Analysis of a link protocol with a general contention window backoff function

A set of medium access (backoff) protocols, where the collision resolution window for a station depends on the number of successive collisions, is analyzed. Under mild common assumptions for the network properties, a general backoff protocol is studied. An optimal criterion yields a backoff protocol possessing the minimal service time. An asymptotic analysis is offered for the unboundly growing number of stations. Bounded and unbounded protocols are considered in the analysis. Finally, a continuous time model is introduced as an extension for the slotted model, which allows slots of different sizes.