NAME MUTEMA TECLA

REG NUMBER M192063

YEAR 2020

SEMESTER 2.1

PROGRAMME INFORMATION SYSTEMS

MODULE DATA COMM AND COMPUTER NETWORKING

CODE IS 202

LECTURER L.WINJI

QUESTION HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT 1

RESEARCH AND WRITE NOTES OF THE FOLLOWING

1.Types of network topologies, their advantages and disadvantages.

• Network topologies describe the ways in which the elements of a

network is mapped. They describe the physical and logical

arrangement of the network nodes.

• The physical topology of a network refers to the configuration of

cables, computers, and other peripherals

Types of network topologies

a) Bus topology

b) Ring topology

c) Star topology

d) Mesh topology

e) Tree topology

f) Hybrid topology

a) BUS TOPOLOGY
• All the nodes (file server, workstations, and peripherals) on a bus

topology are connected by one single cable.

• A bus topology consists of a main run of cable with a terminator at

each end. All nodes (file server, workstations, and peripherals) are

connected to the linear cable.

• Popular on LANs because they are inexpensive and easy to install.

Advantages of Bus Topology

• It is Cheap, easy to handle and implement.

• Require less cable

• It is best suited for small networks.

Disadvantages of Bus Topology

• The cable length is limited. This limits the number of stations that

can be connected.

• This network topology can perform well only for a limited number of

nodes.
b) RING TOPOLOGY

DIAGRAM OF RING TOPOLOGY

 In a ring network, every device has exactly two neighbors for

communication purposes.

• All messages travel through a ring in the same direction.

• A failure in any cable or device breaks the loop and can take down the

entire network.

• To implement a ring network, we use the Token Ring technology

• A token, or small data packet, is continuously passed around the

network. When a device needs to transmit, it reserves the token for the

next trip around, then attaches its data packet to it.

Advantage of Ring Topology

• Very orderly network where every device has access to the token and the

opportunity to transmit.

• Easier to Manage than a Bus Network

• Good Communication over long distances

• Handles high volume of traffic

Disadvantages of Ring Topology

• The failure of a single node of the network can cause the entire network

to fail.

• The movement or changes made to network nodes affects the

performance of the entire network.

c)STAR TOPOLOGY
• In a star network, each node (file server, workstations, and peripherals) is

connected to a central device called a hub.

• The hub takes a signal that comes from any node and passes it along to

all the other nodes in the network.

• Data on a star network passes through the hub, switch, or concentrator

before continuing to its destination.

• The hub, switch, or concentrator manages and controls all functions of

the network.

• The star topology reduces the chance of network failure by connecting

all of the systems to a central node.

Advantages of Star Topology

• Easy to manage

• Easy to locate problems (cable/workstations)

• Easier to expand than a bus or ring topology.

• Easy to install and wire.

• Easy to detect faults and to remove parts.

Disadvantages of Star Topology

• Requires more cable length than a linear topology.

• If the hub or concentrator fails, nodes attached are disabled.

• More expensive because of the cost of the concentrators.

d)MESH TOPOLOGY

• In this topology, each node is connected to every other node in the

network.

• Implementing the mesh topology is expensive and difficult.

• In this type of network, each node may send message to destination

through multiple paths.

• While the data is travelling on the Mesh Network it is automatically

configured to reach the destination by taking the shortest route which

means the least number of hops.

Advantage of Mesh Topology

• No traffic problem as there are dedicated links.

• It has multiple links, so if one route is blocked then other routes can

be used for data communication.

• Points to point links make fault identification easy.

Disadvantage of Mesh Topology

• There is mesh of wiring which can be difficult to manage.

• Installation is complex as each node is connected to every node.

• Cabling cost is high

e) TREE TOPOLOGY

• A tree topology (hierarchical topology) can be viewed as a collection

of star networks arranged in a hierarchy.

• This tree has individual peripheral nodes which are required to

transmit to and receive from one other only and are not required to

act as repeaters or regenerators.

• The tree topology arranges links and nodes into distinct hierarchies in

order to allow greater control and easier troubleshooting.

