Network Topologies

Question 1

Star

Answer 1

Each endpoint node is connected to a forwarding appliance, such as a switch or router. The central node communicates between endpoints.

Question 2

Hub and spoke

Answer 2

Same physical layout as a star topology but used in a different context. Star is often seen in LAN while hub and spoke is often seen in WAN with remote sites.

Question 3

Mesh

Answer 3

Each device has a point-to-point link; giving great fault tolerance. The number of links in a required by a full mesh is expressed as n(n-1)/2 where n is the number of nodes.

Question 4

Physical Topology

Answer 4

The layout of nodes and links as established by the transmission media.

Question 5

Hybrid

Answer 5

A network that uses a combination of physical and logical topologies.

Question 6

Spine and leaf

Answer 6

Commonly used in data centers, this topology has a top tier of aggregation switches that form a backbone for a leaf tier of top-of-rack switches.

Question 7

Hierarchical star / Tree topology

Answer 7

Corporate networks designed in a hierarchy and combined with a star topology to implement each node in the overall tree. The links between nodes are referred to as backbones or trunks because they aggregate and distribute traffic from multiple different areas of the network.

Question 8

Hierarchical Star-mesh

Answer 8

Nodes at the top of a hierarchical network are configured as a partial or full mesh network for redundancy.