Stack algorithms for random multiple-access networks in the presence of asymmetric feedback

Abstract

The operation of stack splitting random-access protocols in multiaccess networks in which individual stations may receive asymmetric feedback from the channel (i.e. different stations may observe different, possibly erroneous, outcomes on the channel) is examined. Several possible modifications to the basic stack algorithm are proposed for such environments, and the performances of the various alternatives are reviewed. An approximate Markov chain model is developed to analytically study the time delay versus throughput performance of the various alternatives, and the analytic results are validated through simulation. Representative performance results are given for the alternative stack algorithms. It is found that those algorithms which tend to treat the receipt of corrupted feedback by a station as a collision show superior performance for throughput values greater than approximately 0.2, whereas, at low throughput values, there is relatively little difference between the performances of the various approaches studied. It was noted during the simulation studies that, with an error rate of up to 5%, the algorithms remained stable up to an arrival rate of approximately 0.3 or higher. >