Summary
Certain computer networks have been implemented using a radio broadcast frequency over which a large set of terminals are allowed to transmit packets of bits; one such example is the ALOHA computer network [1]. In such systems, a basic problem is that of the blocking of terminals whose transmission of a packet has overlapped in time with transmission by some other terminal. In this paper we consider a “slotted ALOHA” packet transmission scheme with an infinite set of terminals each transmitting at an infinitesimally small rate. We present a probabilistic model of such a system to show that the slotted ALOHA system with an infinite population is inherently unstable. This paper confirms the simulations and results of Kleinrock and Lam [8].
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References
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Fayolle, G., Gelenbe, E., Labetoulle, J. et al. The stability problem of broadcast packet switching computer networks. Acta Informatica 4, 49–53 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00288935
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00288935