It provides the most reliable network structure among all network topologies. Partially Mesh: Not all hosts have point-to-point connection to every other host. Hosts connect to each other in some arbitrarily fashion. This topology exists where we need to provide reliability to some hosts out of all. Tree Topology Also known as Hierarchical Topology, this is the most common form of network topology in use topology imitates as extended Star topology and inherits properties of bus topology. This topology divides the network in to multiple levels/layers of network. Mainly in LANs, a network is bifurcated into three types of network devices. The lowermost is access-layer where computers are attached. The middle layer is known as distribution layer, which works as mediator between upper layer and lower layer. The highest layer is known as core layer, and is central point of the network, i. e. root of the tree from which all nodes fork. All neighboring hosts have point-to-point connection between milar to the Bus topology, if the root goes down, then the entire network suffers it is not the single point of failure.
This is where network topology comes in. A network topology simply refers to the layout of a network and how different devices are connected together. WHAT ARE NODES? If you follow up with various tutorials on networking, you will notice that some people use the term "node" instead of a computer. Well, we can technically connect devices that are not computers to a network – Printers, phones, fax machines, NAS drives, cameras, sensors, and even other networking devices. So yep, using the more "generic" term of "node" actually makes more sense, and it simply refers to any kind of device that is attached to the network. PHYSICAL & LOGICAL TOPOLOGY There are 2 "types" of network topology: Physical topology refers to the actual physical layout of the devices on the network. Logical topology refers to how data is passed through the network. For example, 10 devices can be connected to one router physically, but they are split into 2 separate virtual networks within the router itself. NETWORK TOPOLOGIES Now that you have a basic understanding of what network topology means, let us take a look at the various ways of how we can connect computer devices together.
Network Size Designations [ edit | edit source] Personal Area Network (PAN) Extremely small networks, often referred to as "piconets" that encompass an area around a single person. These networks, such as Bluetooth, have a range of only 1-5 meters, and tend to have very low power requirements, but also very low datarates. Local Area Network (LAN) LAN networks can encompass a building such as a house or an office, or a single floor in a multi-level building. Common LAN networks are IEEE 802. 11x networks, such as 802. 11a, 802. 11g, and 802. 11n. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) These networks are designed to cover large municipal areas. Data protocols such as WiMAX (802. 16) and Cellular 3G networks are MAN networks. Wide Area Network (WAN) Wide-Area Networks are very similar to MAN, and the two are often used interchangeably. WiMAX is also considered a WAN protocol. Television and Radio broadcasts are frequently also considered MAN and WAN systems. Regional Area Network (RAN) Large regional area networks are used to communicate with nodes over very large areas.