Network+ Guide to Networks

6 Edition
th

Chapter 5
Topologies and Ethernet Standards
 Objectives
• Describe the basic and hybrid LAN topologies,
and their uses, advantages, and disadvantages
• Describe the backbone structures that form the
foundation for most networks
• Compare the different types of switching used in
data transmission
• Explain how nodes on Ethernet networks share
a communications channel
• Identify the characteristics of several Ethernet
standards
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 Simple Physical Topologies
• Physical topology
– Physical network nodes layout
– Depicts broad scope
– Does not specify:
• Device types
• Connectivity methods
• Addressing schemes
• Fundamental shapes
– Bus, ring, star
– Hybrid
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 Bus
• Bus topology
– Single cable
– Connects all network nodes
– No intervening connectivity devices
– One shared communication channel
• Physical medium
– Coaxial cable
• Passive topology
– Node listens for, accepts data
– Uses broadcast to send

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 Bus (cont’d.)
• Terminators
– 50-ohm resistors
– Stop signal at end of wire
• Signal bounce
– Signal travels endlessly between two network ends
• One end grounded
– Removes static electricity

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Figure 5-1 A terminated bus topology network

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 Bus (cont’d.)
• Bus topology advantage
– Relatively inexpensive
• Disadvantages
– Does not scale well
– Difficult to troubleshoot
– Not very fault tolerant

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 Ring
• Ring topology
– Node connects to nearest two nodes
– Circular network
– Clockwise data transmission
• One direction (unidirectional) around ring
– Active topology
• Workstation participates in data delivery
• Data stops at destination
– Physical medium
• Twisted pair or fiber-optic cabling

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 Ring (cont’d.)
• Drawbacks
– Malfunctioning workstation can disable network
– Not very flexible or scalable

Figure 5-2 A ring topology

network

Courtesy Course
Technology/Cengage Learning

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 Star
• Star topology
– Node connects through central device
• Router or switch
• Physical medium
– Twisted pair or fiber-optic cabling
• Single cable connects only two devices
• Advantage
– Fault tolerant
– Flexible

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 Star (cont’d.)
• Most popular fundamental layout
– Modern Ethernet networks based on star topology
• 1024 addressable logical network nodes
maximum

Figure 5-3 A star topology

network
Courtesy Course
Technology/Cengage Learning

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 Hybrid Topologies
• Pure bus, ring, star topologies
– Rarely exist because too restrictive
• Hybrid topology
– More likely
– Complex combination of pure topologies
– Several options

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 Star-Wired Ring
• Star-wired ring topology
– Star physical topology
– Ring logical topology
• Benefit
– Star fault tolerance
• Network use
– Token Ring networks
• IEEE 802.5

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Star-Wired Ring (cont’d.)

Figure 5-4 A star-wired ring topology network

Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning

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 Star-Wired Bus
• Star-wired bus topology
– Workstation groups
• Star-connected devices
• Networked via single bus
• Advantage
– Cover longer distances
– Easily interconnect, isolate different segments
• Drawback
– Cabling, connectivity device expense
• Basis for modern Ethernet networks
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Star-Wired Bus (cont’d.)

Figure 5-5 A star-wired bus topology network

Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning

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 Logical Topologies
• Refers to way data transmitted between
nodes
– Rather than physical layout
• Does not necessarily match physical
topology
• Most common: bus and ring
• Broadcast domain
– All nodes connected to single repeating device or
switch
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 Backbone Networks
• Cabling connecting hubs, switches,
routers
• More throughput
• Large organizations
– Fiber-optic backbone
– Cat 5 or better for hubs, switches
• Enterprise-wide network backbones
– Complex, difficult to plan
• Enterprise
– Entire organization 18
 Serial Backbone
• Simplest backbone
– Two or more devices
– Connect using single medium in daisy-chain fashion
• Daisy-chain
– Linked series of devices
• Benefit
– Logical growth solution
• Modular additions
– Low-cost LAN infrastructure expansion
• Easily attach switches
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 Serial Backbone (cont’d.)
• Backbone components
– Gateways, routers, switches

