Network Topologies

In this Post i will tell you about different Network Topologies but first let me tell you what is a Topology ? In short topology is the arrangement of different nodes, links in a computer network. It is the layout how different network elements are connected with each other and how they communicate .

There are many Network Topologies I will discuss them with you.

• Ring Topology: As the name tells it all "Ring" basically the network here has the shape of the ring , which means each and every device is connected with each other and the last device is connected with the first which makes it a complete ring shape. The message or the information flows in one direction in ring , each node when gets the message forwards it to the next node and so on. Ring Topology is implemeted using SONET , FDDI ,Token ring technology . Mostly Ring network is used in school campuses , small office buildings etc.

Advantages of Ring Network:

• Data transferring is fast as data flows in one direction
• The transmisson of data is simple
• Network collision is prevented because of its architecture and access method

Disadvantages of Ring Network:

• If the main cable stops working (Malfunction) all the network stops working
• If one node fails , so data can not be passed in ring network
• As all the nodes are connected with each other , so adding a node becomes difficult as all the connected nodes need to be shutdown and then a new node can be added.
• Difficult to Troubleshoot in ring network
• All the nodes must be ON to communicate with each other successfully .

Read about Networks

    

•  Bus Topology: In this network all the nodes (devices) are connected on a single cable and only one node can send information at a time , all others have to wait for their turn. Information is passed to every node on a network but accepted only by the node which need the information all others reject the information. 

Advantages of Bus topology :

• Easy to implement and add nodes
• Cheap network as it requires less amount of cable
• Easy to use and understand the network

Disadvantages of Bus topology :

• If one node fails , all the nodes will fail down (network fail)
• Heavy traffic can slow down the bus network
• A virus in a network can affect all nodes in a network
• If there is a problem in cable , the network goes down

• Star Topology: In this topology each and every node is connected with a hub (network device) Read about Hub. Each and every device communicates with hub. A message is send from a node to Hub and then Hub forwards it to all the nodes connected with it .

Advantages of Star Topology: 

• Easy to setup and add nodes
• Performance is better than other network topologies
• Different cables are used within one network
• If one node fails or goes down , it does not affect the whole network

Disadvantages of Star Topology:

• More hardware required in setup of star network
• Expensive because of more hardware used 
• If the central device fails (The Hub) whole network goes down

• Mesh Topology: Each and every device is connected with each other, mostly used in WAN'S (Wide Area Networks) which interconnects different LAN'S (Local Area Networks) ,Learn About LAN and WAN. Mesh topology is widely used in Bank Networks , and other Institutions. 

Advantages of Mesh Topology: 

• Easy to troubleshoot
• Fault Tolerance

Disadvantages of Mesh topology:

• Expensive to implement
• Difficulty in installation
• Difficulty in configuring the network

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