Network Topology

Network Topology
• refers to the arrangement or physical layout of
computers, cables, and other components on
the network.

Topology" is the standard term that most

network professionals use when they refer to
the network's basic design.
 …cont
network's topology affects its capabilities. The
choice of one topology over another will have an
impact on the:
-Type of equipment the network needs.
- Capabilities of the equipment.
-Growth of the network
 Category of Topology

Logical: describes the way network data flows

through the physical components.
Physical: Physical topology describes how the
physical components on a network are
connected.
 Standard Topologies

• All network designs stem from four basic

topologies:
Bus
Star
Ring
Mesh
 Bus Topology

• referred to as a "linear bus" because the

computers are connected in a straight line.
This is the simplest and most common method
of networking computers
…cont
 Communication on the Bus

• Computers on a bus topology network

communicate by addressing data to a particular
computer and sending out that data on the cable
as electronic signals.

To understand how computers communicate on a

bus, you need to be familiar with three concepts:
 ….cont
• Sending the signal

Signal bounce
 Terminator
 …..cont
• Sending the Signal Network data in the form
of electronic signals is sent to all the
computers on the network. Only the computer
whose address matches the address encoded in
the original signal accepts the information. All
other computers reject the data. Only one
computer at a time can send messages.
 …cont
• signal Bounce Because the data, or electronic signal,
is sent to the entire network, it travels from one end of
the cable to the other. If the signal is allowed to
continue uninterrupted, it will keep bouncing back
and forth along the cable and prevent other computers
from sending signals. Therefore, the signal must be
stopped after it has had a chance to reach the proper
destination address.
 …..cont
• Terminator To stop the signal from bouncing,
a component called a terminator is placed at
each end of the cable to absorb free signals.
Absorbing the signal clears the cable so that
other computers can send data.
 Disadvantages of Bus topology

-If there is a break anywhere in the cable or if an end is not terminated,

the signal will travel back and forth across the network and all
communication will stop.

-The more computers there are on the bus, the greater the backup of
computers waiting to put data
on the bus, and consequently, the slower the network.

-In addition, because of the way computers communicate in a bus

topology, there may be a lot of
noise. Noise is the traffic generated on the network when computers
attempt to communicate with
each other simultaneously.
 Star Topology

• In the star topology, cable segments from each

computer are connected to a centralized
component called ahub or switch.
• Signals are transmitted from the sending
computer through the hub to all computers on
the network
 Advantage of Star topology

• An advantage of the star topology is that if one

computer on the star topology fails, only the
failed computer is unable to send or receive
data. The remainder of the network functions
normally.
 Disadvantage of star topology
The disadvantage of using this topology is that
because each computer is connected to a hub, if
the hub fails, the entire network fails.
• In addition, noise is created on the network in
a star topology.
 Ring Topology

• The ring topology connects computers on a

single circle of cable.
• One method of transmitting data around a ring
is called token passing.
• A token is a special series of bits that
travels around a token-ring network. Each
network has only one token.
 …..cont
• The token is passed from computer
to computer until it gets to a computer that has data to
send.
• The sending computer modifies the token, puts
an electronic address on the data, and sends it around the
ring.
• The data passes by each computer until it
finds the one with an address that matches the address on
the data.
 …..cont
• The receiving computer returns a message to the
sending computer indicating that the data has been
received.
After verification, the sending computer creates a
new token and releases it on the network. The
token
circulates within the ring until a workstation needs
it to send data.
 Advantage of Ring topology
•
each computer acts as a repeater, regenerating
the signal and sending it on to the next
computer, thereby preserving signal strength.
 Disadvantage of Ring topology
•
The disadvantage of a ring topology is that
only one computer at a time can send data on a
single token ring.
• Also, ring topologies are usually more
expensive than bus technologies.
If one computer fails, the network will fail
 Mesh Topology

• A mesh topology network offers superior redundancy and

reliability.
• In a mesh topology, each computer is
connected to every other computer by separate cabling.
• This configuration provides redundant paths
throughout the network so that if one cable fails, another
will take over the traffic.
 Advantage of Mesh topology

• An advantage of a mesh topology is its back-

up capabilities by providing multiple paths
through the network.
 Disadvantage of Mesh topology

• Because redundant paths require more cable

than is needed in other topologies, a mesh
topology can be expensive.
 Hybrid Topology
•
It is a combination of two or more standard topologies

Star Bus
The star bus is a combination of the bus and star topologies. In a star-bus
topology, several star topology
networks are linked together with linear bus trunks.

• If one computer goes down, it will not affect the rest of the network.
The other computers can continue to
communicate. If a hub goes down, all computers on that hub are unable
to communicate.
 Star Ring
•
The star ring (sometimes called a star-wired ring) appears
similar to the star bus.

• Both the star ring and the star bus are centered in a hub that
contains the actual ring or bus.

