Feature #11: Weighted Exponential Back-off
Explore the concept of weighted exponential back-off used in network communication to manage data collisions. Understand how random back-off times increase exponentially with each collision, represented as linked lists. Learn to simulate the sum of these back-off times by adding linked list digits, helping you tackle network-related algorithm problems involving collision avoidance and time slot calculations.
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Description
In our network topology, we have a shared communication channel. On this channel, all the connected devices can simultaneously transmit data, resulting in a collision. The transmission is time-slotted. After a collision, the transmitting devices back off, that is, they refrain from retransmitting for a random number of time slots.
To this end, the device draws a random integer, r, between 1 and 9 and waits for as many time slots. In case of another collision on the first retry, the device draws a random integer again, r, between 1 and 9, and waits for time slots. In case of successive retransmission failures, the device backs off for time slots, where r is a random integer between 1 and 9. ...