Figure 5-6 A serial backbone

Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning

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 Serial Backbone (cont’d.)
• Serial connection of repeating devices
– Limited distance spanned between each
• Standards
– Define number of repeating devices allowed
– Exceed standards
• Intermittent, unpredictable data transmission errors
• Not used in modern networks

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 Distributed Backbone
• Connectivity devices
– Connected to hierarchy of central connectivity devices
• Benefit
– Simple expansion, limited capital outlay
• More complicated distributed backbone
– Connects multiple LANs, LAN segments using routers

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 Distributed Backbone (cont’d.)
• Additional benefits
– Workgroup segregation
– May include daisy-chain linked repeating devices
• Consider length
• Drawback
– Potential for single failure points

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Figure 5-7 A simple distributed backbone

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Figure 5-8 A distributed backbone connecting multiple LANs

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 Collapsed Backbone
• Uses router or switch
– Single central connection point for multiple
subnetworks
• Highest layer
– Single router or switch with multiprocessors
• Central router failure risk
• Routers may slow data transmission
• Advantages
– Interconnect different subnetwork types
– Central management 26
 Figure 5-9 A collapsed backbone
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning
Network+ Guide to Networks, 6th Edition 27
 Parallel Backbone
• Most robust network backbone
• More than one central router, switch
– Connects to each network segment
• Requires duplicate connections between
connectivity devices
• Advantage
– Redundant links
– Increased performance
– Better fault tolerance
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Figure 5-10 A parallel backbone
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning

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 Switching
• Logical network topology component
• Determines connection creation between
nodes
• Three methods
– Circuit switching
– Packet switching
– Multiprotocol label switching

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 Circuit Switching
• Connection established between two network
nodes
– Before transmitting data
• Dedicated bandwidth
• Data follows same initial path selected by switch
• Monopolizes bandwidth while connected
– Resource wasted
• Uses
– Live audio, videoconferencing
– Traditional telephone calls

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 Packet Switching
• Most popular
• Breaks data into packets before transporting
• Packets
– Travel any network path to destination
– Find fastest circuit available at any instant
– Need not follow each other
– Need not arrive in sequence
– Reassembled at destination
• Requires speedy connections for live audio,
video transmission
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 MPLS (Multiprotocol Label
Switching)
• Introduced by IETF in 1999
• Enables multiple types of Layer 3 protocols:
– To travel over any one of several Layer 2 protocols
• Most often supports IP
• Common use
– Layer 2 WAN protocols
• Offers potentially faster transmission than
packet- or circuit-switched networks

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 MPLS (cont’d.)
• Advantages
– Use packet-switched technologies over traditionally
circuit switched networks
– Create end-to-end paths
– Addresses traditional packet switching limitations
– Better QoS (quality of service)

Figure 5-11 MPLS shim within a frame

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 Ethernet
• Most popular networking technology used
on modern LANs
• Benefits
– Flexible
– Can run on various network media
– Excellent throughput
– Reasonable cost
• All variations
– Share common access method
• CSMA/CD

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 CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access
with Collision Detection)
• Network access method
– Controls how nodes access communications channel
– Necessary to share finite bandwidth
• Carrier sense
– Ethernet NICs listen, wait until free channel detected
• Multiple access
– Ethernet nodes simultaneously monitor traffic, access
media

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 CSMA/CD (cont’d.)
• Collision
– Two nodes simultaneously:
• Check channel, determine it is free, begin transmission
• Collision detection
– Manner nodes respond to collision
– Requires collision detection routine
• Enacted if node detects collision
– Jamming
• NIC issues 32-bit sequence
• Indicates previous message faulty
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 CSMA/CD (cont’d.)
• Heavily trafficked network segments
– Collisions common
• Segment growth
– Performance suffers
– “Critical mass” number dependencies
• Data type and volume regularly transmitted
• Collisions corrupt data, truncate data
frames
– Network must detect and compensate

