6.2 | Ethernet Operation | |||
6.2.2 | MAC rules and collision detection/backoff |
Ethernet is a shared-media broadcast
technology. The access method CSMA/CD used in Ethernet performs three
functions:
In the CSMA/CD access method, networking devices with data to transmit work in a listen-before-transmit mode. This means when a node wants to send data, it must first check to see whether the networking media is busy. If the node determines the network is busy, the node will wait a random amount of time before retrying. If the node determines the networking media is not busy, the node will begin transmitting and listening. The node listens to ensure no other stations are transmitting at the same time. After completing data transmission the device will return to listening mode. Networking devices detect a collision has occurred when the amplitude of the signal on the networking media increases. When a collision occurs, each node that is transmitting will continue to transmit for a short time to ensure that all devices see the collision. Once all the devices have detected the collision a backoff algorithm is invoked and transmission is stopped. The nodes stop transmitting for a random period of time, which is different for each device. When the delay period expires, all devices on the network can attempt to gain access to the networking media. When data transmission resumes on the network, the devices that were involved in the collision do not have priority to transmit data.
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