Modeling IEEE 802.11 DCF Using Parallel Space–Time Markov Chain

Many performance evaluations for the IEEE 802.11 Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) have been previously reported in the literature; most studies are based on saturation analysis, and a few models under a finite-load condition adopt an M/G/1 queuing system. However, using M/G/1 queuing only considers the first moment of the frame service time to derive the probability of the transmission queue being vacant. In this paper, we model the DCF using the parallel space-time Markov chain, where the frame arrivals are tracked by monitoring the transmission queue during transitions between successive states of the space-time Markov chain. The proposed framework provides the possibility of simultaneously modeling the contention phase, the backoff and post-backoff procedures, and the transmission queue status. The proposed framework is also validated by simulation results.