What is the primary drawback of channel partitioning protocols like TDM and FDM?

Correct answer: A node is limited to an average rate of R/N bps, even when it is the only node with data to send.

Explanation

This question focuses on the fundamental trade-off of channel partitioning multiple access protocols. While they elegantly avoid collisions, their key limitation is the static allocation of bandwidth, which leads to inefficiency when only a subset of nodes are active.

Other questions

Question 1

Which of the following describes the function of a network adapter on the sending side?

Question 2

In a two-dimensional even parity scheme, how does a receiver identify and correct a single-bit error?

Question 3

What is the maximum efficiency of the slotted ALOHA protocol under the condition of a large number of active nodes?

Question 4

How does the CSMA/CD algorithm handle a situation where a node detects a collision while transmitting a frame?

Question 5

In a switched LAN environment, what is 'switch poisoning'?

Question 6

What is the length in bytes of a MAC address used in Ethernet and 802.11 wireless LANs?

Question 7

What is the hexadecimal MAC broadcast address used in LANs like Ethernet?

Question 8

According to the text, what is a typical expiration time for an entry in a host's ARP table?

Question 9

In an Ethernet frame, what is the total size of the preamble field, and what is its primary purpose?

Question 10

What is the primary difference between a network hub and a link-layer switch?

Question 11

How does a link-layer switch build its forwarding table?

Question 12

What is the function of the 'aging time' in a switch table?

Question 13

In a port-based VLAN, how is traffic between different VLANs isolated?

Question 14

What information is added to an Ethernet frame when it crosses a VLAN trunk, according to the 802.1Q standard?

Question 15

The 802.1Q VLAN tag contains a 12-bit VLAN identifier field. How many unique VLANs can this field theoretically represent?

Question 16

What is the primary role of Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) in the context of the link layer?

Question 17

In a data center architecture, what is a Top of Rack (TOR) switch?

Question 18

What is the role of a load balancer in a data center network?

Question 19

What problem in hierarchical data center architectures is solved by increasing connectivity between tiers, such as connecting each TOR switch to multiple tier-2 switches?

Question 20

In the 'Day in the Life of a Web Page Request' scenario, what is the first network-related protocol a laptop runs after connecting to the Ethernet cable to get an IP address?

Question 21

When a laptop sends its initial DHCP request message, what values are used for the source IP address in the IP datagram and the destination MAC address in the Ethernet frame?

Question 22

Why does a checksumming method at the transport layer often differ from an error-detection method at the link layer, such as CRC?

Question 23

In the CRC error-detection scheme, if the d-bit data is D and the r+1 bit generator is G, how is the r-bit remainder R calculated by the sender?

Question 25

What is a 'taking-turns' protocol, and what is one of its primary advantages over random access protocols?

Question 26

What is a significant drawback of the polling protocol for multiple access?

Question 27

In the DOCSIS standard for cable Internet access, how does a cable modem request upstream transmission slots from the CMTS?

Question 28

How does the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) resolve an IP address for a host on the same subnet?

Question 29

When a host needs to send a datagram to a destination off its local subnet, what destination MAC address does it use in the Ethernet frame?

Question 30

What is the maximum transmission unit (MTU) of Ethernet, and what happens if an IP datagram exceeds this size?

Question 31

What is the purpose of the Type field in the Ethernet frame structure?

Question 32

In a modern switch-based Ethernet LAN with full-duplex links, is a MAC protocol like CSMA/CD still necessary?

Question 33

What is one key difference between a link-layer switch and a router?

Question 34

How many bits are in the CRC field of a standard Ethernet frame?

Question 35

According to the text, what is the 'hidden terminal problem' in wireless networks?

Question 36

What is the maximum data rate of the IEEE 802.11g standard?

Question 37

In the 802.11 architecture, what is a Basic Service Set (BSS)?

Question 38

Why does the 802.11 MAC protocol use collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) instead of collision detection (CSMA/CD)?

Question 39

What is the purpose of the RTS and CTS frames in the 802.11 MAC protocol?

Question 40

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Question 41

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Question 42

In a Bluetooth piconet, what is the role of the master node?

Question 43

How many active devices can a Bluetooth piconet support, and what is this type of network also known as?

Question 44

What does a mobile device in a 4G LTE network do to find and attach to a base station?

Question 45

In the 4G LTE architecture, which element is responsible for authenticating a device, setting up data path tunnels, and tracking the device's cell location?

Question 46

What is the primary difference between direct and indirect routing for a mobile device?

Question 47

What is the 'triangle routing problem' associated with indirect routing for mobile devices?

Question 48

During a handover in a 4G/5G network, what is the role of the target base station after it receives a Handover Request from the source base station?

Question 49

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Question 50

Why can TCP's congestion-control response be problematic in a wireless setting?