1
L E S S O N P L A N #53 Per.
Name:
DATE: Friday February 18th, 2011
CLASS: Networking
TOPIC: Topology
AIM: What are the different topologies in networking?
NOTE:
1) At the end of the period, leave your computer on the desktop screen, put
the keyboard on top of the monitor and push in your chair.
H.W. # 53:
List the advantages and disadvantages of the following topologies
1) Star
2) Ring
3) Bus
4) Mesh
DO NOW:
Go to www.techweb.com/encyclopedia. Look up the term topology. What is topology?
What are some of the more common physical topologies?
PROCEDURE:
Write the AIM and DO NOW.
Get students working!
Take attendance.
Go Over HW
Collect HW
Go over the Do Now
Assignment #1:
At www.pcwebopedia.com, look up the term mesh. What is a mesh topology?
How does a full mesh differ from a partial mesh?
What are the good and bad points of a mesh topology?
For a full mesh with n nodes, how many connections are needed in terms of n?
Assignment #2:
Go to http://www.datacottage.com/nch/troperation.htm . In the top animation, you see a ring topology. Look at the animation below that
implements the ring topology.
What is the topology is being used physically to implement the ring topology?
Any of the topologies can be combined to form hybrid topologies. For
example the topology at the right combines a star and a ring on a bus
2
Assignment #3:
Name the topology below
Question:
How would a break in the cable of a bus network affect the network?
To prevent this how were bus networks later physically implemented?
http://www.datacottage.com/nch/eoperation.htm
For a hint take a look at “Using a Hub” at
This type of implementation uses a physical star and a logical bus.
This is usually called a star bus.
http://www.datacottage.com/nch/troperation.htm and scroll to the bottom. How would you characterize that network?
1) Physically
Go to
2) Logically
3) Combined
Assignment #4:
Look up a tree topology.
Where could a tree topology be used?
http://www.delmar.edu/Courses/ITNW2313/network.htm
For help in answering this question, go to
Assignment #5:
Go online and research the advantages and disadvantages of each of the topologies
Sample Test Question:
1) Of the topologies listed, which one is the most fault-tolerant and has the most redundancy?
A) Mesh
B) Bus
C) Star
D) Ring
2) What is the term used to describe the logical layout of network components?
A) Segmentation
B) Map
C) Topology
D) Protocol
3) Which network topology connects with a central ring of cable?
A) Star
B) Bus
C) Ring
D) Mesh
4) Which network topology uses a central hub?
A) Star
B) Bus
C) Ring
D) Mesh
5) You need a topology that is scalable to use in your network. Which of the following will you install?
A) Bus
B) Ring
C) Star
D) Mesh
6) In a Physical-Star Topology, what happens when a workstation loses its physical connection to another device?
A) The ring is broken, so no devices can communicate
B) Only that workstation loses its ability to communicate
C) That workstation and the device it’s connected to lose communication with the rest of the network
D) No devices can communicate because there are now two unterminated network segments
3
7) Which is an example of a LAN?
A) Ten buildings interconnected by Ethernet connections over fiber-optic cabling?
B) Ten routers interconnected by frame-relay circuits.
C) Two routers interconnected with a T1 circuit
D) A computer connected to another computer so they can share resources.
8) Which of the following is a disadvantage of the star topology?
A) When a port on the central concentrating device fails, the attached end device loses connectivity to the rest of the network
B) When the central concentrating device experiences a complete failure, all attached devices lose connectivity to the rest of the network
C) In a star topology, a more expensive type of host must be used when compared to the host used when implementing a physical bus.
D) It is more difficult to add stations and troubleshoot than with other topologies
9) Which type of topology has the greatest number of physical connections?
A) Point-to-multipoint
B) Star
C) point-to-point
D) Mesh