Multiple Access Protocol

Multiple Access Protocols in Computer Network
The Data Link Layer is responsible for transmission of data between two nodes. Its
main functions are-
 Data Link Control
 Multiple Access Control
 Data Link control – The data link control is responsible for reliable
transmission of message over transmission channel by using techniques like
framing, error control and flow control.
 Multiple Access Control – 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. For example, in a classroom full of students,
when a teacher asks a question and all the students (or stations) start
answering simultaneously (send data at same time) then a lot of chaos is
created(data overlap or data lost) then it is the job of the teacher (multiple
access protocols) to manage the students and make them answer one at a
time.
Thus, protocols are required for sharing data on non-dedicated channels. Multiple
access protocols can be subdivided further as –
1. Random Access Protocol: In this, all stations have same superiority that is no
station has more priority than another station. 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:
(a) 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.
 Pure Aloha: When a station sends data it waits for an acknowledgement. If the
acknowledgement doesn’t come within the allotted time then the station waits for
a random amount of time called back-off time (Tb) and re-sends the data. Since
different stations wait for different amount of time, the probability of further
collision decreases.
Vulnerable Time = 2* Frame transmission time
Throughput = G exp{-2*G}
Maximum throughput = 0.184 for G=0.5
 Slotted Aloha: It is similar to pure aloha, except that we divide time into slots
and sending of data is allowed only at the beginning of these slots. If a station
misses out the allowed time, it must wait for the next slot. This reduces the
probability of collision.
Vulnerable Time = Frame transmission time
Throughput = G exp{-*G}
Maximum throughput = 0.368 for G=1
(b) CSMA – Carrier Sense Multiple Access ensures fewer collisions as the station
is required to first sense the medium (for idle or busy) before transmitting data. If it
is idle then it sends data, otherwise it waits till the channel becomes idle. However,
there is still chance of collision in CSMA due to propagation delay. CSMA access
modes-
 1-persistent: The node senses the channel, if idle it sends the data, otherwise it
continuously keeps on checking the medium for being idle and transmits
unconditionally (with 1 probability) as soon as the channel gets idle.
 Non-Persistent: The node senses the channel, if idle it sends the data, otherwise
it checks the medium after a random amount of time (not continuously) and
transmits when found idle.
 P-persistent: The node senses the medium, if idle it sends the data with p
probability. If the data is not transmitted ((1-p) probability) then it waits for some
time and checks the medium again, now if it is found idle then it send with p
probability. This repeat continues until the frame is sent. It is used in Wifi and
packet radio systems.
 O-persistent: Superiority of nodes is decided beforehand and transmission
occurs in that order. If the medium is idle, node waits for its time slot to send
data.
(c) CSMA/CD – Carrier sense multiple access with collision detection. Stations can
terminate transmission of data if collision is detected.
(d) CSMA/CA – Carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance. The process
of collisions detection involves sender receiving acknowledgement signals. If there
is just one signal(its own) then the data is successfully sent but if there are two
signals(its own and the one with which it has collided) then it means a collision has
occurred. To distinguish between these two cases, collision must have a lot of impact
on received signal.
2. Controlled Access:
In this, the data is sent by that station which is approved by all other stations.
3. Channelization: In this, the available bandwidth of the link is shared in time,
frequency and code to multiple stations to access channel simultaneously.
 Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) – The available bandwidth is
divided into equal bands so that each station can be allocated its own band.
Guard bands are also added so that no two bands overlap to avoid crosstalk and
noise.

 Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) – In this, the bandwidth is shared
between multiple stations. To avoid collision time is divided into slots and stations
are allotted these slots to transmit data. However there is a overhead of
synchronization as each station needs to know its time slot. This is resolved by
adding synchronization bits to each slot. Another issue with TDMA is propagation
delay which is resolved by addition of guard bands.
 Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) – One channel carries all

transmissions simultaneously. There is neither division of bandwidth nor division
of time. For example, if there are many people in a room all speaking at the same
time, then also perfect reception of data is possible if only two person speak the
same language. Similarly, data from different stations can be transmitted
simultaneously in different code languages.

 Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) – In OFDMA the
available bandwidth is divided into small subcarriers in order to increase the
overall performance, Now the data is transmitted through these small subcarriers.
it is widely used in the 5G technology.
Advantages:
 Increase in efficiency
 High data rates
 Good for multimedia traffic
Disadvantages:
 Complex to implement
 High peak to power ratio
 Spatial Division Multiple Access (SDMA) – SDMA uses multiple antennas at

the transmitter and receiver to separate the signals of multiple users that are
located in different spatial directions. This technique is commonly used in MIMO
(Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output) wireless communication systems.
Advantages:
 Frequency band uses effectively
 The overall signal quality will be improved
 The overall data rate will be increased
Disadvantages:
 It is complex to implement
 It requires the accurate information about the channel
Features of multiple access protocols:
Contention-based access: Multiple access protocols are typically contention-

based, meaning that multiple devices compete for access to the communication
channel. This can lead to collisions if two or more devices transmit at the same time,
which can result in data loss and decreased network performance.
Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA): CSMA is a widely used multiple access
protocol in which devices listen for carrier signals on the communication channel
before transmitting. If a carrier signal is detected, the device waits for a random
amount of time before attempting to transmit to reduce the likelihood of collisions.
Collision Detection (CD): CD is a feature of some multiple access protocols that
allows devices to detect when a collision has occurred and take appropriate action,
such as backing off and retrying the transmission.
Collision Avoidance (CA): CA is a feature of some multiple access protocols that
attempts to avoid collisions by assigning time slots to devices for transmission.
Token passing: Token passing is a multiple access protocol in which devices pass
a special token between each other to gain access to the communication channel.
Devices can only transmit data when they hold the token, which ensures that only
one device can transmit at a time.
Bandwidth utilization: Multiple access protocols can affect the overall bandwidth
utilization of a network. For example, contention-based protocols may result in lower
bandwidth utilization due to collisions, while token passing protocols may result in
higher bandwidth utilization due to the controlled access to the communication
channel.

Multiple Access Protocol

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Multiple Access Protocols in Computer Network

 Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) – One channel carries all

 Spatial Division Multiple Access (SDMA) – SDMA uses multiple antennas at

Contention-based access: Multiple access protocols are typically contention-

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