Data Communication

and Networks

Prepared by Prof. Poornima H

CSE,MIT THANDAVAPURA
 Bus Topology

• The preceding examples all describe point-to-point connections. A bus topology, on the
other hand, is multipoint. One long cable acts as a backbone to link all the devices in a
network (see Figure 1.6).
• Nodes are connected to the bus cable by drop lines and taps.
• A drop line is a connection running between the device and the main cable.
• A tap is a connector that either splices into the main cable or punctures the sheathing
of a cable to create a contact with the metallic core. As a signal travels along the
backbone, some of its energy is transformed into heat.
• Therefore, it becomes weaker and weaker as it travels farther and farther. For this
reason there is a limit on the number of taps a bus can support and on the distance
between those taps.
Advantages
1. bus topology include ease of installation.
2.Backbone cable can be laid along the most efficient path, then
connected to the nodes by drop lines of various lengths.
3. bus uses less cabling than mesh or star topologies. In a star, for
example, four network devices in the same room require four lengths
of cable reaching all the way to the hub. In a bus, this redundancy is
eliminated.
4. Efficient for small network
Only the backbone cable stretches through the entire facility. Each drop
line has to reach only as far as the nearest point on the backbone.
• Disadvantages
1.Include difficult reconnection and fault isolation.
2.A bus is usually designed to be optimally efficient at installation.
3.It can therefore be difficult to add new devices.
4.Signal reflection at the taps can cause degradation in quality.
5. Central line fail all network failed.
6. Traffic problem.
• This degradation can be controlled by limiting the number and spacing of
devices connected to a given length of cable.
• Adding new devices may therefore require modification or replacement of
the backbone In addition, a fault or break in the bus cable stops all
transmission, even between devices on the same side of the problem.
• The damaged area reflects signals back in the direction of origin, creating
noise in both directions. Example: LAN
Ring Topology

• In a ring topology, each device has a dedicated point-to-point

connection with only the two devices on either side of it.
• A signal is passed along the ring in one direction, from device to
device, until it reaches its destination.
• Each device in the ring incorporates a repeater. When a device receives
a signal intended for another device, its repeater regenerates the bits
and passes them along (see Figure 1.7).
• A ring is relatively easy to install and reconfigure. Each device is linked
to only its immediate neighbors (either physically or logically).
• To add or delete a device requires changing only two connections.
• In addition, fault isolation is simplified. Generally, in a ring a signal is
circulating at all times.
• If one device does not receive a signal within a specified period, it
can issue an alarm. The alarm alerts the network operator to the
problem and its location.
• However, unidirectional traffic can be a disadvantage. In a simple ring,
a break in the ring (such as a disabled station) can disable the entire
network.
• This weakness can be solved by using a dual ring or a switch capable
of closing off the break. Ring topology was prevalent when IBM
introduced its local-area network, Token Ring. Today, the need for
higher-speed LANs has made this topology less popular.
Advantages
• Easy to install
• Add or delete a device requires changing only two device.
• No traffic congestion problem
• Link to immediate neighbor
Disadvantages
• Break in the ring can disabled the entire network.
• Replace dual ring or a switch cable.
Star Topology
• In a star topology, each device has a dedicated point-to-point link only
to a central controller, usually called a hub. The devices are not
directly linked to one another.
• Unlike a mesh topology, a star topology does not allow direct traffic
between devices.
• The controller acts as an exchange: If one device wants to send data
to another, it sends the data to the controller, which then relays the
data to the other connected device (see Figure 1.5) .
• A star topology is less expensive than a mesh topology.
• In a star, each device needs only one link and one I/O port to connect it to any number of
others.
• This factor also makes it easy to install and reconfigure. Far less cabling needs to be
housed, and additions, moves, and deletions involve only one connection: between that
device and the hub.
• Advantages include robustness.
• If one link fails, only that link is affected.
• All other links remain active.
• This factor also lends itself to easy fault identification and fault isolation.
• As long as the hub is working, it can be used to monitor link problems and bypass
defective links.
• disadvantage of a star topology is the dependency of the whole topology on one single
point, the hub.
• If the hub goes down, the whole system is dead. Although a star requires far less cable
than a mesh, each node must be linked to a central hub. For this reason, often more
cabling is required in a star than in some other topologies (such as ring or bus).
Mesh Topology

• In a mesh topology, every device has a dedicated point-to-point link to every other
device.
• The term dedicated means that the link carries traffic only between the two devices it
connects.
• To find the number of physical links in a fully connected mesh network with n nodes,
we first consider that each node must be connected to every other node. Node 1 must
be connected to n – 1 nodes, node 2 must be connected to n – 1 nodes, and finally
node n must be connected to n – 1 nodes. We need n (n – 1) physical links.
• However, if each physical link allows communication in both directions
(duplex mode), we can divide the number of links by 2. In other words, we
can say that in a mesh topology, we need n (n – 1) / 2 duplex-mode links.
• To accommodate that many links, every device on the network must have
• n – 1 input/output (I/O) ports (see Figure 1.4) to be connected to the
other n – 1 stations. A mesh offers several advantages over other network
topologies.
Advantages
• First, the use of dedicated links guarantees that each connection can carry
its own data load, thus eliminating the traffic problems that can occur
when links must be shared by multiple devices.
• Second, a mesh topology is robust. If one link becomes unusable, it does
not incapacitate the entire system.
• Third, there is the advantage of privacy or security.
• When every message travels along a dedicated line, only the intended
recipient sees it. Physical boundaries prevent other users from gaining
access to messages. Finally, point-to-point links make fault
identification and fault isolation easy.
• Traffic can be routed to avoid links with suspected problems. This
facility enables the network manager to discover the precise location
of the fault and aids in finding its cause and solution.
Disadvantages
• disadvantages of a mesh are related to the amount of cabling and the number
of I/O ports required. First, because every device must be connected to every
other device, installation and reconnection are difficult.
• Second, the sheer bulk of the wiring can be greater than the available space (in
walls, ceilings, or floors) can accommodate. Finally, the hardware required to
connect each link (I/O ports and cable) can be prohibitively expensive.
• For these reasons a mesh topology is usually implemented in a limited fashion,
• for example, as a backbone connecting the main computers of a hybrid
network that can include several other topologies.
• One practical example of a mesh topology is the connection of telephone
regional offices in which each regional office needs to be connected to every
other regional office.