What is the most popular topologies used on modern LANs?

What is network topology?

Network topology is the description of the arrangement of nodes (e.g. networking switches and routers) and connections in a network, often represented as a graph.

No matter how identical two organizations are, no two networks are exactly alike. However, many organizations are relying on well-established network topology models. Network topologies outline how devices are connected together and how data is transmitted from one node to another.

A logical network topology is a conceptual representation of how devices operate at particular layers of abstraction. A physical topology details how devices are physically connected.Logical and physical topologies can both be represented as visual diagrams.

A network topology map is a map that allows an administrator to see the physical network layout of connected devices. Having the map of a network’s topology on hand is very useful for understanding how devices connect to each other and the best techniques for troubleshooting.

Frequently Asked Question:

Which of the following is a not a network category based on the geographic dispersion of network components group of answer choices?

Explanation: WAN(Wide area network)is the network which constitutes a large geographical region. This network consist of the small network unit as well as large network connections. This network does not have the geographic dispersion of the components of networks.

Which of the following geographic network types is made up of an interconnection of LANs?

7) Campus Area Network (CAN):

A Campus Area Network is made up of an interconnection of LANs within a specific geographical area.

In which network type is each computer on the network considered equal?

1). In a peer-to-peer network, all computers are considered equal; they all have the same abilities to use the resources available on the network. Peer-to-peer networks are designed primarily for small to medium local area networks.

Which of the following geographic network types are typically managed by a city as a public utility?

Which of the following geographic network types are typically managed by a city as a public utility? a MAN is a network that sometimes covers an entire city. MANs are typically owned and managed by a city as a public utility. A PAN is a small network for communications between personal devices.

What is device type A and B in the following exhibit?

What is device type A and B in the following exhibit? Selected Answer:Device A is a switch, and device B is a router.Answers:Device A is a router, and device B is a switch.

Which kind of network can connect geographically dispersed LANs?

WAN – Wide area network

As the term implies, a WAN spans a large physical distance. The Internet is the largest WAN, spanning the Earth. A WAN is a geographically–dispersed collection of LANs. A network device called a router connects LANs to a WAN.

Which of the following networks uses two or more LANs?

Typically, a WAN consists of two or more local-area networks (LANs). Computers connected to a wide-area network are often connected through public networks, such as the telephone system. They can also be connected through leased lines or satellites. The largest WAN in existence is the Internet.

Which of the following geographic network types are typically managed by a city as a public utility?

Which of the following geographic network types are typically managed by a city as a public utility? a MAN is a network that sometimes covers an entire city. MANs are typically owned and managed by a city as a public utility. A PAN is a small network for communications between personal devices.

Which piece of network hardware is typically used to connect workstations directly to a LAN?

An ethernet switch is a device that provides a central connection point for cables from workstations, servers, and peripherals.

Which IEEE standard defines wired Ethernet as it is used on modern networks group of answer choices?

As a result, the IEEE calls this technology 802.3 CSMA/CD or just 802.3. However, most people still use the Ethernet name when referring to the network system described in the 802.3 standard. The IEEE 802.3 standard is the official Ethernet standard.

What is the most popular topology used in modern Lans?

The star physical topology is the most common implementation of the modern LAN. The central device is the focus for network traffic.

What is the name of the address that is used by a router at Layer 3 to identify specific devices?

The router uses Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) to determine the MAC address of the device with a specific IP address and encapsulates the packet with a header that contains that specific MAC address before sending it on the wire.

What is device type A and B in the following exhibit?

What is device type A and B in the following exhibit? Selected Answer:Device A is a switch, and device B is a router.Answers:Device A is a router, and device B is a switch.

What is the name of the address that is used by a router to identify specific devices?

The MAC address is a unique value associated with a network adapter. MAC addresses are also known as hardware addresses or physical addresses. They uniquely identify an adapter on a LAN.

What is the most popular topology used in modern LANs?

The star physical topology is the most common implementation of the modern LAN. The central device is the focus for network traffic.

What is the name that is used to reference the central primary cable distribution point in a building?

Answer Expert Verified. In telecomunications, the name MDF is used to designate the central primary distritution point in a building. MDF stands for Main Distribution Frame.

What information is stored in a bridge table?

What information is stored in a bridge table? A bridge table stores the MAC address and port locations for hosts connected to the bridge ports.

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LAN Network Topologies

Written by Administrator. Posted in Network Fundamentals

Network topologies can take a bit of time to understand when you're all new to this kind of cool stuff, but it's very important to fully understand them as they are key elements to understanding and troubleshooting networks and will help you decide what actions to take when you're faced with network problems.

