What are the types of network topologies?

The topology is the configuration of how computer systems or network devices are connected to one another. Topologies can specify a network’s logical and physical aspects. A network may have the same or distinct logical and physical topologies.

A computer network is a tool for communication that may use for work or play. The internet, online search, email, sharing of music and video, online purchasing, live streaming, and social networks are all made possible by computer networks.

Data and resources can communicate, exchange, or share when two or more computers connect by wired or wireless (cables or WiFi) methods. The geographical area of a computer network is often very large. The local area network in an office building and the wide-area network over a whole continent are two examples of local area networks. When it comes to WANs, there is no greater example than the internet, which links billions of machines.

Bus topology, mesh topology, tree topology, and other topologies come in many forms.

Bus topology:

A single wire with terminators on both ends makes forms a bus topology. All of the nodes that are present connect to the same wire. Although there is no restriction on how many nodes can join this network, the number of linked nodes can affect how well the network functions.

One of the nodes acts as the server in a bus architecture, sending data via a single channel from one end to the other. When the line reaches its conclusion, the terminator deletes the data.

Office networks at schools, colleges, and universities often use a variety of network topologies.

One primary cable acts as the network’s backbone in a bus architecture. The bus topology uses to transport the transmitted data down the wire. As the data comes, each node checks the destination address (MAC/IP address) to see whether it corresponds to their address. If the addresses do not match, the node does nothing. The data processes, nevertheless, if the node addresses match the addresses in the data.

In-home networks, many networking topologies frequently utilises.

The backbone cable, which is either an RJ-45 network cable or a coaxial cable that links them, determines by the kind of network card installed in each computer.

Advantages of bus topology:

• Adding or removing devices from a network without affecting other devices is straightforward.

• A computer or other device malfunctions, it will not have an effect on other devices or the network.

• Cable is less expensive when compared to other network topologies like mesh and star.

• Topology is easy to understand.

• Bus Topology is simple to expand by joining two wires.

Disadvantages of bus topology:

• In the event of any device failure, it is challenging to pinpoint network issues.

• If the backbone cable is destroyed, the entire system or network will crash.

• As network traffic or the number of devices increases, the network’s performance declines.

• Proper termination is required to prevent signal bouncing. Terminators must always utilise.

• It is slower since there is just one computer communicating at once.

• It provides very little security because every computer receives the sent signal from the source.

• There is a maximum cable length.

Star topology:

One of the most common network architectures is a star topology, sometimes referred to as a star topology network. In this configuration, each node is linked to a central network device, such as a hub, switch, or computer. The clients are the peripheral devices, while the central network device acts as a server. A coaxial or RJ-45 network cable is used in a star topology arrangement, depending on the kind of network card installed in each computer. The figure shows how this network arrangement earned its name because it is organized like a star. The most popular topology network is the star topology network.

Advantages of star topology:

The benefits of star topology are as follows:

• Network administration can centralize with the use of a central computer, hub, or switch.

• Adding a new computer to the network is easy.

• If one computer on the network malfunctions, the remainder of the network still works well.

Disadvantages of star topology:

Star topology has the following drawbacks:

• If a switch or router employs as the primary network device, implementation costs can be higher.

• The central network device controls the network’s performance and the number of nodes it can support.

If the main computer, hub, or switch malfunctions and all computers disconnect from the network, the entire network collapses.

Ring topology:

In networking, a ring topology is a network in which each device or node connects to the nodes around it in the shape of a ring. In a ring topology, the data send back and forth between the machines. A ring topology network may have unidirectional or bidirectional data flow.

In the ring design, the token is utilized to regulate data flow. principal’s death, In a ring topology, the token is passed from one computer to the next, and only that machine is able to transmit. After reading the token’s data, the receiving computer returns an acknowledgment signal to the transmitting computer. After verification, the token in a ring topology is produced again.

Advantages of ring topology:

The benefits of a ring topology are as follows:

• It outperforms bus topology even when the number of nodes is increased.

• Long-distance communication is possible thanks to the ring topology.

• Ring network maintenance is simpler than bus network maintenance.

• Troubleshooting in a ring network is substantially simpler since cable issues may easily identify.

• A ring network is less costly than alternative topologies (mesh and tree topology).

Disadvantages of ring topology:

The following are ring topology’s drawbacks:

• Widespread network interruption can result from a single cable failure.

• In a Uni-directional Ring, a data packet (token) must travel through every node.

• Any node in a network might be challenging to add or remove, which could interfere with network operations.

• A ring network is much slower than an Ethernet network under normal load conditions.

Tree topology:

In a topology known as a “tree topology,” all computers connect to one another like the branches of a tree. In a computer network, a tree topology combines the Bus and Start network architectures. The benefits of both star and bus topologies are present in tree topology networks. In big institutions, three topology networks employee.

Advantages of tree topology:

The benefits of a tree topology are as follows:

• The nodes are given a hierarchical and central data organization by this design.

• Since the leaf nodes can add one or more nodes to the hierarchical chain, this architecture allows for significant scalability.

• The other nodes in a network unaffect if one of them destroys or ceases to function, and the tree structure makes maintenance and issue identification simple.

Disadvantages of tree topology:

The following are a tree topology’s drawbacks:

• This network’s configuration is incredibly difficult compares to other network topologies.

• The second-level computer will experience problems if the first-level computer is inaccurate.

• It requires a substantial amount of wires compared to star and ring topologies.

Additionally, the cost of setup increases, and the backbone appears to be the only point of failure for the whole network sector.

Mesh topology:

A network topology known as a mesh topology connects every machine. In addition to relaying information from other computers, each computer also transmits its own signals. This kind of topology is quite expensive since it is challenging to construct the connections of the mesh topology. In a mesh topology, every node connects to the node after it point-to-point. In a mesh design, wired or wireless connections are feasible.

There are two types of mesh topology:

• Fully connected mesh  topology
• Partially connected mesh  topology

Fully connected mesh  topology:

In a mesh that completely interconnects, each node has direct connections to every other node.

This enables the transmission of a message through several pathways.

There are n(n-1)/2 routes in a mesh network with n nodes. The fully connected mesh architecture is too costly and complex for the majority of practical networks. a few node networks use for testing.

Partially connected mesh network:

Partial mesh topology is more useful than complete mesh topology. All nodes in a network do not have to be link to one another in a partially connected mesh design. This partial mesh topology is less costly and removes redundancy when compared to a complete mesh topology.

Advantages of mesh topology:

• It offers a high degree of privacy and security since each computer has its own dedicated point-to-point link;

• It has several connections, so if one blocks, the other may use for data transfer;

• The point-to-point connection makes fault detection simple;

Disadvantages of mesh topology:

• Mesh architecture requires a lot of wires and I/O ports for communication.

• Because each node in a mesh design connects to every other node, installation is particularly difficult.

• Compared to other network topologies like a star, bus, and point-to-point, mesh topology is more costly.