802.11an MAC Functions
=========================


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        **What are MAC functions in IEEE 802.11an?**

        MAC functions manage frame delimiting, addressing, error detection, and reliable wireless communication in 802.11an.

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        **How does 802.11an MAC ensure reliable data delivery?**

        It handles acknowledgments, retransmissions, and error checking to guarantee data is correctly received.

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        **What role does CSMA/CA play in 802.11an MAC?**

        Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance controls medium access to minimize data collisions.

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        **How does MAC fragmentation work in 802.11an?**

        Large frames are broken into smaller fragments for transmission and reassembled upon receipt to improve reliability.

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        **What is frame sequencing in 802.11an MAC?**

        It maintains the correct order of packets by using sequence numbers, avoiding duplication or loss.

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        **How are QoS features managed in 802.11an MAC?**

        Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) prioritizes traffic types for better quality of service.

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        **Does 802.11an MAC support power management?**

        Yes, it coordinates sleep and wake cycles to reduce energy consumption in client devices.

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        **How are acknowledgments handled by 802.11an MAC?**

        Immediate and block acknowledgments confirm successful frame reception and enable efficient retransmission.

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        **What types of frames does 802.11an MAC manage?**

        Management, control, and data frames are handled for network setup, control signaling, and payload transmission.

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        **How does MAC handle retransmissions in 802.11an?**

        It retransmits frames not acknowledged within a timeout, improving link reliability.

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        **What is the role of MAC addressing in 802.11an?**

        It uses MAC addresses for source, destination, BSSID, and receiver identification.

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        **How does MAC manage association and authentication?**

        It processes management frames to establish connections and verify device identity.

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        **What error detection method is used by 802.11an MAC?**

        CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) is used to detect corrupted frames.

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        **How does MAC handle frame prioritization?**

        By using Traffic Identifier (TID) values and access categories to support differentiated services.

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        **What enhancements does 802.11an MAC add over 802.11a?**

        Support for 40 MHz channels, MIMO-related MAC features, and improved QoS and power saving mechanisms.

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        **How does MAC coordinate with the physical layer in 802.11an?**

        It manages timing, frame formats, and rate adaptation in sync with the PHY layer.

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        **Are security functions part of the 802.11an MAC?**

        Yes, it supports encryption and authentication protocols such as WPA2.

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        **How does MAC handle roaming between access points?**

        It facilitates fast handoff by managing reassociation and context transfer frames.

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        **What is the role of Block Acknowledgment in 802.11an MAC?**

        It allows acknowledgment of multiple frames with a single response, increasing throughput.

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        **How does MAC handle congestion and collision?**

        It uses exponential backoff and contention window adjustments to reduce collisions and optimize throughput.


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        Topics in this section,

                * :ref:`Learnings in this section <mac_functions_step1>`

                * :ref:`Terminology <mac_functions_step2>`

                * :ref:`Version Info <mac_functions_step3>`

                * :ref:`mac_functions Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv4 <mac_functions_step18>`

                * :ref:`Reference links <mac_functions_step17>`

.. _mac_functions_step1:

.. tab-set::

    .. tab-item:: Learnings in this section

        * In this section, you are going to learn

.. _mac_functions_step2:

.. tab-set::

    .. tab-item:: Terminology

       * Terminology


.. _mac_functions_step3:

.. tab-set::

    .. tab-item:: Version Info

         * Version Info


.. _mac_functions_step18:

.. tab-set::

    .. tab-item:: mac_functions Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv4

       * setup


.. _mac_functions_step17:

.. tab-set::

    .. tab-item:: Reference links

       * Reference links