Click here

contention

(1) Competition for resources. The term is used especially in networks to describe the situation where two or more nodes attempt to transmit a message across the same wire at the same time.

(2) A type of network protocol that allows nodes to contend for network access. That is, two or more nodes may try to send messages across the network simultaneously. The contention protocol defines what happens when this occurs. The most widely used contention protocol is CSMA/CD, used by Ethernet. Also see polling and token passing.



Top Terms
  • 1

    Consumerization of IT

    Consumerization of IT is a phrase used to describe the cycle of information technology (IT) emerging in the consumer market then spreading to...

    Read more »

  • 2

    ERP - Enterprise Resource Planning

    Short for enterprise resource planning, ERP is business management software that allows an organization to use a system of integrated applications...

    Read more »

  • Click Here!

Connect with Webopedia

Did You Know? Archive »

  • Quick Reference Archive »