Network Topologies

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Network Topologies
• The network topology
defines the way in which
computers, printers, and
other devices are connected.
A network topology
describes the layout of the
wire and devices as well as
the paths used by data
transmissions.
• Commonly referred to as a
linear bus, all the devices on
a bus topology are
connected by one single
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cable.
Network Topologies
• Physical and Logical Topologies
• Topologies
• Bus
• Ring
• Star
• Extended Star
• Mesh
• Hybrid

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Physical versus Logical
Topology
• Networks have both a
physical and logical
topology:
• Physical topology –the
layout of the devices and
media.
• Logical topology – the
paths that signals travel
from one point on the
network to another.
• The way in which data
accesses media and
transmits packets across it.
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Physical vs. Logical Topology
• The actual layout of a network and its media
is its Physical Topology
• The way in which the data access the
medium and transmits packets is the Logical
Topology
• A glance at a network is not always revealing.
Cables emerging from a Hub does not make it
necessarily a Star Topology – it may actually
be a bus or a ring

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Physical vs. Logical Topology
• Your choice of Logical Topology will affect
the Physical Topology – and vice versa
• Design carefully – it may be difficult to
change part way through the installation
• Your choice will determine cable
installation, network devices, network
connections, protocols (and where you will
drill holes in the building !)

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Factors
• Cost
• Scalability
• Bandwidth Capacity
• Ease of Installation
• Ease of fault finding and maintenance

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Bus Topology

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Bus Topology
• Network maintained by a single cable
• Cable segment must end with a terminator
• Uses thin coaxial cable (backbones will be
thick coaxial cable)
• Extra stations can be added in a daisy chain
manner

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Bus Topology
• Standard is IEEE 802.3
• Thin Ethernet (10Base2) has a maximum
segment length of 200m
• Max no. of connections is 30 devices
• Four repeaters may be used to a total
cable length of 1000m
• Max no. of nodes is 150

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Bus Topology
• Thick Ethernet (10Base5) used for backbones
• Limited to 500m
• Max of 100 nodes per segment
• Total of four repeaters , 2500m, with a total of
488 nodes

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Bus Topology
Advantages Disadvantages
• Inexpensive to No longer recommended
install Backbone breaks, whole
network down
• Easy to add Limited no of devices can
stations be attached
• Use less cable than Difficult to isolate problems
other topologies Sharing same cable slows
response rates
• Works well for
small networks
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Ring Topology

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Network Topologies
• A frame travels around the
ring, stopping at each node. If
a node wants to transmit
data, it adds the data as well
as the destination address to
the frame.
• The frame then continues
around the ring until it finds
the destination node, which
takes the data out of the
frame.
• Single ring – All the devices on the
network share a single cable
• Dual ring – The dual ring topology
allows data to be sent in both
directions although only one ring
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used at a time.
Ring Topology
• No beginning or end (a ring in fact !!)
• All devices of equality of access to media
• Single ring – data travels in one direction only,
guess what a double ring allows !?
• Each device has to wait its turn to transmit
• Most common type is Token Ring (IEEE 802.5)
• A token contains the data, reaches the destination,
data extracted, acknowledgement of receipt sent
back to transmitting device, removed, empty token
passed on for another device to use
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Ring Topology
Advantages Disadvantages
• Data packets travel Requires more cable
at great speed than a bus
• No collisions A break in the ring will
bring it down
• Easier to fault find Not as common as the
• No terminators bus – less devices
required available

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Star Topology

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Network Topologies
• The star topology is the most
commonly used architecture in
Ethernet LANs.
• When installed, the star topology
resembles spokes in a bicycle
wheel.
• Larger networks use the extended
star topology. When used with
network devices that filter frames
or packets, like bridges, switches,
and routers, this topology
significantly reduces the traffic on
the wires by sending packets only
to the wires of the destination 18host.
Star Topology
• Like the spokes of a wheel (without the
symmetry)
• Centre point is a Hub
• Segments meet at the Hub
• Each device needs its own cable to the
Hub
• Predominant type of topology
• Easy to maintain and expand
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Star Topology
• Advantages Disadvantages
• Easy to add devices as A star network requires more
cable than a ring or bus network
the network expands Failure of the central hub can
• One cable failure does bring down the entire network
not bring down the Costs are higher (installation and
entire network equipment) than for most bus
networks
(resilience)
• Hub provides centralised
management
• Easy to find device and
cable problems
• Can be upgraded to
faster speeds
• Lots of support as it is
the most used
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Extended Star Topology
A Star
Network
which has
been
expanded
to include
an
additional
hub or
hubs.

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Mesh Topology (Web)

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Network Topologies
• The mesh topology
connects all devices
(nodes) to each other for
redundancy and fault
tolerance.
• It is used in WANs to
interconnect LANs and for
mission critical networks
like those used by
governments.
• Implementing the mesh
topology is expensive and
difficult. 23
Mesh Topology
• Not common on LANs
• Most often used in WANs to interconnect
LANS
• Each node is connected to every other node
• Allows communication to continue in the
event of a break in any one connection
• It is “Fault Tolerant”

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Mesh Topology
Disadvantages
Advantages Expensive
• Improves Fault Difficult to install
Difficult to manage
Tolerance
Difficult to troubleshoot

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Hybrid Topology

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Hybrid Topology
• Old networks are updated and replaced,
leaving older segments (legacy)
• Hybrid Topology – combines two or more
different physical topologies
• Commonly Star-Bus or Star-Ring
• Star-Ring uses a MAU (Multistation Access
Unit (see later slide)

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Types of Logical Topology
• Previous slides showed Physical
Topologies
• Only two Logical Topologies (Bus or Ring)
• Physical Bus or Ring easy to
conceptualise
• Physical Star could be either a Bus or
Ring in logical terms

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 Logical Bus

•Modern Ethernet networks are Star Topologies (physically)

•The Hub is at the centre, and defines a Star Topology
•The Hub itself uses a Logical Bus Topology internally, to
transmit data to all segments

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Logical Bus
Advantages Disadvantages
• A single node failure Collisions can occur easily
does not bring the Only one device can
network down access the network media
• Most widely at a time
implemented topology
• Network can be added
to or changed without
affecting other
stations

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Logical Ring
• Data in a Star Topology can transmit data
in a Ring
• The MAU (Multistation Access Unit) looks
like an ordinary Hub, but data is passed
internally using a logical ring
• It is superior to a Logical Bus Hub – see
later slide

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Logical Ring

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Logical Ring
Advantages Disadvantages
• The amount of data A broken ring will stop
that can be carried all transmissions
in a single message A device must wait for
is greater than on a an empty token to be
logical bus able to transmit
• There are no
collisions

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