The multiple access protocol ALOHA (Advocates of Linux Open-source Hawaii Association) is used to transmit data over a public network channel. It functions within the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model’s Medium Access Control (MAC) sublayer.
In this article, we will look more into ALOHA in Computer Networks according to the GATE Syllabus for (Computer Science Engineering) CSE. We will read ahead to find out more about it.
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What is ALOHA in Computer Network?
Access to the shared communication network channel can be coordinated and arbitrated using the ALOHA system. It was created in the 1970s at the University of Hawaii by Norman Abramson and his associates. The system was originally designed for ground-based radio broadcasting, but satellite communication systems now use it.
When two or more systems seek to transmit on the same channel at the same time, a shared communication system such as ALOHA needs a way to handle collisions. A node in the ALOHA system transmits whenever data is ready to be sent. A collision takes place and the sent frames are lost if the other node transmits at the same time. However, a node can check to see if the frames were transferred by listening to broadcasts on the medium, including its own.
ALOHA Means “Hello”
ALOHA is basically a multiple access protocol which describes how all the terminals can access a medium without interfering at all with one another or even colliding. It operates at the data-link layer. Roberts created a protocol in 1972 that would double the capacity of ALOHA. The Slotted ALOHA protocol divides the time interval into discrete slots, each of which is equal to one frame’s worth of time. To avoid collisions, this approach needs synchronisation between the sending nodes.
Versions of ALOHA
Pure ALOHA
The total time of transmission is continuous in pure ALOHA. A station sends a frame whenever one is available. The sender waits for an arbitrary period of time before retransmitting the frame if there is a collision and it is destroyed.
Slotted ALOHA
Slotted ALOHA increases the capacity of pure ALOHA while reducing collisions. Slots are discrete time periods that are used to divide up the shared channel. Only at the start of each time slot is the station able to transmit data. If multiple stations attempt to transmit at the start of the same time slot, there may still be collisions.
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