🕸️ Network Topologies
🤔 What is a Network Topology?
A network topology is the arrangement of the elements (nodes, links, etc.) of a computer network. It defines how devices are connected and how they communicate with each other. Topologies can be viewed in two ways:
- Physical Topology: The physical layout of the cables and devices.
- Logical Topology: The path that data signals take through the network.
🚌 Bus Topology
All devices are connected to a single shared cable, known as the backbone.
- Advantages: Simple and cheap to install.
- Disadvantages: A break in the main cable disables the entire network. Difficult to troubleshoot. This topology is now largely obsolete.
⭐ Star Topology
All devices are connected to a central device, like a hub or a switch. This is the most common topology in modern LANs.
- Advantages: Easy to install and manage. A failure in one cable only affects one device.
- Disadvantages: If the central device fails, the entire network goes down.
💍 Ring Topology
Each device is connected to exactly two other devices, forming a single continuous pathway for signals through each node - a ring.
- Advantages: Prevents data collisions as data flows in one direction.
- Disadvantages: Failure of one device or cable breaks the entire ring.
🌐 Mesh Topology
Every device is connected to every other device on the network, creating multiple redundant paths for data.
- Advantages: Extremely reliable and fault-tolerant. A link failure does not affect the rest of the network.
- Disadvantages: Very expensive and complex to install due to the massive amount of cabling required. The backbone of the internet is a practical example of a mesh topology.
🌳 Tree Topology
This is a hybrid topology that combines the characteristics of bus and star topologies. It has a central “root” node, with all other nodes branching out in a hierarchy.
- Advantages: Scalable and easy to expand network segments.
- Disadvantages: If the central root node fails, entire segments of the network go down.
🔄 Hybrid Topology
A hybrid topology is a combination of two or more different topologies. For example, connecting several star networks together along a main bus line (a star-bus network).
- Advantages: Very flexible and can be designed according to an organization’s specific needs.
- Disadvantages: Can be complex and expensive to design and manage.