Glossary of Data Communications TermsCourtesy Enterprise-Wide Computing, Inc. |
Term:
CSMA/CD
Definition: Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection. A network access method for managing collisions of data packets. Acronym for Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection. A network protocol for handling situations in which two or more nodes (stations) transmit at the same time, thus causing a collision. With CSMA/CD, each node on the network monitors the line and transmits when it senses that the line is not busy. If a collision occurs because another node is using the same opportunity to transmit, both nodes stop transmitting. To avoid another collision, both then wait for differing random amounts of time before attempting to transmit again. Compare token passing. |