Advantages and Disadvantages of...
Bus Topology
Ring Topology
Mesh Topology
Star Topology
Tree Topology
Hybrid Topology
Advantages
▸ It is easy to set up, handle, and implement.
▸ It is best-suited for small networks.
▸ It costs very less.
Disadvantages
▸ The cable length is limited. This limits the number of network nodes that can be connected.
▸ This network topology can perform well only for a limited number of nodes. When the number of devices connected to the bus increases, the efficiency decreases.
▸ It is suitable for networks with low traffic. High traffic increases load on the bus, and the network efficiency drops.
▸ It is heavily dependent on the central bus. A fault in the bus leads to network failure.
▸ It is not easy to isolate faults in the network nodes.
▸ Each device on the network "sees" all the data being transmitted, thus posing a security risk.
Back to Index
Star Topology
Imagine a hierarchy of network nodes, with the root node serving client nodes, that in turn serve other lower-level nodes. The top-level node is mostly a mainframe computer while other nodes in the hierarchy are mini or microcomputers. In this arrangement, the node at each level could be forming a star network with the nodes it serves. In this case, the structure combines star and bus topologies and inherits their advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages
▸ The tree topology is useful in cases where a star or bus cannot be implemented individually. It is most-suited in networking multiple departments of a university or corporation, where each unit (star segment) functions separately, and is also connected with the main node (root node).
▸ The advantages of centralization that are achieved in a star topology are inherited by the individual star segments in a tree network.
▸ Each star segment gets a dedicated link from the central bus. Thus, failing of one segment does not affect the rest of the network.
▸ Fault identification is easy.
▸ The network can be expanded by the addition of secondary nodes. Thus, scalability is achieved.
Disadvantages
▸ As multiple segments are connected to a central bus, the network depends heavily on the bus. Its failure affects the entire network.
▸ Owing to its size and complexity, maintenance is not easy and costs are high. Also, configuration is difficult in comparison to that in other topologies.
▸ Though it is scalable, the number of nodes that can be added depends on the capacity of the central bus and on the cable type.
Hybrid Topology
A hybrid topology combines two or more topologies and is meant to reap their advantages. Obviously, the advantages and disadvantages of a hybrid topology are a combination of the merits and demerits of the topologies used to structure it.
Bus Topology
Ring Topology
Mesh Topology
Star Topology
Tree Topology
Hybrid Topology
Bus Topology
▸ It is easy to set up, handle, and implement.
▸ It is best-suited for small networks.
▸ It costs very less.
Disadvantages
▸ The cable length is limited. This limits the number of network nodes that can be connected.
▸ This network topology can perform well only for a limited number of nodes. When the number of devices connected to the bus increases, the efficiency decreases.
▸ It is suitable for networks with low traffic. High traffic increases load on the bus, and the network efficiency drops.
▸ It is heavily dependent on the central bus. A fault in the bus leads to network failure.
▸ It is not easy to isolate faults in the network nodes.
▸ Each device on the network "sees" all the data being transmitted, thus posing a security risk.
Back to Index
Ring Topology |
Advantages
▸ The data being transmitted between two nodes passes through all the intermediate nodes. A central server is not required for the management of this topology.
▸ The traffic is unidirectional and the data transmission is high-speed.
▸ In comparison to a bus, a ring is better at handling load.
▸ The adding or removing of network nodes is easy, as the process requires changing only two connections.
▸ The configuration makes it easy to identify faults in network nodes.
▸ In this topology, each node has the opportunity to transmit data. Thus, it is a very organized network topology.
▸ It is less costly than a star topology.
Disadvantages
▸ The failure of a single node in the network can cause the entire network to fail.
▸ The movement or changes made to network nodes affect the entire network's performance.
▸ Data sent from one node to another has to pass through all the intermediate nodes. This makes the transmission slower in comparison to that in a star topology. The transmission speed drops with an increase in the number of nodes.
▸ There is heavy dependency on the wire connecting the network nodes in the ring.
Mesh Topology
 |
Advantages
▸ The arrangement of the network nodes is such that it is possible to transmit data from one node to many other nodes at the same time.
▸ The failure of a single node does not cause the entire network t
o fail as there are alternate paths for data transmission.
▸ It can handle heavy traffic, as there are dedicated paths between any two network nodes.
▸ Point-to-point contact between every pair of nodes, makes it easy to identify faults.
Disadvantages
▸ The arrangement wherein every network node is connected to every other node of the network, many connections serve no major purpose. This leads to redundancy of many network connections.
▸ A lot of cabling is required. Thus, the costs incurred in setup and maintenance are high.
▸ Owing to its complexity, the administration of a mesh network is difficult.
Back to Index
Advantages
▸ Due to its centralized nature, the topology offers simplicity of operation.
▸ It also achieves isolation of each device in the network.
▸ Adding or removing network nodes is easy, and can be done without affecting the entire network.
▸ Due to the centralized nature, it is easy to detect faults in the network devices.
▸ As the analysis of traffic is easy, the topology poses lesser security risk.
▸ Data packets do not have to pass through many nodes, like in the case of a ring network. Thus, with the use of a high-capacity central hub, traffic load can be handled at fairly decent speeds.
Disadvantages
▸ Network operation depends on the functioning of the central hub. Hence, central hub failure leads to failure of the entire network.
▸ Also, the number of nodes that can be added, depends on the capacity of the central hub.
▸ The setup cost is quite high.
▸ Due to its centralized nature, the topology offers simplicity of operation.
▸ It also achieves isolation of each device in the network.
▸ Adding or removing network nodes is easy, and can be done without affecting the entire network.
▸ Due to the centralized nature, it is easy to detect faults in the network devices.
▸ As the analysis of traffic is easy, the topology poses lesser security risk.
▸ Data packets do not have to pass through many nodes, like in the case of a ring network. Thus, with the use of a high-capacity central hub, traffic load can be handled at fairly decent speeds.
Disadvantages
▸ Network operation depends on the functioning of the central hub. Hence, central hub failure leads to failure of the entire network.
▸ Also, the number of nodes that can be added, depends on the capacity of the central hub.
▸ The setup cost is quite high.
Tree Topology
Imagine a hierarchy of network nodes, with the root node serving client nodes, that in turn serve other lower-level nodes. The top-level node is mostly a mainframe computer while other nodes in the hierarchy are mini or microcomputers. In this arrangement, the node at each level could be forming a star network with the nodes it serves. In this case, the structure combines star and bus topologies and inherits their advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages
▸ The tree topology is useful in cases where a star or bus cannot be implemented individually. It is most-suited in networking multiple departments of a university or corporation, where each unit (star segment) functions separately, and is also connected with the main node (root node).
▸ The advantages of centralization that are achieved in a star topology are inherited by the individual star segments in a tree network.
▸ Each star segment gets a dedicated link from the central bus. Thus, failing of one segment does not affect the rest of the network.
▸ Fault identification is easy.
▸ The network can be expanded by the addition of secondary nodes. Thus, scalability is achieved.
Disadvantages
▸ As multiple segments are connected to a central bus, the network depends heavily on the bus. Its failure affects the entire network.
▸ Owing to its size and complexity, maintenance is not easy and costs are high. Also, configuration is difficult in comparison to that in other topologies.
▸ Though it is scalable, the number of nodes that can be added depends on the capacity of the central bus and on the cable type.
Hybrid Topology
A hybrid topology combines two or more topologies and is meant to reap their advantages. Obviously, the advantages and disadvantages of a hybrid topology are a combination of the merits and demerits of the topologies used to structure it.
thank u i engoy with it
ReplyDelete