Which Channel Access Method Is Used in IEEE 802.5 Networks?
IEEE 802.5 defines Token Ring networking (including its MAC behavior). In a token-ring LAN, stations receive permission to transmit by passing a token around a logical ring; this is a token-based channel access method rather than contention-based access. Therefore, among the options given, the correct choice for IEEE 802.5 is (iii) Token ring.2
Key ideas you should remember:
- Token ring
- MAC protocol
- Token
- Contention
- Token passing
Footnotes
-
IEEE 802.4 Token Bus / Token passing overview - Describes token-bus family and contrasts token-based LAN approaches. ↩
-
IEEE 802.5 Token Ring - Explains token ring and token-based MAC access for IEEE 802.5. ↩
Token Ring (IEEE 802.5) overview
To map the multiple-choice options:
- (i) CSMA/CD is associated with IEEE 802.3 Ethernet (contention + collision detection), not 802.5 token ring.
- (ii) Token bus is associated with token-bus LANs (IEEE 802.4), not IEEE 802.5.
- (iii) Token ring is the channel access method used by IEEE 802.5.2
- (iv) All of these is incorrect because 802.5 specifically uses token ring, not CSMA/CD.
Footnotes
-
IEEE 802.5 Token Ring - Explains token ring and token-based MAC access for IEEE 802.5. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
-
IEEE 802.4 Token Bus / Token passing overview - Describes token-bus family and contrasts token-based LAN approaches. ↩ ↩2
Exam shortcut
If the question says IEEE 802.5, think Token Ring (token-based access). If it says IEEE 802.3, think CSMA/CD (Ethernet contention-based access).
How to choose the correct option (logical elimination)
- 1Step 1
IEEE 802.5 corresponds to Token Ring LAN technology.
- 2Step 2
Token Ring uses token passing, meaning access is granted by holding the token.
- 3Step 3
CSMA/CD is collision-detection Ethernet behavior, not token passing.
- 4Step 4
Token bus is a different LAN access method tied to other IEEE families.
Which IEEE standard maps to which access method?
Quick comparison for typical exam associations.
Interpretation: IEEE 802.5 aligns with token ring access, while IEEE 802.3 aligns with CSMA/CD and IEEE 802.4 aligns with token bus.2
Footnotes
-
IEEE 802.4 Token Bus / Token passing overview - Describes token-bus family and contrasts token-based LAN approaches. ↩
-
IEEE 802.5 Token Ring - Explains token ring and token-based MAC access for IEEE 802.5. ↩
Common confusions
Knowledge Check
Which channel access method is used in IEEE 802.5 networks?