Data Communication

Network: Physical Structures

Irwan
Physical Structures
• Before discussing networks, we need to define some network
attributes.
• Type of Connection
• A network is two or more devices connected through links. A link is a
communications pathway that transfers data from one device to another. For
visualization purposes, it is simplest to imagine any link as a line drawn
between two points. For communication to occur, two devices must be
connected in some way to the same link at the same time.
• Point to Point
• A point to point connection provides a dedicated links between two devices.
• The entire capacity of the link is reserved between those two devices.
• Most point to point connections use an actual length of wire or cable to connect the
two ends, but other options microwave or satellite links, are also possible.
• Multipoint
• A multipoint connections is one in which more than two specific devices share a
single link.
• In a multipoint environment, the capacity of the channel is shared, either spatially or
temporally.
• If several devices can use the link simultaneously, it is a spatially shared connection.
• Physical Topology
• The term physical topology refers to the way in which a network is laid out
physically. Two or more devices connect to a link; two or more links form a
topology. The topology of a network is the geometric representation of all the
links and linking devices.
• There are four basic topologies.
• Bus Topology
• Star Topology
• Ring Topology
• Mesh Topology
Bus Topology
• A bus topology, is multipoint. One long cable acts as a backbone to
link all the devices in network.
• Nodes are connected to the bus cable by drop lines and taps. A drop
line is a connection running between the device and main cable. A tap
is a connector that either specifies into the main cable.
• Advantages
• It is easy to set-up and extend bus network.
• Cable length required for this topology is the least compared to other networks.
• Bus topology costs very less.
• Linear Bus network is mostly used in small networks. Good for LAN.
• Disadvantages
• There is a limit on central cable length and number of nodes that can be connected.
• Security is very low because all the computers receive the sent signal from the
source.
• It is difficult to detect and troubleshoot fault at individual station.
• Maintenance costs can get higher with time.
Ring Topology
• Ring topology is a network topology in which the nodes or the
computers are connected in a closed loop. Each node is connected to
two other nodes and when the data is sent it travels across all nodes
in one particular direction. Ring topology is used when there is heavy
flow of data as it has greater capability to handle data and doesn’t
even require any central workstation to handle the data transmission.
• Advantages
• High performance delivered.
• All nodes have equal opportunity to transmit the data.
• Disadvantages
• If one node is disrupted then the whole network goes down.
• It becomes difficult to add/remove nodes.
• If more than one token is generated then it may cause ambiguity in the
sending of both kinds
Star Topology
• In Star topology every node (computer workstation or
any other peripheral) is connected to central node called
hub or switch. The switch is the server and the
peripherals are the clients.
• Data from the source is first delivered to the hub and is
then transferred to the other nodes. It is easy to add or
remove nodes or workstations in this topology. Star
topology gives better performance as data doesn’t pass
through every node unlike Bus topology. If a particular
workstation or a node gets an error then the entire
network is not affected. But if the central workstation or
the hub goes down, then the entire network collapses.
• Advantages
• Easy to install and implement
• Give better performance as messages doesn’t pass through various nodes
unlike Bus topology
• Faulty nodes can be easily removed without affecting the other nodes in the
loop
• Disadvantages
• If the central hub fails then the whole network is disrupted
• If more nodes are to be added then more cable would be required and this
would increase the cost
• Data transfer and capability depends on capacity of the central hub
Mesh Topology
• Mesh topology uses one of the two arrangements either Full
Mesh topology or Partial Mesh topology.
• In Full Mesh topology each node is connected to every other
node in the network.
• In Partial Mesh topology every node is not connected to each
node in the network.
• Due to many interconnections much of the cable is required for
implementation of mesh topology so it is quite expensive.
• However, it is reliable because if one node fails, rests of the
nodes continue to work with each other. Since lot of cables is
involved, mesh topology is quite expensive to implement. So its
often coupled with star, ring or any other topology to form
hybrid topology. WAN (Wide Area Network) like Internet uses
Mesh network structure.
• Advantages
• It is efficient in a sense when one node fails, others continue to work without
disruption.
• Network can be easily expanded.
• In one particular instance you can send the data from one node to many
nodes.
• Disadvantages
• It is quite expensive since a higher length of cable is required.
• Implementation can be a very arduous task.
Network Models
• Computer networks are created by different entities. Standards are
needed so that these heterogeneous networks can communicate with
one an another. The two standards are the OSI (Open System
Interconnections) model and the Internet model.
• Categories of Networks
• Today when we speak of networks, we generally referring to two primary
categories: local-area-networks and wide-area-networks.
Local Area Network
• A local area network (LAN) is a network that connects computers and
other devices in a relatively small area, typically a single building or a
group of buildings.
• Most LANs connect workstations and personal computers and enable
users to access data and devices (e.g., printers and modems)
anywhere on the network. Users can also use the LAN to
communicate with each other, by sending e-mail or engaging in chat
sessions.
• LANs can be characterized by their topology, protocols
and media. Topology is the geometric arrangement of
devices on the network. For example, devices can be
arranged in a ring or in a straight line. Protocols are the
rules and encoding specifications for sending data. They
also determine whether the network uses a peer-to-
peer or client/server architecture. The most common
type of LAN is Ethernet. Media is what is used to
connect the devices, i.e., twisted-pair copper wire,
coaxial cables, fiber optic cables or radio waves.
Wide Area Network
• It is similar to a Local Area Network (LAN), but it's a lot bigger. Unlike
LANs, WANs are not limited to a single location. Many wide area
networks span long distances via telephone lines, fiber-optic cables,
or satellite links. They can also be composed of smaller LANs that are
interconnected. The Internet could be described as the biggest WAN
in the world.
Metropolitan Area Network
• A metropolitan area network(MAN) is a network with a size between
a LAN and a WAN. It normally covers the area inside a town or a city.
It is designed for customers who need a high speed connectivity,
normally to the Internet, and have endpoints spread over a city or
part of city. A good example of a MAN is the part of the telephone
company network that can provide a high speed DSL line to the
customer.