A threefold multiple access protocol for integrated data/voice local area networks

A threefold multiple-access protocol (TMAP) is proposed for bus-structured integrated voice/data local area networks, which is the combination of CSMA/CD, reservation and implicit token protocols. When the network is lightly loaded, the voice stations, and data stations operate at the CSMA/CD mode, when the load increases, the voice stations have to reserve transmission of all voice packets. Under heavy loads, the implicit token is merely delivered to voice stations, and the data stations have to defer until the network returns to reservation mode. TMAP is distributed and can support networks with large size and high speed. A simulation study and is comparison with a hybrid protocol are presented