MSSTART - A RANDOM-ACCESS ALGORITHM FOR THE IEEE-802.14 HFC NETWORK

In this paper we introduce the n-ary Multi-slot Stack Random Access Al gorithm (msSTART) for use in an IEEE 802.14 hybrid fiber/coaxial (HFC) network. The msSTART random access algorithm (RAA) is an evolution of the stack-based START algorithm. It is an easy to implement, high-eff iciency, free-access, robust, stable RAA optimized to operate in an en vironment where contention slots could dynamically change. Through a s eries of simulation studies, we demonstrate the performance advantages of msSTART by comparing its throughput/delay characteristics to those of other popular RAAs, including ALOHA and tree-search RAAs. For the latter RAAs, we also provide a unified stack representation of their o peration.