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Figure 5-12 CSMA/CD process

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 CSMA/CD (cont’d.)
• Collision domain
– Portion of network where collisions occur
• Ethernet network design
– Repeaters repeat collisions
• Result in larger collision domain
– Switches and routers
• Separate collision domains
• Collision domains differ from broadcast
domains
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Figure 5-13 Broadcast domains and collision domains

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 CSMA/CD (cont’d.)
• Ethernet cabling distance limitations
– Effected by collision domains
• Data propagation delay
– Data travel time too long
• Cannot identify collisions accurately
• 100 or 1000 Mbps networks
– Three segment maximum connected with two repeating devices
• 10 Mbps buses
– Five segment maximum connected with four repeating devices

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 Ethernet Standards for Copper
Cable
• IEEE Physical layer standards
– Specify how signals transmit to media
– Differ significantly in signal encoding
• Affect maximum throughput, segment length, wiring
requirements

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 Ethernet Standards for Copper
•
Cable (cont’d.)
10Base-T
– 10 represents maximum throughput: 10 Mbps
– Base indicates baseband transmission
– T stands for twisted pair
– Two pairs of wires: transmit and receive
• Full-duplex transmission
– Follows 5-4-3 rule of networking
• Five network segments
• Four repeating devices
• Three populated segments maximum

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Figure 5-14 A 10Base-T network
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning

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 Ethernet Standards for Copper
Cable (cont’d.)
• 100Base-T (Fast Ethernet)
– IEEE 802.3u standard
– Similarities with 10Base-T
• Baseband transmission, star topology, RJ-45 connectors
– Supports three network segments maximum
• Connected with two repeating devices
• 100 meter segment length limit between nodes
– 100Base-TX
• 100-Mbps throughput over twisted pair
• Full-duplex transmission: doubles effective bandwidth

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Figure 5-15 A 10Base-T network
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning

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 Ethernet Standards for Copper
Cable (cont’d.)
• 1000Base-T (Gigabit Ethernet)
– IEEE 802.3ab standard
– 1000 represents 1000 Mbps
– Base indicates baseband transmission
– T indicates twisted pair wiring
– Four pairs of wires in Cat 5 or higher cable
• Transmit and receive signals
– Data encoding scheme: different from 100Base-T
– Standards can be combined
– Maximum segment length: 100 meters, one repeater

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 Ethernet Standards for Copper
• 10GBase-T
Cable (cont’d.)
– IEEE 802.3an
– Pushing limits of twisted pair
• Requires Cat 6, 6a, or 7 cabling
• Maximum segment length: 100 meters
– Benefits
• Very fast data transmission
• Cheaper than fiber-optic
– Uses
• Connect network devices
• Connect servers, workstations to LAN
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 Ethernet Standards for Fiber-
•
Optic Cable
100Base-FX (Fast Ethernet)
– 100-Mbps throughput, baseband, fiber-optic cabling
• Multimode fiber containing at least two strands
– Half-duplex mode
• One strand receives; one strand transmits
• 412 meters segment length
– Full duplex-mode
• Both strands send and receive
• 2000 meters segment length
– One repeater maximum
– IEEE 802.3u standard
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 Ethernet Standards for Fiber-
Optic Cable (cont’d.)
• 1000Base-LX (1-Gigabit Ethernet)
– IEEE 802.3z standard
– 1000: 1000-Mbps throughput
– Base: baseband transmission
– LX: reliance on 1300 nanometers wavelengths
– Longer reach than any other 1-gigabit technology
– Single-mode fiber: 5000 meters maximum segment
– Multimode fiber: 550 meters maximum segment
– One repeater between segments
– Excellent choice for long backbones
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 Ethernet Standards for Fiber-
Optic Cable (cont’d.)
• 1000Base-SX (1-Gigabit Ethernet)
– Differences from 1000Base-LX
• Multimode fiber-optic cable (installation less expensive)
• Uses short wavelengths (850 nanometers)
– Maximum segment length dependencies
• Fiber diameter, modal bandwidth used to transmit
signals

