Network topology
- 2. What is Network Topology? is the arrangement of the elements (links, nodes and peripherals) of a communication network. is the topological structure of a network and may be depicted physically or logically. It is an application of graph theory wherein communicating devices are modeled as nodes and the connections between the devices are modeled as links or lines between the nodes.
- 3. Importance of Network Topology It plays a significant role in the functioning of networks. It help us better understand the networking concepts. It also helps reduce the operational and maintenance costs such as cabling cost. It is a factor in determining the media type to be used to cable network. Error or fault detection is made easy using network topologies.
- 4. Network Topology classification Bus Topology Star Topology Ring Topology Mesh Topology Hybrid Topology
- 5. Bus topology Bus topology refers to a network setup where nodes or devices are interconnected using a single cable. It is because of this setup why bus topology is often referred to as line topology or backbone. Backbone or core is a part of computer network that interconnects various pieces of network, providing a path for the exchange of information between different LANs or subnetworks.
- 6. Additional info Depending on the nodes or devices that need to be connected, a coaxial cable or an RJ45 cable is typically used to connect the devices. Bus topology usually consists of two ends and signals travel from one end to another. Bus topology is unidirectional and data is transferred from one end to another in a single direction.
- 7. Advantages Cost-effective. Less cable required to connect the nodes. Very easy to understand. Provides an easy feasibility to extend or to reduce a network. Ideal for small network setups.
- 8. Disadvantages Ideal only for small network setups. If the backbone (primary) cable fails, the entire network fails. Unidirectional. Transmission speeds are drastically reduced with the increased number of nodes.
- 9. Star Topology In a star topology, every node in the network is connected to a central computer or a node, which takes care of the network. Every device in the network has a direct connection to the central node and every node is indirectly connected to other nodes using the central node. Central Hub central hub acts as a conduit to transmit messages When a hub receives a packet of data (an Ethernet frame) at one of its ports from a network device, it transmits (repeats) the packet to all of its ports to all of the other network devices.
- 10. Additional info All the data in a star topology flow through the central hub before it reaches its destination. The central hub manages and controls all data transfers and connectivity in a star topology. The central hub also acts as a repeater to make sure there is zero or minimal data loss during the transmissions. A star topology can be configured using a twisted pair, coaxial cable, or an optical fiber.
- 11. Advantages Failure of one node will not affect the entire network. Devices can be added, removed, reconfigured, or modified without disturbing the network. Less cabling is needed to configure star topology. Easy to set up and modify. Easy to troubleshoot.
- 12. Disadvantages The entire network is dependent on the central hub: If the hub fails, then the whole network will be down. Expensive to install and use. Performance is solely based on the central hub’s configuration, power, and efficiency.
- 13. Ring Topology a ring network topology forms a ring as each node or computer in a network are connected to each other in a circular manner. Every node or device in a ring topology will have exactly two neighbors and accordingly, the last node in the network will be connected to the first node. How do Ring topology works? Data travels from node to node, with each node along the way handling every packet.
- 14. Additional info In a ring topology, all devices are connected in a closed loop configuration and one node in the network acts as a monitor, which essentially takes care of the configuration. In a ring topology, all the data packets are transmitted from one node to another in a circular manner and, therefore, for a data packet to reach one point to another it has to traverse through all the intermediate nodes.
- 15. Advantages Performs better than bus topology under heavy network loads. Point-to-point connectivity of the nodes makes it easy to identify and detect misconfigurations or faults. Orderly network flow. Cost effective to implement.
- 16. Disadvantages One malfunctioning node can collapse the whole network. Transmission line failure can take down the whole network. Communication delay is proportional to the number of nodes in a ring. Bandwidth is shared among all the devices in a network. Reconfiguring, adding, or removing nodes requires the network to shut down.
- 17. Mesh Topology Mesh topology is a widely used network model that has a point-to-point connection between each node in the network. Every node or a device in a mesh network connects to other nodes directly and in a non-hierarchical manner.
- 18. Data transmission based on two important techniques 1. Routing 2. Flooding
- 19. Routing Every node in a mesh network can have a routing logic and transmission of data or information happens through that routing logic. This routing logic can be used to find the shortest distance to send some information from sender to receiver or the logic can be used to avoid using broken lines for data transmission.
- 20. Flooding In the case of flooding, the same data is transmitted to each node in the network. Therefore, no routing logic is required in case of flooding mesh networks. Loss of data is highly unlikely as every node will have the same data with them. This makes it robust and fault-tolerant. However, this also increases the load on the network.
- 21. Advantages Fully connected. Robust. Provides security and privacy. Any node failure won’t affect the network. Less load and collisions to dedicated lines. Isolation and fault-detection are easy.
- 22. Disadvantages Cost of implementing and cost of cabling is high. Installation and reconfiguring is a typical task. Complex to understand.
- 23. When a network topology is formed by integrating two or more topologies together, this results in a hybrid topology. Hybrid topologies can be configured as per the company’s requirement. When configured properly, hybrid topologies can provide the best of all the network topologies. Hybrid topology
- 25. Additional info A tree network topology is one of the most common examples of a hybrid topology. It is also referred as a star-bus network topology in which star networks are interconnected with one another using a bus network. In a tree topology, nodes are connected with one another in a hierarchical manner and are therefore also known as hierarchal topology.
- 26. Advantages Flexibility. Scalable; Easy to add or remove nodes. Suitable for large networks. Easy to manage.
- 27. Disadvantages Costly. Complex to design and maintain.