Network topologies and connection hardware

Overview

Network topology, bus topology and give one drawback and star topology and give one advantage.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is a network topology?

   Model answer

   A network topology is the arrangement in which devices are connected to one another. Bus, star, ring and mesh are the common topologies.

2. 2

   Describe a bus topology and give one drawback.

   Model answer

   A bus topology connects every device to one shared backbone cable. A break in the backbone brings the whole network down.

3. 3

   Describe a star topology and give one advantage.

   Model answer

   A star topology connects every device by its own cable to a central switch. A single cable failure affects only the one device attached to it.

4. 4

   Describe a ring topology.

   Model answer

   A ring topology passes data from device to device around a closed loop. Each device receives and forwards the data until it reaches its destination.

5. 5

   Describe a mesh topology and give one place it is used.

   Model answer

   A mesh topology connects each node to several others, giving many alternative routes. The internet backbone is built as a mesh for resilience.

6. 6

   Why does a star topology handle heavy traffic better than a bus?

   Model answer

   A switch in a star sends each frame only to the port that needs it. A bus shares one cable, so traffic from every device competes for it.

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