MAC and Network Layers in Tactical Networks
George F. Elmasry · 2012
This chapter reviews some of the important concepts of the network layer. It addresses the packets that flow up and down the protocol stack layers and between different nodes. It also addresses the issues such as how the transmission media resources are shared among different nodes in a tactical wireless subnetwork; what design concepts should be followed to manage these shared resources; what is the best way to model packets arrival and departure in queues; how queue overflow can cause packet loss; and how to overcome catastrophic events which can occur in tactical wireless networks. The chapter presents some of the challenges facing the design of media access control (MAC) layer protocols. Queuing theory is an essential concept to review in light of tactical wireless communications and networks. Controlled Vocabulary Terms media access protocol; military communication; queueing theory; wireless communication