Network Topologies: Bus, Star, Ring, Mesh, and Tree
ALFANET Military Network and the Internet
The ALFANET military network initiated the development of the internet.
The TCP protocol enables the identification of computers on a network.
Equipment can connect two wireless networks.
The baud is a unit of measurement for data transmission.
A PAN (Personal Area Network) is a very limited personal network.
WWW stands for World Wide Web.
The internet protocol used for broadband connections is DSL (Digital Subscriber Line).
A connection to the internet through a telephone line requires a modem.
The topology that resembles several star topologies is the tree topology.
LAN (Local Area Network): A network whose extension is physically limited to a building or an environment of up to 200 meters approximately.
Network Topology
Network topology is the physical arrangement that connects a computer network. If a network has different topologies, it is called a mixed topology.
Bus Topology
In a bus topology, all stations are connected to a single communication channel or segment through interface units and shunts. The stations use this channel to communicate with each other.
All nodes are connected directly to a link and have no other connection between nodes.
The two ends of the cable should have terminators to close the network connection circuit.
Advantages of Bus Topology
- Easy to add workstations.
- Handles large bandwidths.
- Simple management system.
- Requires less cable than a star topology.
Disadvantages of Bus Topology
- When the number of devices is very high, the response time is slower.
- Distortions affect the entire network.
- Since it uses a single channel, if that channel fails, the whole network fails.
Star Topology
In this topology, all the cables from all computers are connected to a central device called a hub. Computer data is transmitted by the hub to other network computers.
This network creates greater ease of supervision and control of information, as messages must pass through the hub, which manages the redistribution of information to other nodes.
If the hub stops working, the whole network stops. If a computer breaks, the rest of the network continues to function normally.
Advantages of Star Topology
- Each PC is independent of the others.
- Easy to detect PCs that are causing problems on the network.
- Centralized traffic control.
- If a computer fails, network behavior is not affected.
Disadvantages of Star Topology
- Its operation depends on the central server.
- Its growth depends on the ability of the central server.
- Requires more cable than bus topology.
Ring Topology
This type of network topology connects stations in a ring, where each station is connected to the next, and the last is connected to the first. Each station has a receiver and a transmitter that serves as a relay, passing the signal to the next station in the ring.
In this type of network, communication takes place by passing a token, which can be conceptualized as a postman passing by, collecting, and delivering packages of information, thus avoiding data loss due to collisions.
If any node of the network goes down (meaning that it is malfunctioning or not working at all), communication around the ring is lost.
Advantages of Ring Topology
- It is a very solid architecture, which rarely comes into conflict with users.
- With few stations, it can have optimal performance.
- The system provides equitable access for all computers.
Disadvantages of Ring Topology
- The failure of a computer alters the functioning of the entire network.
- Distortions affect the entire network.
- If there are large numbers of stations, performance declines.
Mesh Topology
A mesh network is a network topology where each node is connected to one or more other nodes. This makes it possible to carry messages from one node to another in different ways.
Mesh networks are those in which all nodes are connected so that there is no precedence of one node over others in terms of concentration of communication traffic.
These networks are used in case of an iteration between two nodes or network terminal equipment, liaising with another way, which significantly increases the availability of links.
Advantages of Mesh Topology
- Alternative paths for data transmission, thereby increasing network reliability.
- Since each station is linked to all others, it exists independently of the previous one.
- Privacy or security: When a message travels through a dedicated line, only the proper recipient sees it.
Disadvantages of Mesh Topology
- Uneconomical due to the abundance of wiring.
- Low efficiency of connections or links, due to the existence of redundant links.
Tree Topology
The tree topology is a variant of the star topology. Like the star topology, tree nodes are connected to a central hub that controls network traffic.
However, not all devices are connected directly to the central hub.
Most devices are connected to a secondary hub, which in turn connects to the central hub. For this reason, it is called a tree-like topology.
It has a trunk node, usually occupied by a hub or switch, from which the other nodes branch.
Advantages of Tree Topology
- Point-to-point wiring for individual segments.
- Supported by many vendors of software and hardware.
Disadvantages of Tree Topology
- If the main segment goes down, the entire segment goes down with it.
- It is more difficult to configure.