Tecnologia da Informação

Text 5A5AAA

Computer networks, whether LANs, MANs, or WANs, are constructed based on a topology. There are several topologies, such as tree, bus and ring, and the popular mesh and star.

A mesh topology allows multiple access links between network elements, unlike other types of topologies. The multiplicity of access links between network elements offers an advantage in network reliability because whenever one network element fails, the network does not cease operations; it simply finds a bypass to the failed element and the network remains to function. Mesh topology is most often applied in MAN networks.

Another very popular topology, especially in LAN network technologies, is a star topology. A star topology is characterized by a central prominent node that connects to every other element in the network. So all elements in the network are connected to a central element. Every network element in a star topology is pairwise connected in a point-to-point manner through the central element, and communication between any pair of elements must go through this central element. The central element or node can operate either in a broadcast fashion, in which case information from one element is broadcast to all connected elements, or it can transmit as a switching device in which the incoming data is transmitted only to one element, the nearest element en route to the destination. The biggest disadvantage to the star topology in networks is that the failure of the central element results in the failure of the entire network.

Joseph M. Kizza. Network topology. In: Computer network security. Chattanooga: Springer, 2005, p. 15-7 (adapted).

In the text 5A5AAA,

“it” refers to “network element”.