King Saud University

College of Computer and Information Sciences

Computer Science Department

CSC 524 First semester 1442/1443

Assignment 3

Name ID Section

1) Complete the next table for the different protocols discussed in chapter 4. Answer yes or no.

Characteristic ALOHA CSMA/CD Token Passing Adaptive Tree Walk

Multiple access Yes Yes No Yes

Carrier Sense No Yes No No

Possibility of collision Yes Yes No Yes

Collision checking(detection) No Yes No No

Acknowledgment Yes No No No

2) The data rate of faster Ethernet is 100 Mbps. How long does it take to transmit the smallest frame?
Show your calculation. Transmission time = frame size/data rate

Smallest Ethernet frame size: 64 bytes = 512 bit

512 512
Transmission time = 6=
×10−6= 5.12×10-6=5.12μSecond
100× 10 100

3) explain the reason behind imposing a minimum frame size for CSMA/CD to work correctly?

Reason for having a minimum frame size is to provide a protocol with reliable detection mechanism and
to prevent a sender from completing the transmission of a short frame before the first bit has even
reached the receiver, where it may collide with another frame.

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As in the above photo:
a)At time 0, A sends off a frame. (Let the propagation time needed for the frame to reach B is τ).
b)Just before the frame gets to the B at time τ − ε
c)B, starts transmitting a frame. When B detects that it is receiving more power than it is putting out, it
knows that a collision has occurred, so it aborts its transmission and generates jams signal to make
sure that A does not miss the collision.
d)At time 2τ, A sees the noise burst and aborts its transmission, too. It then waits a random time before
trying again.

If a station tries to transmit a very short frame, it is conceivable that a collision will occur, but the
transmission will have completed before the noise burst gets back to the sender at 2τ. The sender will
then incorrectly conclude that the frame was successfully sent, since CSMA/CD does not use
acknowledgment signal to insure that the frame sent successfully to the receiver .

To prevent this situation from occurring, all frames must take more than 2τ to send, so that the
transmission is still taking place when the noise burst gets back to the sender (sender must still in
transmission mode to detect the accrued collision).

Transmission time = 2τ (in standard Ethernet propagation time 25.6 μSecond)

Transmission time = 2*25.6 = 51.2 μSecond
Thus, the sender needs at least 51.2 μSecond for detecting a collision.
For 100 Mb Ethernet Station will transmit = 100 * 106 * 51.2 *10−6 = 512 bits = 64 byte (Min frame size).

4) The 802.11 protocol can handle some hidden-terminal problems using the RTS-CTS mechanism.
Please explain the following:

(a) What is the hidden-terminal problem? When and how does it occur?

hidden terminal problem is problem of a station not being able to detect a potential competitor for
the medium because the competitor is too far away. In other words, Hidden terminals are senders
that cannot sense each other but nonetheless collide at intended receiver.

The hidden terminal problem occurs when a node is visible from an Access Point and not visible to
other nodes which communicate with that Access Point.

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 As in the above photo Access Point B lies within the ranges of both node A and node C. Node A can
directly communicate with Access Point B but not with node C, similarly, node C can directly
communicate with Access Point B but not with node A. So it is said that the node A is hidden from
node C.

When node A and node C simultaneously send data to node B it will lead to a collision. Since node A
and C are hidden from each other, both of them will sense the medium free before sending the data,
and will not detect any collision while sending data. As a result, B will receive corrupted data.

(b) How does the RTS-CTS mechanism help towards solving the hidden-terminal problem?

Wireless networking protocol uses two frames known as RTS and CTS to check medium for collision
avoidance to resolve the hidden terminal problem.

RTS => Request To Send, CTS => Clear To Send

When a node wants to send data it will first send the RTS signal. If the Access Point is ready to receive
the data, it will send back the CTS signal. When a node receives a CTS signal from an Access Point
without a RTS signal, it will understand that CTS signal is for a hidden terminal, so it will not transfer
any data.

As in the
above photo if Node S1 is not in the range of Node S2, so Node S2 doesn’t receive the first RTS, but
since it is in the range of Access Point R, it receives the CTS. Node S 2 will wait until it receive ACK
signal then it will send RTS signal to the Access Point R. If the ACK signal lost, Node S 2 knows the time
needed for Node S1 to send the data and the data size from the previous CTS signal.

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 (c) Illustrate with the communication sequence when two nodes A and C both want to communicate
with an intermediate node B.

Detect Detect
RTC 3 Data
A
2
1 4
6 8
CTS ACK CTS ACK
B
5
7
RTS Data
C
Detect
Detect
Wait
Can Send

(d) Explain with an example of four nodes how the RTS/CTS in the MACA protocol is a little different then
the802.11 protocol?

2 7
CTS ACK
A
5

1
RTS Data
B

3
RTS
Exposed
Terminal
C
8
D CTS
ACK

Data 6
4

(e) What is the purpose of NAV?

The network allocation vector (NAV) is a virtual carrier sensing mechanism that forms an important
part of the CSMA/CA. It is implemented in wireless network protocols, which operates in the MAC
sublayer, to avoid collision and help in solving hidden terminal problem. NAV is a waiting time such
that NAV= RTC + CTS + Data + ACK.

It can be considered as a counter that counts down to zero. The maximum NAV duration is the
transmission time required by frame, which is the time for which the channel will be busy. At the
start of transmission of a frame, the NAV value is set to its maximum. A non-zero value indicates

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 that the channel is busy, and so no station contends for it. When the NAV value decrements to 0, it
indicates that the channel is free and the other stations can contend for it.