• Linear-bus trunks connect the hubs in a star

bus, while the hubs in a star ring are connected in a star pattern
by the main hub.
 Network Transmition media
•
Transmission Media
is the physical path between transmitter and receiver in
a data communication system.
• The characteristics and quality of data transmission are
determined both by the characteristics of the medium
and characteristics of the signal.
 Media of data transmission:

Guided Transmission media- Data transmission

is through solid medium (wired system).
Unguided Transmission media– Data
transmission through air /space (i.e. wireless
system)
 Guided transmission media (Cable)
•
Transmission capacity of guided media is described
with respect to:
-Data rate or bandwidth
-Distance the media can run
Commonly Types of Cables
-Twisted pair
-Coaxial cable
-Optical fiber
 Coaxial Cable

• coaxial cable consists of a core of copper wire surrounded

by insulation, a braided metal
shielding, and an outer cover.

The term shielding refers to the woven or stranded metal

mesh (or other material) that surrounds some types of
cabling.
• Shielding protects transmitted data by absorbing stray
electronic signals, called noise, so that they do not get
onto the cable and distort the data.
 …..cont
• The core of a coaxial cable carries the electronic signals
that make up the data. This wire core can be either
solid or stranded. If the core is solid, it is usually copper.
Surrounding the core is a dielectric insulating layer that
separates it from the wire mesh. The braided wire
mesh acts as a ground and protects the core from
electrical noise and crosstalk.
A no conducting outer shield—usually made of rubber,
Teflon, or plastic—surrounds the entire cable.
 Types of Coaxial Cable

There are two types of coaxial cable:

Thin (thinnet) cable
Thick (thicknet) cable
 Thinnet Cable
•
 Thinnet cable is a flexible coaxial cable about 0.64
centimeters (0.25 inches) thick. Because this type
of coaxial cable is flexible and easy to work with, it can
be used in almost any type of network
installation.
 Thinnet coaxial cable can carry a signal for a
distance of up to approximately 185 meters (about 607
feet) before the signal starts to suffer from attenuation
 Thicknet Cable
• Thicknet cable is a relatively rigid coaxial cable about
1.27 centimeters (0.5 inches) in diameter.
Thicknet cable is sometimes referred to as Standard
Ethernet because it was the first type of cable
used with the popular network architecture Ethernet.
 Thicknet cable's copper core is thicker than a
thinnet cable core.
• The thicker the copper core, the farther the cable can
carry signals..
 …..cont
• This means that thicknet can carry signals
farther than thinnet
cable.
. Thicknet cable can carry a signal for 500
meters (about 1640 feet).
• Therefore, because of thicknet's
ability to support data transfer over longer
distances, it is sometimes used as a backbone
to connect several smaller thinnet-based
networks
 …..cont
• Both thinnet and thicknet cable use a
connection component, known as a BNC
connector, to make the
connections between the cable and the
computers
 Twisted-Pair Cable

In its simplest form, twisted-pair cable consists of two insulated strands

of copper wire twisted around each other

• A number of twisted-pair wires are often grouped together and

enclosed in a protective sheath to form acable.
• The total number of pairs in a cable varies. The twisting cancels out
electrical noise from adjacent pairs and from other sources such as
motors, relays, and transformers.
Two types of twisted pair cable
-Unshielded twisted pair cable(UTP)
- Shielded twisted pair cable (STP)
 Unshielded Twisted-Pair (UTP) Cable

UTP, using the 10BaseT specification, is the

most popular type of twisted-pair cable and is
fast becoming the most popular LAN cabling.
The maximum cable length segment is 100
meters, about 328 feet
 There are five categories of UTP

• Category 1 This refers to traditional UTP telephone cable that

can carry voice but not data
transmissions.
• Most telephone cable prior to 1983 was Category 1 cable.
Category 2 This category certifies UTP cable for data
transmissions up to 4 megabits per second(Mbps).
• It consists of four twisted pairs of copper wire.
Category 3 This category certifies UTP cable for data
transmissions up to 16 Mbps. It consists of
four twisted pairs of copper wire with three twists per foot.
 …..cont
Category 4 This category certifies UTP cable for
data transmissions up to 20 Mbps.
It consists of four twisted pairs of copper wire.
Category 5 This category certifies UTP cable for
data transmissions up to 100 Mbps.
It consists of four twisted pairs of copper wire.
Shielded Twisted-Pair (STP) Cable

STP cable uses a woven copper-braid jacket that

is more protective and of a higher quality than
the jacket used by UTP.
 Connection hardware
• Twisted-pair cabling uses RJ-45 telephone connectors to connect
to a computer.

• These are similar to RJ-11 telephone connectors. Although RJ-11

and RJ-45 connectors look alike at first
glance, there are crucial differences between them.

