CHAPTER 10

Data Link Control

10.1 REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Transmission means to put a signal on a line. Communication is a meaningful and
orderly relationship between devices that send and receive data.
3. The purpose of line discipline is to determine which device should send data at a
given time and to make sure the receiver is ready to receive the data. The line disci-
pline functions of the data link layer oversee the establishment of links and the
right of a particular device to transmit data at a given time.
5. The initiator of the transmission first transmits an ENQ frame asking the receiver if
it is ready to receive data. The receiver then answers either with an ACK frame if it
is ready or with a NAK frame otherwise.
7. In ENQ/ACK, no addressing is needed because it is a point-to-point connection,
which means that any transmission put on the link by one device must be intended
for only the other device it is connected to. In poll/select on the other hand, there
are several secondary devices and in order to identify and communicate with a spe-
cific secondary device, addressing is needed.
9. Flow control prevents the receiving device from being overwhelmed with data.
11. Stop-and-wait and sliding-window.
13. In sliding-window flow control, the sender may transmit several frames before
needing an acknowledgment. The receiver can send a single ACK frame to confirm
multiple data frames.
15. Stop-and wait ARQ and sliding window ARQ.
17. The sender waits until it receives an acknowledgment for the last frame sent before
sending another frame. The sending device keeps a copy of the frame sent until it
receives an ACK. The ACK frames are numbered 0 and 1 alternately to identify the
frame. If an error is detected at the receiver it will transmit a NAK frame to request
the retransmission of the last frame sent. The sending device has a timer so when
time runs out it assumes the frame got lost and resends the last frame.

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19. Parameters to be considered are the speed at which the receiver can process data
and the size of the buffer to store incoming data at the receiver.
21. If a NAK gets lost, the sender timer expires. The sender automatically retransmits
the last frame sent. The NAK frames are not numbered because the sender waits
for an acknowledgment after each frame is sent. If the sender receives a NAK
frame it automatically knows that the last frame sent was damaged and retransmits
that frame.
23. In the ARQ method frames are discarded when the receiver receives duplicates of
already sent frames. This can happen in the case of lost acknowledgment frames,
or in go-back-n when a damaged frame is received or a data frame gets lost. In this
case all frames sent after that damaged or lost frame will be discarded until the
receiver receives an undamaged copy of the damaged or lost frame.

10.2 MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

25. a 27. b 29. a 31. b 33. c 35. b 37. d 39. c 41. d 43. a
45. a

10.3 EXERCISES
47. See Figure 10.1

Figure 10.1 Exercise 47

Sender

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
ACK 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 1, 2
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
ACK 2
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 3, 4, 5
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
NAK 4
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 4, 6,7
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
ACK 7
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
 SECTION 10.3 EXERCISES 33

49.
a. No number
b. The number refers to the damaged frame; all frames sent since that last frame
acknowledged should be resent.
c. The number refers to the damaged frame; only that frame should be resent.
51.
a.
Frames 7 and 0 received; next frame expected is frame 1
b.
Frames 7, 0, 1, 2, and 3 received; next frame expected is frame 4
c.
Frames 7, 0, 1, 2 received; the next frame expected is frame 3
d.
Frames 7 and 0 received; frame 1 was damaged or lost. Frames 1, 2, and 3
should be resent.
e. Frames 7, 0, 1, and 2 received; frame 3 damaged or lost. Frame 3 should be
resent.
f. Frame 7 damaged or lost. Frames 7, 0, 1, 2, and 3 should be resent.
53. 127.
55. Window size is 15.
57. See Figure 10.2

Figure 10.2 Exercise 57

Sender

0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1
Data 0 Lost
0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1

After timeout 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1
Data 0
0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1
ACK 1
0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1

59. See Figure 10.3

61. See Figure 10.4.
63. 80 µs
65. less than 6 ms
67. See Figure 10.5.
69. See Figure 10.6.
34 CHAPTER 10 DATA LINK CONTROL

Figure 10.3 Exercise 59

Sender

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 1
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 2
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 3
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 4
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
ACK 3
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 5
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
NAK 3
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 3
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 4
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 5
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
 SECTION 10.3 EXERCISES 35

Figure 10.4 Exercise 61

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 1
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 2
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
ACK 3
Lost

After timeout 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 1
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Data 2
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Figure 10.5 Exercise 67

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Figure 10.6 Exercise 69

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
36 CHAPTER 10 DATA LINK CONTROL