Mesh, Bus, Ring and Star Topologies
Mesh
A mesh topology typically refers to a Wide Area Network where there are multiple paths connecting multiple sites. A router is used to search multiple paths and determine the best path for the data. Routes are determined by least cost, time of day and performance. A three or four site mesh network is relatively easy to create, whereas it is impractical to set up a mesh network of 100 sites or nodes. Mesh networks are used in Wide Area Networks (WANs) where reliability is important and the number of sites being connected together is fairly small.
A mesh network is costly to reconfigure, replace and administer. A mesh is best suited for situations where it will not need to be moved or expanded beyond five sites or nodes. If one site fails, an entire application can fail. (Bloom, 1998).
Bus
An Ethernet cable usually connects Bus topologies. A bus topology connects your workstations along an open cable length or backbone. If a problem occurs on the backbone, the entire network will go down. Troubleshooting can be difficult, and because data is sent one packet at a time, adding users to the network will slow it down. (Bloom, 1998). Bus topologies are relatively easy to install.
Star
Ethernet cables or Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cables usually connects Star topologies. The star is configured around a central wiring device or switching element, usually an intelligent hub. The hub interprets and routes electrical signals using a high-speed backplane or bus. Each device (workstation, server, etc.) is connected singly to a port on the hub. (Bloom, 1998). Star topologies can be expensive to install, however, quickly identified nodes on the network through the switches, or hubs, will drastically decrease downtime.
Ring
Each workstation on the network is connected to two other workstations, forming a loop or ring. Conflicts in the transmission of data are avoided with token ring technology, which grants messages a "token" or permission to send. Each workstation receives, regenerates and retransmits a token signal until it reaches its destination. (Bloom, 1998).
The variations in connection methods by topology bring about their differences in layout and functionality. A Mesh connects multiple sites unlike any of the other mentioned topologies. A Star topology connects at a central point using an intelligent hub or switch, whereas none of the others utilize a central connection point. The Bus and Ring topologies are most similar in that the nodes on the network are responsible for receiving, regenerating, and retransmitting messages.
A bus is a communication system that connects multiple subsystems within a computer. An average computer system normally consists of several components such as a central processing unit, memory devices, and input/output (I/O) devices. The bus system consists of linking media like wires and connectors, and a bus protocol. Buses can be categorized as serial or parallel and synchronous or asynchronous. The bus lets the different components communicate with each other by allowing information to flow between units and devices.
A Hub is a networking device that allows one to connect multiple PCs to a single network. Hubs may be based on Ethernet, Firewire, or USB connections. “A switch is a control unit that turns the flow of electricity on or off in a circuit. It may also be used to route information patterns in streaming electronic data sent over networks. “
... access to what and in which sequence. The router connects the LAN to other networks, which could be the Internet or another corporate network so that the LAN can exchange information with networks external to it. The most common LAN operating systems are Windows, Linux, and Novell. Each of these network operating systems supports TCP/IP as their default networking protocol. Ethernet is the dominant LAN standard at the physical network level, specifying the physical medium to carry signals between computers, access control rules, and a standardized set of bits used to carry data over the system. Originally, Ethernet supported a data transfer rate of 10 megabits per second (Mbps). Newer versions, such as Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet, support data transfer rates of 100 Mbps and 1 gigabits per second (Gbps), respectively, and are used in network backbones.
MAC Layer Connections: Management connections and data transport connections are two connections in this layer. The management connections have three types: basic, primary, and secondary. A basic connection and primary connection are created for each MS when they join the network. A basic connection is used for short and urgent management message. And a primary connection is used for delay-tolerant management messages. The secondary connection is used for IP summarized management messages such as dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP], and simple network management protocol [SNMP]. Transport connections can be provisioned or can be recognized on demand. They are used for user traffic flows. Unicast or multicast can be used for transmission.
Introduction The bus loosely defines as a digital path between resources and the processor of computer system. The bus provides an informational gateway or highway of wires, which allow binary signals to transmit to and from peripherals, memory, the central processing unit (CPU), and other components of a computer system. Due to these attributes, bus architecture divided into two major groups, frontside bus and peripheral bus. The frontside bus, also known as the system bus, facilitates all internal communication of binary signals from the CPU to memory and vice versa.
The Unistep IRP Elexol EtherIO 24 Module is a network board that is integrated with features that allow multiple devices over the same network to communicate. This microcontroller was designed to be implemented as an addition to a larger network system; the multiple features and capabilities allow for various industrial and home applications. Ethernet is very common and used in most networks, which makes the IRP a great candidate for networking problems both at home and in the work field.
...ipment. This problem would cause headaches when one network was not in synch with the others. Centralized manageability would increase the stability of the network system.
In a computer network, switches are devices that are used to connect devices together. Multiple cables can be connected to a switch to enable networked devices to communicate with each other. The role of a switch is to manage the flow of data throughout a network and this process is effective in its role due to the fact that the messages are sent only to the intended target. The media access control (MAC) is the identification that each device connected to the switch carries. By each device having individual IDs this increases the overall effectiveness and security of a network.
The Jaagz’ local area network will use category 5 cable and run IEEE 802.3 protocol. Using IEEE 802.3, the network speed will average about 10 Mbps. It will utilize a combination of a star and bus topology, which is the most common topology used in networks. The bus topology makes up the backbone of the network while the star topology branches out.
In the ring topology, each node is connected to two other nodes, hence, “data sent between nodes will typically require paths of at least two links” (Mansfield, K. C., & Antaonakos, J. L., 2010, p. 27). Among some of the advantages of the ring topology is its organization, the reduction of collision and the one direction traffic flow at very high speed. Another advantage is that for connectivity between workstations, there is no need for network server to control such connectivity and each computer system has the same access to all network resources.
In this topology, all nodes are connected to a central device, usually a hub or a switch. Each connected device has a dedicated, point-to-point connection between the device and the hub. The star network topology is by far the most widely implemented topology in use today.
Local Area Networks also called LANs have been a major player in industrialization of computers. In the past 20 or so years the worlds industry has be invaded with new computer technology. It has made such an impact on the way we do business that it has become essential with an ever-growing need for improvement. LANs give an employer the ability to share information between computers with a simple relatively inexpensive system of network cards and software. It also lets the user or users share hardware such as Printers and scanners. The speed of access between the computers is lighting fast because the data has a short distance to cover. In most cases a LAN only occupies one or a group of buildings located next to each other. For larger area need there are several other types of networks such as the Internet.
...al. According to the textbook, “[today,] Ethernet is the most popular network standard for LANs [local area networks] because it is relatively inexpensive and easy to install and maintain.” The most common Ethernet connection speeds are “Fast Ethernet”, capable of 100 Mbps, “Gigabit Ethernet” which is capable of 1 Gbps, and even “100-Gigabit Ethernet”.
Networks in organisation are dynamic and complex entities which can be quite challenging to configure and manage. (Kim & Feamster 2013). These corporate networks consist of multiple routers, switches, firewalls, middleboxes and a particular advantage of network management is the ability to monitor the entire business network. As all the devices are interconnected with many event occurring simultaneously, problems with once device can eventually lead and spread throughout...
Mesh networks are reliable, stable, and redundant. If a node can no longer operate, all the others are not affected as they can still communicate either directly or through one or more intermediate nodes. Mesh networks can be very expensive due to the large amount of cable and connections required. Bus Topology Bus topology refers to a local area network (LAN) arrangement where each node or device is connected to a main cable or link called a bus. The bus network is simple yet very reliable.