• The RJ-45 connector is slightly larger and will not fit into the
RJ-11 telephone jack.
• The RJ-45 connector houses eight cable connections, while the
RJ-11 houses only four
 Fiber-Optic Cable
•
In fiber-optic cable, optical fibers carry digital data signals in the
form of modulated pulses of light. This is arelatively safe way to
send data because, unlike copper-based cables that carry data in the
form of electronic
signals, no electrical impulses are carried over the fiber-optic cable.
• This means that fiberoptic cable cannot be tapped, and its data
cannot be stolen.
Fiber-optic cable is good for very high-speed, high-capacity data
transmission because of the purity of the signal and lack of signal
attenuation.
 ….cont
• Fiber-optic cable transmissions are not subject
to electrical interference and are extremely
fast, currently transmitting about 100 Mbps
with demonstrated rates of up to 1 gigabit per
second (Gbps).
• They can carry asignal—the light pulse—for
many miles.
 Use fiber-optic cable if you:
•
Need to transmit data at very high speeds over long
distances in very secure media.

Do not use fiber-optic cable if you:

Are under a tight budget.
Do not have the expertise available to properly install it
and connect devices to it.
Unguided (wireless transmission) media

Wireless LANs use the following techniques for

transmitting data:
1. Infrared transmission
2. Laser transmission
 ……cont
• Infrared Transmission All infrared wireless
networks operate by using an infrared light
beam to carry the data between devices.
These systems need to generate very strong
signals because weak transmission signals
are susceptible to interference from light
sources such as windows.
 ,,,cont
• In infrared transmission the communicating
bodies should be
-In direct line of sight
-If there is any body in between the
communicating bodies will be unable to
communicate
-Can not be used outdoors
 Introduction to Network Operating Systems(NOs)

• Just as a computer cannot operate without a

computer operating system, a network of
computers cannot operate without a network
operating system.
• Without a network operating system of some
kind, individual computers cannot share
resources, and other users cannot make use of
those resources.
 ….cont
• Network operating system software is integrated
into a number of popular operating systems
including
Windows 2000 Server/Windows 2000
Professional, Windows NT Server/Windows NT
Workstation,
Windows 98, Windows 95, windows XP, Windows
Vista, Windows 7 and AppleTalk.
 A network operating system

-Ties together all computers and peripherals.

-Coordinates the functions of all computers and
peripherals.
-Provides security by controlling access to data
and peripherals.
 Two major components of network
software are:
•
Network software that is installed on clients.
Network software that is installed on servers.
 Functions of NOs

• Resource Sharing

Allowing different users different levels of

access to the resources.
-Coordinating access to resources to make
sure that two users do not use the same
resource at the same time.
 Managing Users

• Create user privileges, tracked by the network

operating system, that indicate who gets to
use the network.
-Grant or deny user privileges on the network.
-Remove users from the list of users that the
network operating system tracks.
 Mode of transmission

• transmission mode defines the direction of

data flow between two linked devices.
• The manner or way in which data is
transmitted from one place to another is
called Data Transmission Mode.
 These are…
• Simplex mode
Half-Duplex mode
Full-Duplex mode
 Simplex Mode
•
The most basic form of data or information transmission
is called simplex.
• This means that data is sent in one
direction only, from sender to receiver. Examples of
simplex transmission are radio and television.
• Senders cannot even be sure that the data is received
 Half-duplex mode,
• the communication can take place in both
directions, but only in one direction at a
time. In this mode, data is sent and received
alternatively. It is like a one-lane bridge where
two-way traffic must give way in order to cross
the other.
 ….cont
• In half-duplex mode, at a time only one end
transmits data while other end receives.
• In addition, it is possible to perform error
detection and request the sender to re-
transmit information.
 Full duplex mode

• the communication can take place in both

directions simultaneously, i.e. at the same
time on the same channel.
• It is the fastest directional mode of
communication.
• Example of this mode is
conversation of the persons through telephone
 Data transfer methods

• Circuit switching:-designed in 1878 in order to

send telephone calls down a dedicated channel.

There are three phases in circuit switching:

• Establish
• Transfer
• Disconnect
 Advantages
•
Circuit is dedicated to the call – no interference, no sharing
Guaranteed the full bandwidth for the duration of the call
Guaranteed Quality of Service
•
Disadvantages
» Inefficient – the equipment may be unused for a lot of the call, if no
data is being sent,the dedicated line still remains open
» Takes a relatively long time to set up the circuit
» During a crisis or disaster, the network may become unstable or
unavailable.
It was primarily developed for voice traffic rather than data traffi
 Packet switching
•
In packet-based networks, the message gets broken into
small data packets. These packets are sent
out from the computer and they travel around the network
seeking out the most efficient route to
travel as circuits become available. This does not necessarily
mean that they seek out the shortest
route.
 Each packet may go a different route from the others.
 Each packet is sent with a ‘header address’. This tells it
where its final destination is, so it knows
 …..cont.
• where to go.
The header address also describes the sequence for
reassembly at the destination computer so that the
packets are put back into the correct order.
One packet also contains details of how many
packets should be arriving so that the recipient
computer knows if one packet has failed to turn up.