ICTTS23 L5

1.Steve Genga 2667 Chairperson

2.Sylvia Mokeira 2897 Secretary
3.Irene Amalia 1451
4.Samuel Otieno 3390
5.Lilian Adhiambo 3322
 NETWORK TOPOLOGIES
1. POINT TO POINT TOPOLOGY

Point to point topology is a method of linking two nodes (a computer, a laptop, a mobile
device, a router, a hub, or a switch) via a common media. A wired cable or a wireless
satellite can be used as the medium. Two nodes are frequently placed near each other
in this architecture. A router or hub can also be a node.

Some features of point to point topology

• High bandwidth
• Easy replacement of node
• Connection speed is fast
• Troubleshooting is easy
• Maintenance is easy
• Low latency rate
• The mode of connection is simple
• Low cost

Advantages of Point to Point Topology

• Very easy to maintain, if a wire has a problem you can replace it within a few seconds.
• Maximum utilization of the underlying connecting link bandwidth.
• This is the simplest topology as compared to any other network topology type.
• Least delay in communication as compared to any other network connection type.
• Low-cost option when you have only two nodes to connect.
• The transfer of data can take multiple paths for transmitting the information.
• The maintenance of point to point topology is very easy and the implementation
does not take time.

Disadvantages of Point to Point Topology

• The network performance depends on a single link only.
• If the common link is down, the entire network stops working.
• Because of the need for a direct connection, topology cannot be expanded to a large
area.
• There is only one server or client, if anyone fails all will stop working

2. BUS TOPOLOGY
Features/ characteristics of bus
1. Main bus cable or linear bus: the layout has one main cable where all devices
on the network are connected.
2. Terminators at each end of the main cable. Terminators are used at the end of
the cable to prevent signals from reflecting back along the signal. This help
reduces signal distortion and interference.
3. Signal collision: since all computers on the network share the same medium for
transmission there are cases of signal collision. This degrades the network.
4. Broadcast communication: a device that wants to communicate broadcasts the
message to the linear bus and the destination device picks it up from there.

Bus topology is a network setup where each computer and network device is connected to a
single cable or backbone. Depending on the type of computer network card, a coaxial cable or
an RJ-45 network cable is used to connect them together.
Advantages of bus topology
• It works well when you have a small network.
• It's the easiest network topology for connecting computers or peripherals in a linear
fashion.
• It requires less cable length than a star topology.

Disadvantages of bus topology

• It can be difficult to identify the problems if the whole network goes down.
• It can be hard to troubleshoot individual device issues.
• Bus topology is not great for large networks.
• Terminators are required for both ends of the main cable.
• Additional devices slow the network down.
• If a main cable is damaged, the network fails or splits into two.
 3. MESH NETWORK TOPOLOGY

A mesh topology is a network setup where each computer and network device is
interconnected with one another. This topology setup allows most transmissions to be
distributed even if one of the connections goes down. It is a topology commonly used for
wireless networks.

Features/ characteristics of mesh

1. Each device on the network has a direct link to the other
2. High redundancy level. Since all devices are connected to each other the
network has high fault tolerance.
3. Each node act as a relay point. The network uses the nodes on the network to
work like a network router to determine the best path to route the message to its
destination.
4. The message is almost guaranteed to reach its destination since multiple paths
are available.

Different types of mesh topology

There are two forms of this topology: full mesh and a partially-connected mesh.

In a full mesh topology, every computer in the network has a connection to each of the other
computers in that network. The number of connections in this network can be calculated using
the following formula (n is the number of computers in the network):
In a partially-connected mesh topology, at least two of the computers in the network have
connections to multiple other computers in that network. It is an inexpensive way to implement
redundancy in a network. If one of the primary computers or connections in the network fails,
the rest of the network continues to operate normally.

Advantages of a mesh topology

• Manages high amounts of traffic, because multiple devices can transmit data
simultaneously.
• A failure of one device does not cause a break in the network or transmission of data.
• Adding additional devices does not disrupt data transmission between other devices.

Disadvantages of a mesh topology

• The cost to implement is higher than other network topologies, making it a less
desirable option.
• Building and maintaining the topology is difficult and time consuming.
• The chance of redundant connections is high, which adds to the high costs and potential
for reduced efficiency.

4. RING TOPOLOGY
 Features of a ring network topology
For a network to be identified as a ring topology it should have the following
characteristics. These are unique to only this topology. Some of the main features are as
follows:

1. Each network device is connected to other two adjacent devices to create a

circular loop. The loop can be made from ethernet or coaxial cables.
2. In most ring topologies data flows in a unidirectional manner. This means it
moves in only one direction hence reducing package data collision.
3. Ring uses the concept of token-passing which control the flow of data by
ensuring that only one device is transmitting at a time.
4. To reduce cases of data loss within the network ring uses repeaters. This is
mostly applied when there are many computers on the network.

Advantages of Ring topology:

In this data flows in one direction which reduces the chance of packet collisions.
In this topology additional workstations can be added after without impacting performance of
the network.
Equal access to the resources.
There is no need of server to control the connectivity among the nodes in the topology.
It is cheap to install and expand.
Minimum collision.
Speed to transfer the data is very high in this type of topology.
Due to the presence of token passing the performance of ring topology becomes better than
bus topology under heavy traffic.
Easy to manage.
Ring network is extremely orderly organized where every device has access to the token and
therefore the opportunity to transmit.

Disadvantages of Ring topology:

Due to the Uni-directional Ring, a data packet (token) must have to pass through all the nodes.
If one workstation shuts down, it affects whole network or if a node goes down entire network
goes down.
It is slower in performance as compared to the bus topology It
is Expensive.
Addition and removal of any node during a network is difficult and may cause issue in network
activity.
Difficult to troubleshoot the ring.
In order for all the computer to communicate with each other, all computer must be turned on.