Topology

In short: The topology describes how the participants of a network are connected to each other, that is the arrangement of devices and cables.

In more detail: One distinguishes the physical topology (how cables and devices are actually laid out) and the logical topology (how data flows). A network can be a star physically and work like a bus logically, for example a network with a hub.

In Depth

The choice of topology affects:

• Cost: how much cable and which devices are needed
• Reliability: what happens when a cable or device fails
• Expandability: how easily new devices can be added
• Performance: whether devices share the line or each has its own

The basic forms are bus, ring, star, tree, mesh and point-to-point. A comparison is in network topologies.

See also: network topologies, cabling plan