The Ethernet Capture Effect: Analysis and Solution

We analyze the behavior of the Ethernet in networks with a small number of active stations, and describe what is known as the Ethernet capture effect, where a station transmits consecutive packets exclusively for a prolonged period despite other stations contending for access. The capture effect causes transient unfairness, which results in substantial performance degradation. We report measurements using TCP/IP that show the performance degradation. A solution is proposed that effectively overcomes the capture effect. The proposed algorithm, which we call the Capture Avoidance Binary Exponential Backoff (CABEB), uses the standard Binary Exponential Backoff (BEB) with enhancements for collision resolution in the special case when a station attempts to capture the channel subsequent to an uninterrupted consecutive transmit. Using a detailed simulation, we show the efficacy of the CABEB algorithm over the standard BEB in overcoming the unfairness resulting from stations capturing the ch...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1994
• Where: LCN
• Authors: K. K. Ramakrishnan, Henry Yang
• Keywords: Binary Exponential Backoff, Capture Effect, Computer Networks, Ethernet Capture Effect, LCN 1994