Bus Topology

Bus Topology

In a bus configuration, each computer in the network is responsible for carrying out its own communications without the help of a central unit. A common communications cable (the bus) connects all of the computers in the network. As data travels along the cable, each unit performs a query to determine if it is the intended recipient of the message. The bus network is less expensive than the star configuration and is thus widely in use for systems that connect only a few microcomputers and systems that do not emphasize the sharing of common resources.

The problem in a computer on a bus topology does not frustrate the operation of the network, but a crack in the central cable will stop the whole network. Bus topology is popular because many computers can be connected to a single central cable. In a bus topology, each end user computer in the network handles its own communications control. There is no host computer or file server. As the information passes along the bus, it is examined by each terminal to see if the data is for it.

Ring Network

A ring configuration features a network in which each computer is connected to the next two other computers in a closed loop. Like the bus network, no single central computer exists in the ring configuration. Messages are transferred from one computer to the next until they reach their intended destinations. Each computer on the ring topology has a particular address. As the messages pass around the ring, the computers validate the address. If the message is not addressed to it, the node transmits the message to the next computer on the ring.

This type of network is commonly used in systems that connect widely dispersed mainframe computers. A ring network allows organizations to engage in distributed data processing system in which computers can share certain resources with other units while keeping control over their own processing functions. However, a failure in any of the linked computers can greatly affect the entire network.

The ring arrangement is the least frequently used with microcomputers. However, as stated above, it often is used to link mainframes over wide geographical areas to build distributed data processing system. The loss of a mainframe usually does not