What is the difference between bus star and ring topology?

Difference between Star and Ring Topology

Prerequisite – Network Topologies
Star Topology:
In Star topology, the nodes are connected to the central hub or router in which the information is travel from central hub or router to all the nodes. There are n links in Star topology, if there are n nodes. The nodes are connected to each other completely via dedicated link in which the information is travel from nodes to nodes.A new cable is added to the central hub to add a new node in star topology.

Table of Contents Show

Difference between Star and Ring Topology
Difference between Star topology and Bus topology
What is Star Topology
What is Ring Topology
Difference between Star and Ring Topology
Content: Star Vs Ring Topology
Comparison Chart
Definition of Star Topology
Definition of Ring Topology
What is Topology?

Ring Topology:
In Ring topology, every node is connected to it’s left and right side nodes in which the information is travel from nodes to nodes in ring manner in one direction.There are also n links in ring topology like star topology, if there are n nodes present. In ring topology, to add a new node the entire connection must be broken down.

Difference between Star and Ring Topology:

S.NO	Star topology	Ring Topology
1.	In star topology, the nodes are connected to the central hub or router.	In ring topology, every node is connected to it’s left and right side nodes.
2.	In star topology, only hub is failure point.	In ring topology, every nodes are failure point.
3.	The cost of star topology is high.	The cost of ring topology is low.
4.	In star topology, the information is travel from central hub or router to all the nodes.	In ring topology, the information is travel from nodes to nodes in ring manner in one direction.
5.	The cables are required in star topology more than the ring topology.	The cables are required in ring topology less than the star topology.
6.	There are n links in Star topology, if there are n nodes.	There are also n links in ring topology, if there are n nodes present.
7.	A new cable is added to the central hub to add a new node.	Whereas to add a new node in ring topology, the connection must be broken.
8.	In Star topology, addition and removal of new nodes is moderately difficult.	In ring topology, addition and removal of new nodes is difficult.

Article Tags :

Computer Networks

Difference Between

GATE CS

Practice Tags :

Computer Networks

Read Full Article

Difference between Star topology and Bus topology

Prerequisite – Types of Network Topology

1. Star Topology :
Star topology is basically used for Local Area networks in which all nodes are connected to a central point called Hub, which connects them into the communication channel. The connections are in such a manner that n number of wires are required to connect n number of end devices or nodes. Traffic is generated from the central hub of the star. The central hub controls communication between all the nodes, message sent by one node reaches the hub first, and then it is transmitted to the receiver node through the hub.

2. Bus Topology :
Bus topology is a type of network topology in which all the devices are connected to a single cable which is called the backbone of the network. It consists of a terminator at each end of the cable. The network cable is responsible for the communication between the devices and when the data reaches the end of the cable it is removed by the terminator from the data line. It is the easiest network topology when the devices are to be connected in a linear fashion.

What is Star Topology

In a star topology, all the devices connect to a central node or a device. The central node can be a hub or a switch. Other devices connect to the central device via cables such as coaxial or twisted pair cables. The main advantage of the star topology is that it does not affect the communication among the devices. If communication of one device fails, it does not affect the other devices. Therefore, the network administrator can replace the cables or the failed device easily. Moreover, it is easier to set up and modify the network.

On the other hand, as all the information passes through the central device, all other devices rely on that device. So, if the central device fails, it will affect the functionality of the entire network. Also, more devices connecting to the central device can increase the workload of the central device. Usually, this network type is commonly used for home and office.

What is Ring Topology

The devices in a ring topology connect to each other similar to a ring. The first device connects to the next device. That device connects to the other device. Likewise, all the devices connect, and the last devices connect back to the first device forming a structure similar to a ring. Thus, each device connects to two devices.

A device receives a message from the previous device, and it sends that message to the next device. Likewise, the devices can exchange data by passing messages in a specific direction. When a device passes a message to another device, that message passes one after the other until it reaches the destination.

As the devices are connected in a sequential manner, failure in one device or related cables can affect the communication of the whole network. That is a major drawback in a ring topology.

