Topologies

Question 1

Topologies which I need to know about?

Answer 1

• star
• bus
• ring
• mesh
• partial mesh

Question 2

What is a topology?

Answer 2

arrangement of nodes connected together on a network

Question 3

Topology can be both….

Answer 3

physical or logical

Question 4

What is a star topology?

Answer 4

• an arrangement where each node is connected to a central switch or a hub, which can be connected to a server (depending whether it is p2p or cs)
• server manages data transmisson
• it is the most popular topology

Question 5

Advantages of star topology?

Answer 5

• central management
• doesn’t break if a single node does, it is less vulnerable
• easy to add new nodes
• no problems with collisions since each device has one connection to central management
• more secure as other nodes do not get the data , unless flooded by a hub

Question 6

Disadvantages of a star topology?

Answer 6

• if central management goes down then the whole network will fail
• performance depends on the central device
• may be costly to install

Question 7

What is a bus topology?

Answer 7

• every node is connected to a backbone

- data is transmitted in one direction only

Question 8

Advantages of a bus topology?

Answer 8

• ideal for small networks as the layout is simple
• not many cables necessary
• effective cost
• easy to add devices

Question 9

Disadvantages of a bus topology?

Answer 9

• if the backbone cable fails then network will go fully down
• network traffic will greatly decrease performance
• more nodes added means slower transmission
• performance degrades with heavy traffic
• low security (each device can see all transmissions)

Question 10

What is a ring topology?

Answer 10

• devices connected in a circular format
• packets have to travel through all the nodes to get to destination
• one node is chosen to manage and configure the network
• one way traffic

Question 11

Can a ring topology be made into a dual ring topology?

Answer 11

yes, this would make it bidirectional , each node will have 2 connections

Question 12

Advantages of a ring topology?

Answer 12

• one way so no data collisions

- low cost to install

Question 13

Disadvantages of a ring topology

Answer 13

• network will fail if one node fails
• constant management required
• limited scalability since more nodes means greater delay
• hard to make changes (e.g.add nodes)

Question 14

What is a mesh topology?

Answer 14

• each node is connected to every other node
• it has two forms of transmission routing and flooding
• can be partial or full

Question 15

What is a partial mesh topology?

Answer 15

where most devices are connected to each other with some exceptions

Question 16

advantages of a mesh topology?

Answer 16

• very resilient to failures
• secure from compromise
• only one node needs to have connection to the internet
• can be wireless
• ## self healing, if one path is broken then another can be taken

Question 17

disadvantages of a mesh topology?

Answer 17

• lot of configuration required
• complex layout
• expensive

Question 18

What is a repeater?

Answer 18

a device which repeats a signal , this happens when there is transmission loss

Question 19

What is a physical topology?

Answer 19

the actual design layout, which is important for wiring scheme

Question 20

What is a logical topology?

Answer 20

shape of the path that the data will travel in and describes component communication on a network.

Question 21

Can a network be a star topology but behave like a bus topology?

Answer 21

YES, with the use of correct protocols and physical switching