week 2: Network structure and

Topologies
Network Structure
• Define the elements of communication
– 3 common elements of communication
• message source
• the channel
• message destination

• Define a network
• data or information networks capable of carrying many different
types of communications
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2
Network Structure
• Describe how messages are communicated
• Data is sent across a network in small “chunks” called segments

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3
Network Structure
• Describe how messages are communicated
• Data is sent across a network in small “chunks” called segments

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4
Network Structure
• Define the components of a network
– Network components

• hardware
• software

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5
Network Structure
• End Devices and their Role in the Network
– End devices form interface with human network & communications network
– Role of end devices:
• client
• server
• both client and server

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6
Network Structure
• Identify the role of an intermediary device in a data
network and be able to contrast that role with the role of
an end device
– Role of an intermediary device
• provides connectivity and ensures data flows across network

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7
Network Structure
• Define network media and criteria for making a
network media choice
• Network media
This is the channel over which a message travels

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8
Network Representations and
Topologies

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Network Representations

Network diagrams, often called topology

diagrams, use symbols to represent
devices within the network.
Important terms to know include:
• Network Interface Card (NIC)
• Physical Port
• Interface

Note: Often, the terms port and

interface are used interchangeably

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Network Representations and Topologies
Topology Diagrams
Physical topology diagrams illustrate the Logical topology diagrams illustrate devices,
physical location of intermediary devices ports, and the addressing scheme of the
and cable installation. network.

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Network Types
• Define Local Area Networks (LANs)
• A network serving a home, building or campus is considered a Local Area Network (LAN)

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12
Network Types
• Define Wide Area Networks (WANs)
• LANs separated by geographic distance are connected by a network known as a Wide Area
Network (WAN)

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13
LANs and WANs
A LAN is a network infrastructure that spans A WAN is a network infrastructure that spans
a small geographical area. a wide geographical area.

LAN WAN
Interconnect end devices in a limited area. Interconnect LANs over wide geographical areas.
Administered by a single organization or Typically administered by one or more service
individual. providers.
Provide high-speed bandwidth to internal Typically provide slower speed links between LANs.
devices.

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Common Types of Networks
Intranets and Extranets

An intranet is a private collection of LANs

and WANs internal to an organization that
is meant to be accessible only to the
organizations members or others with
authorization.
An organization might use an extranet to
provide secure access to their network for
individuals who work for a different
organization that need access to their
data on their network.

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Common Types of Networks
The Internet
The internet is a worldwide collection of
interconnected LANs and WANs.
• LANs are connected to each other using
WANs.
• WANs may use copper wires, fiber optic
cables, and wireless transmissions.

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Internet Connections
Internet Access Technologies There are many ways to connect users
and organizations to the internet:
• Popular services for home users
and small offices include
broadband cable, broadband digital
subscriber line (DSL), wireless
WANs, and mobile services.
• Organizations need faster
connections to support IP phones,
video conferencing and data center
storage.

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Internet Connections
Home and Small Office Internet Connections
Connection Description

Cable high bandwidth, always on, internet

offered by cable television service
providers.

DSL high bandwidth, always on, internet

connection that runs over a
telephone line.
Cellular uses a cell phone network to connect
to the internet.

Satellite major benefit to rural areas without

Internet Service Providers.
Dial-up an inexpensive, low bandwidth
telephone option using a modem.

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Physical and Logical Topologies

The topology of a network is the arrangement and relationship of the network

devices and the interconnections between them.

There are two types of topologies used when describing networks:

• Physical topology – shows physical connections and how devices are
interconnected.
• Logical topology – identifies the virtual connections between devices
using device interfaces and IP addressing schemes.

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WAN Topologies
There are three common physical WAN topologies:
• Point-to-point – the simplest and most common WAN topology. Consists of
a permanent link between two endpoints.
• Hub and spoke – similar to a star topology where a central site
interconnects branch sites through point-to-point links.
• Mesh – provides high availability but requires every end system to be
connected to every other end system.

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Point-to-Point WAN Topology
• Point-to-point (PTP) network topology connects two nodes directly to
one another. Only two devices involved in a point-to-point connection,
with one wire (or air, in the case of wireless) sitting between them. This
is the simplest topology in networking. For this reason, this is a very
popular WAN topology. The figure below illustrates the physical point-
to-point topology.

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Hub and spoke WAN Topology
• A hub and spoke network is a traditional and widely used network
topology for all types of networks also known as a star topology. In this
topology, a central site interconnects branch sites using point-to-point
links. The Central site is known as hub and branch site known as
spokes. Communication between two spokes always travels through
the hub. The figure below illustrates the physical hub and spoke
topology.

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Mesh WAN Topology
• A mesh network is a network topology where each node relays data for
the network so this topology provides high availability but requires that
every end system is interconnected to every other system. Therefore
the administrative and physical costs can be very high. Each link is
essentially a point-to-point link to the other node. Variations of this
topology include a partial mesh where some but not all of the end
devices inter-connected. The figure below illustrates the physical mesh
topology.

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LAN Topologies
End devices on LANs are typically
interconnected using a star or extended
star topology. Star and extended star
topologies are easy to install, very scalable
and easy to troubleshoot.

Early Ethernet and Legacy Token Ring

technologies provide two additional
topologies:
• Bus – All end systems chained
together and terminated on each end.
• Ring – Each end system is connected
to its respective neighbors to form a
ring.

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Star LAN Topology
In Star topology, all end devices have connected to the central device.
Early star topologies interconnected end devices using Ethernet hubs.
However, star topologies now use Ethernet switches. The star topology is
easy to install, very scalable (easy to add and remove end devices), and
easy to troubleshoot. All the data on the star topology passes through the
central device before reaching the intended destination.
the data on the star topology passes through the central device
Extended Star Topology
In an extended star topology, additional Ethernet switches interconnect
other star topologies.
aching the intended destination

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Bus LAN Topology

Bus Topology is the simplest of network topologies. All end systems

(computers as well as servers) are connected to each other and
terminated in some form on each end. Infrastructure devices such as
switches not required to interconnect the end devices. Bus topologies
using coax cables in legacy Ethernet networks because it was
inexpensive and easy to set up. the intended destination

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Ring LAN Topology
In the ring topology, end systems are connected to a single circle of cable.
Unlike the bus topology, the ring does not need termination. The signals
travel around the loop in one direction and pass through each computer,
which acts as a repeater to boost the signal and send it to the next
computer. Ring topologies use in legacy Fiber Distributed Data Interface
(FDDI) and Token Ring networks.

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