Difference between Star and Ring Topology

NetworkMCAComputers

Both Star and Ring are the types of network Topologies which could be defined as the arrangement of a network which comprises of nodes and connecting lines via sender and receiver. On the basis of nature and characteristics of both, we can distinguish between them.

Following are the important differences between Star and Ring Topology −

Sr. No.	Key	Star Topology	Ring Topology
1	Definition	Star Topology could be defined as a network topology in which the nodes are connected to the central hub or router through which information is travelled from central hub or router to all the nodes.	On other hand, Ring Topology is the network topology in which the nodes are connected to each other completely via dedicated link in which the information is travelled from nodes to nodes. Also every node is connected to its left and right side nodes.
2	Number of nodes	Star Topology has number of nodes equal to the links present i.e. if there are N links in Star Topology then there are N nodes.	On other hand in case of Ring Topology there are N links where N is the number of nodes.
3	Complex	Star Topology due to its simple structure is less complex as compared to Ring Topology.	On other hand due to more complexity in nodes arrangement Ring Topology is considered as more complex.
4	Cost efficient	Star Topology is cost efficient as compared to Ring Topology.	However, Ring Topology is costlier as compared to Star Topology.
5	Information	In Star Topology the information is travelled from central hub or router to all the nodes.	In Ring Topology the information is travelled from nodes to nodes.
6	Usage	Star Topology is very extensible and using it in LAN as setup is easy too.	Ring Topology is poorly extensible and can be used in WAN.

Nitin Sharma

Published on 09-Jun-2020 09:11:32

Previous Page Print Page

Content: Star Vs Ring Topology

Comparison Chart
Definition
Key Differences
Similarity
Conclusion

Comparison Chart

Basis for Comparison	Star Topology	Ring Topology
Connection Type	Centralized connection or client-server model.	Peer to peer connection.
Central Host	Required	Not required
Troubleshooting	Easy	Comparatively difficult
Cost	High	Low in comparison to star topology
Network failure	Only due to centralized hub.	Can be because of every single device present in the network.
Speed of transmission	Fast	Comparatively slow
Network Enlargement	Easy	Quite difficult
Data Flow	Directly to/from the hub.	It follows sequential data flow i.e., from one direction to another.

Definition of Star Topology

Star topology is a way of connecting multiple devices in a network by the help of a central hub. This means all the devices will be connected to each other through a central host unit. The transfer of the data between the devices will be accomplished through the central hub only.

The figure below represents the network using star connection:

As we can see in the figure shown above that each device of the network is individually connected to the hub through separate cabling. Due to this connection whenever, a fault appears in any of the devices of the network, then its detection and solution becomes quite easy. But in this case, when the fault appears at the central hub of the network then it breaks down the whole network completely, as all the devices are directly connected to this particular hub.

The devices in the network are connected via coaxial, fiber or twisted pair cables with the centralized hub.

Definition of Ring Topology

Here the name itself is suggesting that in ring topology the devices in the network forms ring type connection in a way that each device is directly connected to the devices present next to it. So, in this case at the time of data transmission the information flows in a sequential manner, it can be either in clockwise direction or anticlockwise direction.

This is so because in direct connection of the devices with each other, each device sends or receive data from the device present adjacent to it.

The figure here shows network orientation in the form of ring:

Here it is clear from the figure shown above that device 1 is directly connected to device 2 and 6 with separate cables. This represents peer to peer connection between the devices in the network.

It is to be noted here that repeaters are necessarily required to be installed in ring network. As when large number of devices are present in the network, then at that time, transferring the information by passing through each device between source and destination can lead to chances of data loss. Thus, in order to prevent the loss of data, repeaters must be installed in the network.

In ring topology as not only source and destination are involved in data transfer. But the other devices between them passes the information. So, due to this in case if a single device gets failed then it will lead to failure of the whole network.

What is Topology?

Network topologies describe the methods in which all the elements of a network are mapped. The topology term refers to both the physical and logical layout of a network.

In this network topology tutorial, we will explain: