Essay About Shape Of A Local-Area-Network And Type Of Physical Topology Layout Design

Topologies Case
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A topology is the shape of a local-area-network or other
telecommunications. Our Government, schools, and business all have
some type of physical topology layout design for there network. Topology
is the way a network is physically set up to send protocols from node to
node; it is the arrangement of computers, cables and other types of nodes.
There are two different kinds of topologies, physical and logical. The most
commonly used topologies are Bus, Star, Ring, and Mesh.
Each topology has pros and cons when they are connected to a
network. The administrator needs to keep both factors of advantages and
disadvantages in mind when deciding which topology system will be used.
In addition, they should know how many connected modules and the
estimated amount of traffic that will be on the network. Also, make sure
that the structure will be within the budget, and making sure it can be
configured in the given time frame.
Sometimes in large networks, you can combine different topologies
making them compound topologies. Combining topologies gives the option
to making a network as big as needed. Again, the pros and cons of these
topologies would need to be examined to see which one is best suitable for
the grid.
Ashlee Gardner CIT 1503 Network Topology
Topology has two parts, physical and logical. Physical topology is the
actual wiring of the network and the form the computers are able to send
data through a network. They start with a small network using a simple bus
network to a mesh network that can get very complicated. The most
frequent topologies used are bus, star, ring and mesh. Advantages and
disadvantages of each topology will be significant to which one would be
best.
Bus topology (also known as a drop) is a LAN architecture in which
all nodes are connected by one linear bus (cable) and transmissions from
network stations propagate the length of the cable medium and are
received by all other nodes.(Network Dictionary) The cabling used for this
type of topology is twisted pair, coaxial and fiber optic. A signal from the
resource is announced and it travels to all workstations connected to the
backbone. Even though the message is announced to every workstation,
only the intended Mac address or IP address will accept the message. The
advantages to the layout it is very simple and easy to use. It requires a
small amount of wire to connecting computers so therefore, it is less
expensive.
Disadvantages of the Bus topology are that there is no security. If a
client is sending data to another client on their network the receivers can
Ashlee Gardner CIT 1503 Network Topology
capture the broadcasts very easily.(Communication and Computer
Network) Plus, only one workstation can send data at a time.(IP Mulitcast)
If one computer breaks, it will not affect the other computers in the network,
but if the backbone fails, the entire network stops working. Terminators are
needed at both ends of the backbone cable and for this it is not meant to be
used in a large building for a stand-alone solution.
Star topology is one of the most common computer network
topologies. The network nodes are connected to a central node, which
rebroadcasts all transmissions received from any peripheral node to all
peripheral nodes on the network. All peripheral nodes may thus
communicate with all others by transmitting to, and receiving from, the
central node.(Network Dictionary) All nodes are connected to a central
point, for example a hub or switch that connects using cabling such as
twisted pair and fiber optic. This decreases the chances of a dropped
network.
The advantages of this type of topology are that its easily secured
and manageable. Also, if you often switch nodes, the star is easier to
add/delete workstations by just unplugging it form the hub or plugging one
in. Given that each client is hardwired to the hub, data is sent twice as fast
Ashlee Gardner CIT 1503 Network Topology
as the bus topology.(Network Certification) This design allows you to
breakdown your network into small clusters of workstations that are
physically in the same vicinity.
The main disadvantage of Star Topology is if the central point,
hub/switch,