• This is particularly helpful for colleges, universities and schools so

that each of the connect to the big network in some way.

Advantages of a Tree Topology

• Point-to-point wiring for individual segments.

• Supported by several hardware and software vendors.

• All the computers have access to the larger and their immediate

networks.

Disadvantages of a Tree Topology

• Overall length of each segment is limited by the type of cabling used.

• If the backbone line breaks, the entire segment goes down.

• More difficult to configure and wire than other topologies.

f) HYBRID TOPOLOGY
• A combination of any two or more network topologies.

• A hybrid topology always accrues when two different basic network

topologies are connected.

• It is a mixture of above-mentioned topologies. Usually, a central

computer is attached with sub-controllers which in turn participate in

a variety of topologies

Advantages of a Hybrid Topology

• It is extremely flexible.

• It is very reliable.

Disadvantages of a Hybrid Topology

• Expensive

2.Method of minimizing collision on each identified network topology

MINIMISING COLLISION IN BUS TOPOLOGY

A set of rules can be used e.g. the Carrier Sense Multiple with Collision Detection (CSMA and CD)

States that:

If the bus is quiet, transmitting proceeds, while transmitting monitor for a collision

If the bus is busy then listen until it is quiet and then immediately transmit.

send a jamming signal to other devices to notify them if there has been a collision and stop transmitting.
RING TOPOLOGY

In order to minimize collision in ring topology there must be introduction of a congestion control
algorithm that is based on that ring network.

The algorithm can be divided into two categories that are source algorithm and link algorithm.

Source algorithm such as the TCP algorithm which adjusts the speed of data transmission in the host and
network edge equipment.

Link algorithm such as AQM algorithm that executes in the network algorithm it detect an occurrence of
congestion.

STAR TOPOLOGY

There should be introduction of a network switch at its center hence all data transmitted from single
devices on the network should go through the switch and then send to its destination.

This will remove any data congestion.

MESH TOPOLOGY

Use of switches that provides a single collision domain instead of using hubs.

Network cables must be directly dedicated to the destination node.

The nodes must be physically placed in an orderly hierarchy for the data to be directly distributed to the
target node and avoid data loss and corruption.

Timing algorithms can be used as well as the CSMA and CD rule.

TREE TOPOLOGY

Use of switches over hubs is required.

Proper installation of the devices and ensuring that the hubs connected have a larger capacity to widely
distribute data packets.

HYBRID TOPOLOGY

Use of virtual token ring protocol which prevents collisions as it virtually rearranges the devices in a
logical ring manner and allows a unique token to be passed along this ring from device to device.

only the token holder is allowed to send data and the token passing is implemented as a special packet.
3.Various networking devices used in both LAN and WAN

Routers – A router is a device like a switch that routes data packets based on their IP addresses. Router is
mainly a Network Layer device. Routers normally connect LANs and WANs together and have a
dynamically updating routing table based on which they make decisions on routing the data packets.
Router divide broadcast domains of hosts connected through it.

Hub

It is a common connection point for devices in a network and are commonly used to connect segments of
a LAN.

It also contains multiple ports and when a packet arrives to one port, it is then copied to other ports so that
all segments of LAN can see all packets.

In a hub, a frame is broadcasted to everyone of its ports.

Types of Hub

Active Hub: - These are the hubs which have their own power supply and can clean, boost and relay the
signal along with the network. It serves both as a repeater as well as wiring center. These are used to
extend the maximum distance between nodes.

Passive Hub: - These are the hubs which collect wiring from nodes and power supply from active hub.
These hubs relay signals onto the network without cleaning and boosting them and can’t be used to
extend the distance between nodes.

Brouter – It is also known as bridging router is a device which combines features of both bridge and
router. It can work either at data link layer or at network layer. Working as router, it is capable of routing
packets across networks and working as bridge, it is capable of filtering local area network traffic.

Gateway – A gateway, as the name suggests, is a passage to connect two networks together that may
work upon different networking models. They basically work as the messenger agents that take data from
one system, interpret it, and transfer it to another system. Gateways are also called protocol converters
and can operate at any network layer. Gateways are generally more complex than switch or router.