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MCEH (MAC Control Extended Header)

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Introduction

In wireless communication systems, the Media Access Control (MAC) layer controls the access to the shared medium and provides reliable data delivery services. To manage and control the medium, the MAC layer uses various protocols and mechanisms. One of these mechanisms is the MAC Control (MAC C) protocol, which is used to exchange control information between the MAC layer entities. The MAC Control Extended Header (MCEH) is a new feature added to the MAC Control protocol to support the emerging requirements of the wireless communication systems.

MAC Control Protocol

The MAC Control protocol is used to exchange control information between the MAC entities, including the stations (STAs), the access points (APs), and the distribution system (DS). The control information can be used to manage the medium access, coordinate the transmissions, or exchange other network-related information. The MAC Control protocol uses a standardized frame format, which consists of a MAC header, a MAC Control field, and a payload.

The MAC header contains the source and destination MAC addresses, the frame type, and other control information. The MAC Control field is used to indicate that the frame is a MAC Control frame and to specify the type of the control information. The payload contains the actual control information, which can be in the form of one or more Information Elements (IEs).

MAC Control Extended Header

The MAC Control Extended Header (MCEH) is a new feature added to the MAC Control protocol to support the emerging requirements of the wireless communication systems. The MCEH is used to provide additional information and options to the MAC Control frames. The MCEH is an optional field, which can be included in the MAC Control frames if needed.

The MCEH consists of a fixed part and a variable part. The fixed part is 4 bytes long and contains the MCEH Control field and the Length field. The MCEH Control field specifies the type of the MCEH and the format of the variable part. The Length field indicates the length of the variable part in bytes. The variable part contains one or more MCEH Information Elements (IEs), which provide additional information and options to the MAC Control frames.

MCEH Types

The MCEH Control field specifies the type of the MCEH and the format of the variable part. The MCEH can have different types, depending on the specific requirements of the wireless communication system. Some of the MCEH types are:

  1. MCEH Type 1: This type is used to provide additional information to the MAC Control frames, such as the channel quality, the interference level, or the channel capacity.
  2. MCEH Type 2: This type is used to provide options for the MAC Control frames, such as the duration of the transmission, the contention window size, or the backoff parameters.
  3. MCEH Type 3: This type is used to provide security information to the MAC Control frames, such as the key identifier, the encryption algorithm, or the authentication method.

MCEH Information Elements

The variable part of the MCEH contains one or more MCEH Information Elements (IEs), which provide additional information and options to the MAC Control frames. The MCEH IEs are similar to the IEs used in the Management frames of the IEEE 802.11 standard. Each MCEH IE has a specific format and semantics, which are defined in the MCEH specification.

Some of the MCEH IEs are:

  1. Channel Quality IE: This IE provides information about the channel quality, such as the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), the Carrier-to-Interference Ratio (CIR), or the Error Vector Magnitude (EVM).
  2. Transmission Duration IE: This IE specifies the duration of the transmission and can be used to request or allocate a specific time slot for the transmission.
  3. Contention Window IE: This IE specifies the size of the contention window and can be used to adjust the medium access parameters dynamically.
  4. Security IE: This IE provides security-related information, such as the key identifier, the encryption algorithm, or the authentication method.

MCEH Implementation

The MCEH can be implemented in the MAC layer of the wireless communication systems, such as the IEEE 802.11 WLANs, the IEEE 802.16 WiMAX, or the LTE-A networks. The MCEH implementation requires modifications to the MAC layer software and hardware, including the MAC frame format, the MAC Control protocol, and the MAC entity functions.

The MCEH implementation can provide several benefits to the wireless communication systems, such as:

  1. Improved medium access control and coordination, by providing more accurate and timely information about the channel conditions and the transmission parameters.
  2. Increased network capacity and efficiency, by optimizing the medium access parameters dynamically according to the traffic and channel conditions.
  3. Enhanced security and privacy, by providing additional security-related information to the MAC Control frames.

Conclusion

The MAC Control Extended Header (MCEH) is a new feature added to the MAC Control protocol to support the emerging requirements of the wireless communication systems. The MCEH provides additional information and options to the MAC Control frames, which can improve the medium access control, increase the network capacity and efficiency, and enhance the security and privacy. The MCEH can be implemented in the MAC layer of the wireless communication systems and requires modifications to the MAC frame format, the MAC Control protocol, and the MAC entity functions. The MCEH implementation can provide several benefits to the wireless communication systems and can contribute to the development of the next-generation wireless networks.