Section 6 - Communication: technology and consequences

Question 1

What is a network?

Answer 1

A network that allows nodes to share resources.

Connected devices that can communicate

Question 2

Why should you use a bus network over a star network?

Answer 2

• star network uses uses more cables than a bus network so is more complicated to set up
• a star network is highly dependent on the central hub, if this fails the network is inoperable, whereas bus networks
  do not use a central hub.
• Bus networks are cheaper to set up compared to star networks as they require less physical hardware to function e.g cable hub/switch

Question 3

why should you use a star network over a bus network?

Answer 3

• because a linear bus network requires a large main cable (backbone) to function, if there is a break in this cable the network will not function. However with a star network a break in a main cable will only render a singular node useless and the rest of the network will still function.
• when using a bus network every workstation on the same network ‘sees’ all the data on the network, whereas with star only the relevant parties are able to access the data. For bus networks this poses a security risk.
• as more nodes are added to a star network this has a minimal effect on the performance of the network, whereas as more nodes are added to a bus network the performance of the network decreases because of data collisions