Transcript File
Guide to Networking Essentials
Fifth Edition
Chapter 2
Network Design Essentials
Objectives
• Explain the basics of a network layout
• Describe the standard networking topologies
• Explain the variations on standard networking topologies
• Describe the role of hubs and switches in a network topology
• Construct a basic network layout
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Examining the Basics of a Network Layout
• To implement a network, you must first decide how to best situate the
components in a topology
• Topology refers to the physical layout of its computers, cables, and other
resources, and also to how those components communicate with each other
• The arrangement of cabling is the physical topology
• The path that data travels between computers on a network is the logical topology
• Topology has a significant effect on the network’s performance and growth, and
equipment decisions
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Understanding Standard Topologies
Networks are based on three physical topologies
A bus consists of a series of computers connected along a single cable
segment
Computers connected via a central concentration point (hub) are arranged in
a star topology
Computers connected to form a loop create a ring
Physical topologies describe cable arrangement
How the data travels along those cables might represent a different logical
topology
The logical topologies that dominate LANs include
bus, ring, and switching, all of which are usually
implemented as a physical star
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Bus
Bus topology
This type of network was widely used in the 1980’s
In this configuration every computer (node) shares the
networks total bus capacities.
In this configuration adding more computers will
reduce the access speed on the network.
Each computer communicates to other computers on
the network independently this is referred to as
PEER-TO-PEER networking
How a Bus Peer to Peer
Network Works
• All computers on a network have a distinct address just like your
house does
• a message would be send from one computer with the address of
another computer attached to the message
• The message is broadcasted to all the computers on the network
until the addressed PC accepts the message
How it worked
The type of wires used for Bus Networks in the 80’s
were called Thicknet and Thinnet
A Thicknet cable (very large about 1 inch in
diameter usually yellow was hung around a room)
Thinnet cables were connected to the PC’s NIC and
a Transceiver. The Transceiver was tapped into the
Thicknet cable
To stop the message from bouncing back and
forward down the wire (known as signal bounce)
both ends of the network are terminated with 50Ω
resistors
Problems
• One of the main problems with this type of network is that it is not
very fault tolerant, a break or defect in the bus would affect the
whole network
Ring Topology
• In Ring topology each node is connected to the two
nearest nodes so the entire network forms a circle
• Data only travels in one direction on a Ring network
How this Topology works
a node has information to send to another
computer on the network so it sends the
information out on the network to the PC it is
connected to, if the information is for this PC (the
recipients NIC address is attached to the message,
which is like putting an address on an envelope)
then the PC accepts the data
otherwise it passes the information on to the next
PC by repeating the data back out on the line
This method of repeating the data helps keep the
integrity of the data readable by other computers
How it Works
• As it is better to have computers take turns using the connecting Data
cable, Ring topologies incorporated a system called Token passing
• In this topology, to transmit on the wire your computer must have
control of the token or wait for the token to be free
• Larger Token Ring networks use multiple tokens
Problems and Solutions
The drawback to this type of topology is that a single
malfunctioning workstation can disable the whole network
To make sure all the information is sent the receiving PC
sends the token back to the sending PC after it has received
all the data
If the sending PC is finished sending it passes the token to
the next PC
This type of network was also widely used in the 1980’s
This type of network used Thinnet cable joining nodes.
In the mid 1980’s Thinnet cable was replaced by
Category 3 Ethernet cable capable of handling up to 10Mbps
Star Topology
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Star topology
HUB
• In a Star topology every node is connected through a central device such as
a Hub, Switch or Router
• Compared to a Ring or Bus topology a Star topology requires that more
thought be put into its setup
The Good and Bad of a
Star Network
• The upside of a star network is that if any one cable fails then only
the node connected on that cable would be affected
• Another positive point to this type of network is that it is very simple
to join two star networks together by connecting their central
devices to each other
The Good and Bad of a
Star Network
• As each computer is connected to a central device (Hub) the location
of the Hub must be made as central as possible, so as to reduce cable
lengths
• The drawback to this type of topology is if a central device was to fail
then all computers connected to that device would not be able to see
the network
Wireless Topologies
• Wireless networking has a logical and physical topology
• Ad hoc topology: two computers can communicate directly with one
another; sometimes called a peer-to-peer topology
• Infrastructure mode: Use a central device, called an access point (AP), to
control communications
• Star physical topology because all the signals travel through one central device
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Examining Variations of Physical Topologies
• The major physical topologies have three typical variations or
combinations
• Extended star
• Mesh
• Combination star and bus
• These combinations can be used to get the most from any network
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Extended Star Topology
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Mesh Topology
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Full Mesh Topology
• Every node has a circuit connecting it to every other node in the
network
• Yields greatest redundancy, so if one node fails, network traffic can
be redirected to any of the other nodes
• Usually reserved for backbone networks since it is very expensive
Combination Star Bus Topology
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Hubs
Most common type of hub today
Regenerate, or repeat, the signals
Require electrical power to run
Generally, have many ports—eight or more
Also called multiport repeaters or repeating hubs
1.
2.
3.
4.
Takes a signal coming in on one port
Cleans the signal (e.g., by filtering out noise)
Strengthens the signal
Sends the regenerated signal out to all other ports
Drawback: require sharing the hub bandwidth among all
connected stations
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Switches
• Central connecting point in a star topology network
• Does more than simply regenerate signals
• Looks just like a hub, with several ports for connecting workstations
in a star topology
• Determines to which port the destination device is connected and
forwards the message to that port
• This capability allows a switch to handle several conversations at one time,
thereby providing the full network bandwidth to each device rather than
requiring bandwidth sharing
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Router
• A device that forwards data packets along networks. A router is
connected to at least two networks, commonly two LANs or WANs or
a LAN and its ISP.s network. Routers use headers and forwarding
tables to determine the best path for forwarding the packets,
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Constructing a Network Layout
• The first step in any network design is to evaluate the underlying
requirements
• First determine how the network will be used, which often decides the
topology you use
• Decide the types of devices for interconnecting computers and sites
• Finally, the type and usage level of network resources dictates how many
servers you need and where to place servers
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Creating the Layout
Network must be documented
Useful questions before drawing the diagram
How many client computers will be attached?
How many servers will be attached?
Will there be a connection to the Internet?
How will the building’s physical architecture influence
decisions, such as whether to use a wired or wireless
topology, or both?
Which topology or topologies will you use?
Network diagram must be kept up to date
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Creating the Layout (continued)
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Summary
• Basic physical topologies: bus, star, or ring
• Physical bus: easy to install but outdated
• The logical bus topology is still used, but is almost always implemented as a physical star
• Physical ring: connects devices in such a way that the cabling starts and ends with
the same computer
• Rarely used (except in FDDI)
• Logical ring topology typically uses token passing to send data around ring; normally
implemented as a star
• Physical star: centralized management and higher degree of fault tolerance
• Topology of choice in today’s networks
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Summary (continued)
• For wireless networks: ad hoc or infrastructure mode
• Variations on major topologies
• Extended star (most widely used)
• Mesh (most fault tolerant)
• Combination star and bus
• Hub: central point of concentration for a star network
• Can be active (if it regenerates the signals) or passive
• Switch: provides better performance than a hub
• Device of choice in corporate star topology networks
• Network layout should be consistent and maintained accurately as the
network changes
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