IEEE 802.11s and the Philosophers’ problem
Dee Denteneer, Sem C. Borst, Peter M. van de Ven, Guido R. Hiertz · Statistica Neerlandica · 2008
IEEE 802.11s is the task group in the IEEE that is in the process of standardizing wireless mesh networks. A hot topic in this standardization effort concerns the need for additional medium access functionality beyond the basic IEEE 802.11 carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA). In this paper, we discuss the connection between CSMA/CA and Dijkstra's classical Philosophers’ problem, and its implications for the debate inside IEEE 802.11s. In an alternative view of this paper, we state some new mathematical models, theorems and conjectures related to the Philosophers’ problem.