Network Topologies

Network Topologies

There are several different common topologies available in networking: Bus, Ring, and Star to name a few. A network topology is how computers, printers, and other devices are connected over a network. It describes the layout of wires, devices, and routing paths. With some many advances in technology and the networking of computers it is easy to forget that networking was not always smooth process.

The bus topology was fairly popular in the early years of networking. It’s easy to setup- not to mention inexpensive. All devices on the Bus Topology are connected using a single cable. If you need help remembering how the Bus Topology operates, think of it as the route a bus takes throughout a city. It is extremely important to note that both ends of the main cable need to be terminated. If there is no terminator, the signal will bounce back when it reaches the end. The result: a bunch of collisions and noise that will disrupt the entire network.

The Ring Topology is a unique topology that is a lot more complex that it may seem since it looks like just a bunch of computers connected in a circle. However, the Ring Topology is providing a collision-free and redundant networking environment. Because there is no end on a Ring Topology, no terminators are necessary. A frame travels along the circle, stopping at each node. If that node wants to transmit data, it adds destination address and data information to the frame. The frame then travels around the ring, searching for the destination node. When it’s found, the data is taken out of the frame and the cycle continues.

Further exploration into Ring Topology will show that there is actually a second type of Ring-type networking that is called Dual-Ring Topology., Dual-Ring Topology. Dual-Ring Topology uses two rings instead of one which allows a sense of redundancy so that if any point in the network fails, the second ring can pick up where the other could not.. If both rings were to fail at separate locations, we can even use the opposite ring at each point to “patch” the downed node.

The Star Topology works by connecting each node to a central device. This central connection allows us to have a fully functioning network even when other devices fail. The only real threat to this topology is that if the central device goes down, so does the entire network.

The Extended Star