Sunday, March 6, 2016

Network Topology

Star topology:


In a star topology, each device has a dedicated point-to-point link only to a central controller, usually called a hub. The devices are not directly linked to one another. Unlike a mesh topology, a star topology does not allow direct traffic between devices. The controller acts as an exchange: Ifone device wants to send data to another, it sends the data to the controller, which then relays the data to the other connected device 



Advantages of Star Topology

1)  As compared to Bus topology it gives far much better performance, signals don’t necessarily get transmitted to all the workstations. A sent signal reaches the intended destination after passing through no more than 3-4 devices and 2-3 links. Performance of the network is dependent on the capacity of central hub.
2)  Easy to connect new nodes or devices. In star topology new nodes can be added easily without affecting rest of the network. Similarly components can also be removed easily.
3)  Centralized management. It helps in monitoring the network.
4)  Failure of one node or link doesn’t affect the rest of network. At the same time its easy to detect the failure and troubleshoot it.

Disadvantages of Star Topology

1)  Too much dependency on central device has its own drawbacks. If it fails whole network goes down.
2)  The use of hub, a router or a switch as central device increases the overall cost of the network.
3)   Performance and as well number of nodes which can be added in such topology is depended on capacity of central device.


Mesh Topology

Mesh In a mesh topology, every device has a dedicated point-to-point link to every other device. The term dedicated means that the link carries traffic only between the two devices it connects. To find the number of physical links in a fully connected mesh network with n nodes, we first consider that each node must be connected to every other node. Node 1must be connected to n - I nodes, node 2 must be connected to n - 1 nodes, and finally node n must be connected to n - 1 nodes. We need n(n - 1) physical links. However, if each physical link allows communication in both directions (duplex
mode), we can divide the number of links by 2. In other words, we can say that in a mesh topology, we need
                                            n(n -1) /2



Advantages of Mesh topology

1) Data can be transmitted from different devices simultaneously. This topology can withstand high traffic.
2) Even if one of the components fails there is always an alternative present. So data transfer doesn’t get affected.
3) Expansion and modification in topology can be done without disrupting other nodes.

Disadvantages of Mesh topology

1) There are high chances of redundancy in many of the network connections.
2) Overall cost of this network is way too high as compared to other network topologies.
3) Set-up and maintenance of this topology is very difficult. Even administration of the network is tough.

Ring Topology

In a ring topology, each device has a dedicated point-to-point connection with only the two devices on either side of it. A signal is passed along the ring in one direction, from device to device, until it reaches its destination. Each device in the ring incorporates a repeater. When a device receives a signal intended for another device, its repeater regenerates the bits and passes them along



Advantages of Ring Topology

1)   This type of network topology is very organized. Each node gets to send the data when it receives an   empty token. This helps to reduces chances of collision. Also in ring topology all the traffic flows in only one  direction at very high speed.
2)   Even when the load on the network increases, its performance is better than that of Bus topology.
3)   There is no need for network server to control the connectivity between workstations.
4)   Additional components do not affect the performance of network.
5)   Each computer has equal access to resources.

Disadvantages of Ring Topology

1)   Each packet of data must pass through all the computers between source and destination. This makes it slower than Star topology.
2)   If one workstation or port goes down, the entire network gets affected.
3)   Network is highly dependent on the wire which connects different components.
4)   MAU’s and network cards are expensive as compared to Ethernet cards and hubs.


Bus Topology

In Bus Topology One long cable acts as a backbone to link all the devices in a network.Nodes are connected to the bus cable by drop lines and taps. A drop line is a connection running between the device and the main cable. A tap is a connector that either splices into the main cable or punctures the sheathing of a cable to create a contact with the metallic core. As a signal travels along the backbone, some of its energy is transform into heat. Therefore, it becomes weaker and weaker as it travels farther and farther. this reason there is a limit on the number of taps a bus can support and on the distance between those taps.




Advantages of  Bus Topology

1)  It is easy to set-up and extend bus network.
2)  Cable length required for this topology is the least compared to other networks.
3)  Bus topology costs very less.
4) Linear Bus network is mostly used in small networks. Good for LAN.

Disadvantages of Bus Topology

1)  There is a limit on central cable length and number of nodes that can be connected.
2)  Dependency on central cable in this topology has its disadvantages.If the main cable (i.e. bus ) encounters   some problem, whole network breaks down.
3)  Proper termination is required to dump signals. Use of terminators is must.
4)  It is difficult to detect and troubleshoot fault at individual station.
5)  Maintenance costs can get higher with time.
6)  Efficiency of Bus network reduces, as the number of devices connected to it increases.
7)  It is not suitable for networks with heavy traffic.
8)  Security is very low because all the computers receive the sent signal from the source.

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