Network Structure
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Physical Topology
Physical Topology
The term physical topology refers to the way
in which a network is laid out physically.
Two or more devices connect to a link;
Two or more links form a topology.
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Physical Topology
Topology
The topology of a network is the geometric
representation of the relationship of all the
links and
linking devices to one another.
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Physical Topology
Topology
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Physical Topology
Mesh Topology
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Physical Topology
Mesh Topology
Every device has a dedicated point-
to-point link to every other device.
The term dedicated means that the
link carries traffic only between the
two devices it connects.
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Physical Topology
Mesh Topology
Number of physical links in a fully
connected mesh network with n
nodes, N = n(n-1)/2 duplex mode
link
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Physical Topology
Mesh Topology
Every device on the network must
have n – 1 input/output ports.
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Physical Topology
Advantages of Mesh Topology
1. Every device on the network must have n –
1 input/output ports.
2. The use of dedicated links guarantees that
each connection can carry its own data load
thus eliminating traffic problems.
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Physical Topology
Advantages of Mesh Topology
3. Mesh topology is robust( a system's ability to remain
functioning under disturbances). If one link becomes
unusable, it does not incapacitate the entire system.
4. Privacy or security. When every message travels along a
dedicated line, only the intended recipient sees it. Physical
boundaries prevent other users from gaining access to
messages.
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Physical Topology
Advantages of Mesh Topology
5. Point-to-point links make fault identification and fault
isolation easy. Traffic can be routed to avoid
links with suspected problems. This facility enables the
network manager to discover the precise location of the
fault and aids in finding its cause and solution.
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Physical Topology
Disadvantages of Mesh Topology
1. amount of cabling and
2. The number of I/O ports required.
3. Because every device must be connected to every other
device, installation and reconnection are difficult.
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Physical Topology
Disadvantages of Mesh Topology
4. Bulk of the wiring can be greater than
the available space (in walls, ceilings,
or floors) can accommodate.
5. The hardware required to connect each
link (I/O ports and cable) can be
prohibitively expensive.
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Physical Topology
Application area Mesh Topology
A mesh topology is usually
implemented in a
limited fashion, for example, as a
backbone connecting the main
computers of a hybrid network that
can include several other topologies.
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Physical Topology
Use of Mesh Topology
• One practical example of a mesh
topology is the connection of
telephone regional
offices in which each regional
office needs to be connected to
every other regional office.
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Physical Topology
Star Topology
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Physical Topology
Star Topology
In a star topology, each device has a
dedicated point-to-point link only to a
central controller, usually called a hub.
The devices are not directly linked to one
another.
Unlike a mesh topology, a star topology does
not allow direct traffic between devices.
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Physical Topology
Star Topology
The controller acts as an exchange:
If one device wants to send data to
another, it sends the data to the
controller, which then relays the
data to the other connected device .
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Physical Topology
Advantages of Star Topology
1. A star topology is less expensive than a mesh
topology.
2. In a star, each device needs only one link and one
I/O port to connect it to any number of others.
3. This factor also makes it easy to install and
reconfigure.
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Physical Topology
Advantages of Star Topology
4. Far less cabling needs to be housed.
5. Additions, moves, and deletions involve only one
connection: between that device and the hub.
6. Robustness. If one link fails, only that link is affected all
other links remain active.
7. This factor also lends itself to easy fault identification and
fault isolation.
.
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Physical Topology
Advantages of Star Topology
8. As long as the hub is working, it can be
used to monitor link problems and bypass
defective links.
.
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Physical Topology
Disadvantages of Star Topology
1. Dependency of the whole topology
on one single point, the hub. If the hub goes down,
the whole system is dead.
2. Although a star requires far less cable than a
mesh, each node must be linked to a
central hub. Often more cabling is required in a
star than in some other topologies (such as ring or
bus).
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Physical Topology
Application area of Star Topology
1. The star topology is used in local-area
networks (LANs), and High-speed LANs
often use a star topology with a central hub.
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Physical Topology
BUS Topology
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Physical Topology
BUS Topology
Mesh and Star topologies were
examples of point to point
communication.
A bus topology, on the other hand,
is multipoint. One long cable acts as
a backbone to link all the devices
in a network.
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Physical Topology
BUS Topology
Nodes are connected to the bus cable by
drop lines and taps.
A drop line is a connection running between
the device and the main cable.
A tap is a connector that punctures the
sheathing of a cable to create a contact with
the metallic core.
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Physical Topology
BUS Topology
As a signal travels along the backbone, some
of its energy is transformed into heat.
Therefore, it becomes weaker and weaker as
it travels farther and farther. For
this reason there is a limit on the number of
taps a bus can support and on the distance
between those taps.
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Physical Topology
Advantages of BUS Topology
1. Ease of installation. Backbone
cable can be laid along the most
efficient path, then connected to
the nodes by drop lines of various
lengths.
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Physical Topology
Advantages of BUS Topology
2. A bus uses less cabling than mesh
or star topologies. For example,
four network devices in the same
room require four lengths of cable
reaching.
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Physical Topology
Disadvantages of BUS Topology
1. Difficult reconnection and fault
isolation. A bus is usually designed
to be optimally efficient at
installation.
2. Difficult to add new devices.
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Physical Topology
Disadvantages of BUS Topology
3. Signal reflection at the taps can
cause degradation in quality.
4. Adding new devices require
modification or replacement of the
backbone.
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Physical Topology
Application area of BUS Topology
Bus topology was the one of the first topologies
used in the design of early local area networks.
Ethernet LANs can use a bus topology, but they
are less popular now.
.
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Physical Topology
Ring Topology
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Physical Topology
Ring Topology
Each device has a dedicated point-to-point
connection with only the two devices on
either side of it.
A signal is passed along the ring in one
direction, from device to device, until it
reaches its destination.
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Physical Topology
Ring Topology
Each device in the ring incorporates a
repeater.
When a device receives a signal intended for
another device, its repeater regenerates the
bits and passes them along
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Physical Topology
Advantages of Ring Topology
1. A ring is relatively easy to install and
reconfigure. Each device is linked to only its
immediate neighbors (either physically or
logically).
2. To add or delete a device requires changing
only two connections. The only constraints
are media and traffic considerations
(maximum ring length and number of
devices).
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Physical Topology
Advantages of Ring Topology
3. Fault isolation is simplified.
Generally in a ring, a signal is circulating at
all times. If one device does not receive a
signal within a specified period, it can issue
an alarm. The alarm alerts the network
operator to the problem and its location.
4. All data flows in one direction, reducing the
chance of packet collisions.
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Physical Topology
disadvantages of Ring Topology
1. Due to unidirectional traffic in a simple ring,
a break in the ring (such as a disabled
station) can disable the entire network. This
weakness can be solved by using a dual ring
or a switch capable of closing off the break..
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Physical Topology
Application Area of Ring Topology
Ring topology was prevalent when IBM
introduced its local-area network Token Ring.
Today, the need for higher-speed LANs has
made this topology less popular.
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Physical Topology
Hybrid Topology
A network can be hybrid. For example, we can
have a main star topology with each branch
connecting several stations in a bus topology as
shown in Figure
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