Lesson 3 Week 3 Network Topology Notes.

Network topologies.
(Draw All the illustrations under this sub Topic Please!!)
A network topology is the physical arrangement of devices in a communication network.
There are different types (examples) of Network topologies and these include;
1. Bus Topology
This is an arrangement where networked devices are attached along a single long cable by the help
of interface connectors.
NETWORK DEVICES

SINGLE LONG CABLE

ADVANTAGES OF USING BUS NETWORK TOPOLOGY.

 It is easy to install.
 It is the cheapest topology.
 Failure of one station does not affect others on the network.
 It is easy to extend the network by adding cables.
 It requires less cable length.
 Easy to identify cable faults.

DISADVANTAGES.
 Maintenance costs may be high in long run.
 Any breakdown of cables disables the entire network.
 It tends to be slow due to heavy network traffic with lots of computers connected to it.
 Commonly has a slower data transfer rate than other topologies.
 It works best with limited number of nodes
 Limited cable length and number of stations.

2. Ring topology.
This is a network structure that connects devices along a single channel(cable) whose ends are joined
to form a ring.

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 DEVICES

ADVANTAGES OF USING RING NETWORK TOPOLOGY.

 It enables each device (node) on the network to act as a repeater.
 There is less signal loss as signals are transmitted.
 It is easy to trouble shoot since it is easy to find faulty areas.
 Data packets travel at a fast speed.
 There is equal access to all stations (devices) in the network.

DISADVANTAGES.
 Moves, adds and changes of devices can affect the network.
 One bad port can create problems for the entire network.
 Failure of one computer may affect others.
 Network adapter cards are much more expensive than hubs.
 Not easy to setup.

3. Star topology.
This is a type of network structure where all devices (nodes) are connected to a central switch (hub).

NETWORK DEVICES (Nodes)

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 ADVANTAGES OF USING STAR NETWORK TOPOLOGY.
 Easy to detect faults and to remove parts.
 No disruptions to the network when connecting or removing devices.
 Failure of a single computer or cable doesn’t bring down the entire network.
 It is easy to setup and extend even in large networks.
 It is well suited for temporary networks.
 It allows several cable types in the same network because of using a hub (switch) that can
accommodate multiple cable types.

DISADVANTAGES.
 Wiring up of the system can be very expensive.
 Network size is limited by the number of connections that can be made to the hub.
 The performance of the network depends on the capabilities of the hub.
 Failure of the central hub can affect the entire network.
 Maintainace costs may be high in the long run.

4. Mesh topology.
This is a network structure where all devices (nodes) are directly connected with the rest of the nodes
on the network.

DEVICES (Nodes)

Mesh topology means that every device can talk to every other device on the network.
ADVANTAGES OF USING MESH NETWORK TOPOLOGY.
• In the network in case a device (node) goes down the data takes another path.
• Relatively inexpensive to cover a large area.
• Even if one of the components fails, there is always an alternative present. So data transfer
doesn’t get affected.
• Expansion and modification in topology can be done without disrupting other devices(nodes)
• The topology can withstand high traffic.

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 DISADVANTAGES.
• No central infrastructure to control the transfer of data.
• Over all cost of this network is way too high as compared to other network topologies.
• Set-up and maintenance of this topology is very difficult.
• Routing network traffic can be difficult because of all the different possible paths between
nodes.
• There are high chances of redundancy in many of the network connections.

5. Tree topology.
This is where the number of star networks are connected using Bus
This main cable seems like a main stem of a tree and other star networks as the branches..

Devices
Segments (Star Networks)
ADVANTAGES OF USING TREE NETWORK TOPOLOGY.
 Expansion of network is possible and easy.
 Error detection and correction is easy.
 If one segment (star network) is damaged, other segments are not affected.
 The network can be supported by several hardware and software venders.
 Here the whole network can be divided into star networks which can be easily be managed
and maintained.

DISADVANTAGES.
 Performance of the network depends on the type of cables used.
 More difficult to configure and wire than other topologies.
 If the backbone line breaks, the entire networks goes down.
 As more and more nodes (devices) and segments (star networks) are added, the maintenance
becomes difficult.
 Overall length of each segment is limited by the type of cabling used.

Internet (international network)

Next Topic……………

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