Aloha - technical definition

From the Hawaiian aloha, meaning hello and goodbye. Also known as pure Aloha. A protocol developed at the University of Hawaii in the early 1970s as a contention management mechanism for use in inter-island wireless networks. Aloha is a very simple protocol in which the source just sends a frame of data whenever it desires. A target receiver confirms a frame whenever it receives one, and the source sends another whenever it desires. If the target receiver does not confirm the receipt of the frame within a specified time, the source resends it until it receives a confirmation. Pure Aloha is simple and inexpensive, but not useful in managing contention in large, complex networks. See also AlohaNet and slotted Aloha.