2.2.1- Topology Flashcards
What is a star topology?
All devices are connected to a hub or switch. Common in LAN’s.
How is the star topology not reliable?
Central device downtime
How is the star topology scalable?
The network can easily be scaled up by adding more devices because you only need one cable or wire.
Why is the star topology expensive?
Lots of wires needed to run to all devices. Wireless star networks can sometimes be more cost effective.
What is a mesh topology?
Each computer is connected to every other computer on the network without needing a switch or a hub.
How is a mesh topology decentalized?
In a mesh topology there is no central server, so there is no single point where the network can fail.
Why is mesh topology expensive?
Because a wired mesh is very expensive to construct. e.g a mesh with 10 computers will need 45 cables the least. Using wireless technology helps to lessen their cost.
Describe full mesh and partial mesh
Each device in a full mesh topology is connected to every other device in the network but in a partial mesh not all devices are connected to each other.
What does a switch do?
A switch remembers the IP address (and the port that the node is connected to) of the computer so it knows where to send the data to.
What does a hub do?
What does that mean about the hub?
A hub however, sends the data to every single client that is connected to the server.
This means that it isn’t as efficient because it is being sent to every single client when only one client needs to receive it.
What are the disadvantages of star network?
Disadvantages
Centralized - If the hub or switch fails then the whole network goes down.
Cost - The use of a hub or switch raises the overall cost of the entire topology
Limited number of users - The number of nodes that can be connected to the hub or switch depends on the capacity of the central device.
If a node is destroyed then other nodes can’t communicate with each other.
What is mesh topology more commonly used as?
Today mesh topology is generally used for home automation
What type of network is mesh topology commonly used as? (wired or wireless)
Wireless
How is a mesh network structured and why?
The nodes are all connected together allowing most transmissions to be distributed even if a computer is broken.
