What is the difference between ring star and mesh 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.

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:

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Difference between Ring Topology and Mesh Topology

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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:

• What is Topology?
• Type of Network Topology
• Point to Point
• Bus Topology
• Ring Topology
• Star Topology
• Mesh Topology
• Tree Topology
• Hybrid Topology
• How to select a Network Topology?

Types of Topology

There are five types of topology in computer networks:

What is Star Topology?

In the star topology, there is a connection between every device in the network to the central node. The central node is a device, which can be a switch or a hub. Further, the connections can be via twisted pair cables or coaxial cables.

Figure 01: Star Topology

The main advantage of the star topology is that it is easy to troubleshoot. Moreover, if one device fails, it will not affect the communication of the other devices. Therefore, it is easy to replace that faulty device with some other device. It is also easy to setup and modify the network. Furthermore, as there is only one central device, it is simple to upgrade.

Although it has many advantages, there are few drawbacks too. Information from all devices passes through the central device. Therefore, if the central device fails, the entire network fails. Another point is that the performance of the network highly depends on the central device. However, in overall, this topology is easy to install and manage and is ideal for home and office networks.

Physical or Logical Network Topologies

With the brief introduction provided above, we simply understand what a basic computer network is all about.

A network topology can either be the physical or logical arrangement of devices on a network.

These connected devices can be routers, switches, firewalls, network printers, wireless access points, user computers etc (basically anything that can be assigned an IP address). Note that end user devices are also part of the network topology.

Logical topology deals with how data is transferred and flows on the network, while physical topology is concerned with the physical layout of the devices on the network and how they are physically connected.

Types of Network Topologies

Network topology goes beyond logical or physical arrangement of devices. This brings us to the various types of network topologies available today. These topologies are Bus, Star, Ring, Tree, Hybrid and Mesh network topologies. Let us take a closer look at each of these types mentioned.

Bus Topology – Advantages and Disadvantages

Bus topology has a network arrangement where nodes make use of a single communication line for data transmission.

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Many networks at the beginning of computer networking era made use of this topology due to easy implementation.

Advantages

• Since there is a single communication line, means the same medium is shared. Therefore, the major advantage of using this topology is its simplicity.
• Easy to setup and extend.
• Less costly. Less cabling needs.

Disadvantages

• On the other hand, having a single communication line for data transmission makes it easier for collision to occur, which is seen as a disadvantage of using this network topology.
• If the single network cable has a problem or disconnection, the whole network breaks.
• Difficult to identify a problem.
• All devices receive all signals from every other host. This is not efficient.