This article explains the different network topologies found in today's networks. We examine Bus Topology, Ring Topology, Star Topology, Mesh Topology, Hybrid Topology and many more.

Physical and Logical Topologies

There are two types of topologies: Physical and Logical. The physical topology of a network refers to the layout of cables, computers and other peripherals. Try to imagine yourself in a room with a small network, you can see network cables coming out of every computer that is part of the network, then those cables plug into a hub or switch. What you're looking at is the physical topology of that network !

Logical topology is the method used to pass the information between the computers. In other words, looking at that same room, if you were to try to see how the network works with all the computers talking (think of the computers generating traffic and packets of data going everywhere on the network) you would be looking at the logical part of the network. The way the computers will be talking to each other and the direction of the traffic is controlled by the various protocols (like Ethernet) or, if you like, rules.

If we used token ring, then the physical topology would have to change to meet the requirements of the way the token ring protocol works (logically).

If it's all still confusing, consider this: The physical topology describes the layout of the network, just like a map shows the layout of various roads, and the logical topology describes how the data is sent accross the network or how the cars are able to travel (the direction and speed) at every road on the map.

The most common types of physical topologies, which we are going to analyse, are: Bus, Hub/Star and Ring

The Physical Bus Topology

Bus topology is fairly old news and you probably won't be seeing much of these around in any modern office or home.

With the Bus topology, all workstations are connect directly to the main backbone that carries the data. Traffic generated by any computer will travel across the backbone and be received by all workstations. This works well in a small network of 2-5 computers, but as the number of computers increases so will the network traffic and this can greatly decrease the performance and available bandwidth of your network.

As you can see in the above example, all computers are attached to a continuous cable which connects them in a straight line. The arrows clearly indicate that the packet generated by Node 1 is transmitted to all computers on the network, regardless the destination of this packet.

Also, because of the way the electrical signals are transmitted over this cable, its ends must be terminated by special terminators that work as "shock absorbers", absorbing the signal so it won't reflect back to where it came from. The value of 50Ohms has been selected after carefully taking in consideration all the electrical characteristics of the cable used, the voltage that the signal which runs through the cables, the maximum and minimum length of the bus and a few more.

If the bus (the long yellow cable) is damaged anywhere in its path, then it will most certainly cause the network to stop working or, at the very least, cause big communication problems between the workstations.

Thinnet - 10 Base2, also known as coax cable (Black in colour) and Thicknet - 10 Base 5 (Yellow in colour) is used in these type of topologies.

The Physical HUB or STAR Topology

The Star or Hub topology is one of the most common network topologies found in most offices and home networks. It has become very popular in contrast to the bus type (which we just spoke about), because of the cost and the ease of troubleshooting.

The advantage of the star topology is that if one computer on the star topology fails, then only the failed computer is unable to send or receive data. The remainder of the network functions normally.

The disadvantage of using this topology is that because each computer is connected to a central hub or switch, if this device fails, the entire network fails!

A classic example of this type of topology is the UTP (10 base T), which normaly has a blue colour. Personally I find it boring, so I decided to go out and get myself green, red and yellow colours :)

The Physical Ring Topology

In the ring topology, computers are connected on a single circle of cable. Unlike the bus topology, there are no terminated ends. 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. On a larger scale, multiple LANs can be connected to each other in a ring topology by using Thicknet coaxial or fiber-optic cable.

The method by which the data is transmitted around the ring is called token passing. IBM's token ring uses this method. A token is a special series of bits that contains control information. Possession of the token allows a network device to transmit data to the network. Each network has only one token.

The Physical Mesh Topology

In a mesh topology, each computer is connected to every other computer by a separate cable. This configuration provides redundant paths through the new work, so if one computer blows up, you don't lose the network :) On a large scale, you can connect multiple LANs using mesh topology with leased telephone lines, Thicknet coaxial cable or fiber optic cable.

Again, the big advantage of this topology is its backup capabilities by providing multiple paths through the network.

The Physical Hybrid Topology

With the hybrid topology, two or more topologies are combined to form a complete network. For example, a hybrid topology could be the combination of a star and bus topology. These are also the most common in use.

Star-Bus

In a star-bus topology, several star topology networks are linked to a bus connection. In this topology, if a computer fails, it will not affect the rest of the network. However, if the central component, or hub, that attaches all computers in a star, fails, then you have big problems since no computer will be able to communicate.

Star-Ring

In the Star-Ring topology, the computers are connected to a central component as in a star network. These components, however, are wired to form a ring network.

Like the star-bus topology, if a single computer fails, it will not affect the rest of the network. By using token passing, each computer in a star-ring topology has an equal chance of communicating. This allows for greater network traffic between segments than in a star-bus topology.

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