MAC Protocol

Why
MAC Protocols are important because they allow us to support multiple hosts over a single communication line

What
A MAC Protocol manages how time on a communication line should be divided among multiple hosts that share it

Goals

 * When we only have one node, we get full bandwidth R bps
 * When M nodes have data to send, each node gets R/M bps
 * The protocol is decentralized
 * The protocol is simple and inexpensive to implement

Types

 * Channel Partitioning Protocols
 * Time Division Multiplexing
 * Frequency Division Multiplexing
 * Core Division Multiple Access
 * Random Access Protocols
 * Slotted ALOHA
 * ALOHA
 * Taking-Turns Protocols