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1. List the main types of Media Access Control Protocol. Could CSMA/CD be used as the primary LAN protocol for the WIRELESS LAN instead of CSMA/CA? What is the particular characteristic of wireless LAN that makes application of CSMA/CD difficult?
Expert Answer
Main types of Media Access Control Protocol:
1. Pure Aloha
2. Slotted Aloha
3. CSMA/CD
4. CSMA/CA
No, CSMA/CD cannot be used as the primary LAN protocol for the WIRELESS LAN instead of CSMA/CA because wired network uses CSMA/CD and wireless LAN uses CSMA/CA.
CSMA CA functions by detecting the state of the medium in order to prevent or recover from a collision. A collision occurs when two transmitters communicate at the same time, so that the data gets scattered, and the receivers are unable to distinguish the data so that there occurs the loss of data.
CSMA CD functions by detecting the occurrence of a collision. If the collision is detected, then CSMA CD immediately stops the transmission and again it starts listening whether the data is transmitting or not.
CSMA CA does not deal with the retrieval of data after a collision. It checks whether the medium is in use or not. If the medium is in use, then the transmitter waits until it is free, and then it starts transmitting data. This minimizes the chance of collisions and makes more efficient use of the medium.
CSMA CA reduces the chance of a collision and is used in wireless network while CSMA CD only minimizes the recovery time after collision which occur often in wired network so CSMA CD is used in wired networks.
