throughput?

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