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 Ethernet Standards for Fiber-
Optic Cable (cont’d.)
• 1000Base-SX (cont’d.)
– Modal bandwidth measurement
• Highest frequency of multimode fiber signal (over
specific distance)
• MHz-km
• Higher modal bandwidth, multimode fiber caries signal
reliably longer
– 50 micron fibers: 550 meter maximum length
– 62.5 micron fibers: 275 meter maximum length
– One repeater between segments
– Best suited for shorter network runs
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 10-Gigabit Fiber-Optic
• Standards
Extraordinary potential for fiber-optic cable
– Pushing limits
• 802.3ae standard
– Fiber-optic Ethernet networks
– Transmitting data at 10 Gbps
– Several variations
– Common characteristics
• Star topology, allow one repeater, full-duplex mode
– Differences
• Signal’s light wavelength; maximum allowable segment
length
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 10-Gigabit Fiber-Optic
Standards (cont’d.)
• 10GBase-SR and 10GBase-SW
– 10G: 10 Gbps
– Base: baseband transmission
– S: short reach
– Physical layer encoding
• R works with LAN fiber connections
• W works with SONET fiber connections
– Multimode fiber: 850 nanometer signal transmission
– Maximum segment length
• Depends on fiber diameter

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 10-Gigabit Fiber-Optic
Standards (cont’d.)
• 10GBase-LR and 10GBase-LW
– 10G: 10 Gbps
– Base: baseband transmission
– L: long reach
– Single-mode fiber: 1310 nanometer signal
transmission
– Maximum segment length
• 10,000 meters
– 10GBase-LR: WAN or MAN
– 10GBase-LW: SONET WAN links

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 10-Gigabit Fiber-Optic
Standards (cont’d.)
• 10GBase-ER and 10GBase-EW
– E: extended reach
– Single-mode fiber
• Transmit signals with 1550 nanometer wavelengths
– Longest fiber-optic segment reach
• 40,000 meters (25 miles)
– 10GBase-EW
• Encoding for SONET
– Best suited for WAN use

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Summary of Common Ethernet Standards

Table 5-1 Common Ethernet standards

Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning
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Figure 5-16 Multiple types of Ethernet on a WAN

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 Ethernet Frames
• Four types
– Ethernet_802.2 (Raw)
– Ethernet_802.3 (Novell proprietary)
– Ethernet_II (DIX)
– Ethernet_SNAP
• Frame types differ slightly
– Coding and decoding packets
• No relation to topology, cabling
characteristics
• Framing
– Independent of higher-level layers 60
 Using and Configuring Frames
• Ensure all devices use same, correct
frame type
– Node communication
• Ethernet_II used today
• Frame type configuration
– Specified using NIC configuration software
– NIC autodetect
• Importance
– Know frame type for troubleshooting
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 Frame Fields
• Common fields
– 7-byte preamble, 1-byte start-of-frame delimiter
– SFD (start-of-frame delimiter) identifies where data
field begins
– 14-byte header
– 4-byte FCS (frame check sequence)
– Frame size range: 64 to 1518 total bytes
• Larger frame sizes result in faster
throughput
• Improve network performance
– Properly manage frames 62
 Ethernet_II (DIX)
• Developed by DEC, Intel, Xerox
(abbreviated DIX)
– Before IEEE
• Contains 2-byte type field
– Identifies the Network layer protocol
• Most commonly used on contemporary
Ethernet networks

Figure 5-17 Ethernet II (DIX) frame

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 PoE (Power over Ethernet)
• IEEE 802.3af standard
– Supplying electrical power over Ethernet connections
• Two device types
– PSE (power sourcing equipment)
– PDs (powered devices)
• Requires Cat 5 or better copper cable
• Connectivity devices must support PoE
• Compatible with current 802.3 installations

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 PoE (cont’d.)

Figure 5-18 PoE capable switch Figure 5-19 PoE adapters

Courtesy D-Link North America Courtesy D-Link North America

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 Summary
• Physical topology describes basic network
physical layout
– Examples: bus, ring, star, hybrid
• Logical topology describes signal transmission
• Network backbones
– Serial, distributed, collapsed, parallel
• Switching
– Manages packet filtering, forwarding
• Ethernet
– Cabling specifications, data frames, PoE

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