topologies

Question 1

whats a mesh topology?

Answer 1

a network where devices are connected to other devices in a decentralised manner as there is no central connection point?

Question 2

what topology is the internet?

Answer 2

mesh topology

Question 3

pros of mesh?

Answer 3

1. one device failure won’t affect the network
2. high privacy and security of nodes
3. faults can be identified easily

Question 4

cons of mesh?

Answer 4

1. costly compared to other topologies like bus and star
2. maintenance is challenging
3. complex process

Question 5

whats the most basic topology?

Answer 5

ring topology

Question 6

whats a ring topology?

Answer 6

nodes are connected in a circular format and they use tokens which send data in one direction around the network from one machine to the other. Preventing data collisions.

Question 7

pros of ring topology?

Answer 7

1. less data collisions
2. easy to manage
3. equal access to resources

Question 8

cons of ring?

Answer 8

1. if a node goes down it affects the whole network
2. dependence on one cable
3. expensive

Question 9

whats a bus topology?

Answer 9

All the nodes are connected to a single cable known as the backbone and there are terminators at each end of the cable to prevent reflection of signals for better performance.

Question 10

pros of bus?

Answer 10

1. the length of the cable required is less than star
2. the easiest topology for connecting devices
3. very cost effective compared to star and mesh

Question 11

cons of bus?

Answer 11

1. not good for large networks
2. additional devices slow down performance
3. topology is very slow compared to other networks

Question 12

why is redundancy important in topologies?

Answer 12

It provides more reliability and more paths for data to travel through so that data can keep flowing in the event of failure.

Question 13

what is a star topology?

Answer 13

a topology where there is a central node usually a hub can also be router or switch and it acts as a server.

Question 14

pros of star?

Answer 14

1. high performance
2. if one node fails it wont affect the whole network
3. easy fault detection

Question 15

cons of star?

Answer 15

1. requires more cable than bus
2. if the central node fails the whole network fails
3. extra hardware required which is costly

Question 16

whats a hybrid topology?

Answer 16

a combination of two or more basic topologies

Question 17

pros of hybrid?

Answer 17

1. more scalability
2. more flexibility

Question 18

cons of hybrid?

Answer 18

1. complex design
2. a change in hardware to connect one topology with another
3. quite costly

Question 19

whats a tree topology?

Answer 19

a topology where there is a root node and all devices are connected hierarchically.

Question 20

pros of tree?

Answer 20

1. can be easily expanded
2. can support a lot of nodes
3. highly scalable

Question 21

cons of tree?

Answer 21

1. quite difficult to troubleshoot
2. network performance can be slow
3. a large number of cables required