Ring Topology
Ring Topology Diagram
- Each device has point-to-point dedicated link with only two devices on either side
- A signal is passed in the ring in one direction from device to device until it reaches its destination
- Each device has a repeater incorporated
- When a device receives a signal destined for another device, it regenerates the bits and pass them along
Advantages of Ring Topology
- Easy to Install and Reconfigure
- Only two connections to be moved to add or delete a device
- SIMPLE Fault Isolation
- Generally a signal is circulating at all times in a ring.
- If one device does not receive a signal within a specified period, it can issue an alarm to tell network operator about the problem and its location
Disadvantages of Ring Topology
- Unidirectional Traffic
- A break in a ring I.e. a disabled station can disable the entire network
- Can be solved by using:
- Dual Ring or
- A switch capable of closing off the Break
Hybrid Topologies
- Several topologies combined in a larger topology
- Example: One department of a business may have decided to use a Bus while other has a Ring
- The two can be connected via a Central Controller in Star Topology
TRANSMISSION MODE
“Transmission Mode is used to define the direction of the signal flow between the linked devices”
SIMPLEX MODE
- Communication is Unidirectional
- Only one of the two stations can transmit
- Other can only receive
Half – Duplex Mode
- Each station can both transmit and receive but not at the same time
- When one device is sending the other can only receive and vice versa
- Lets understand the concept by using an example
- One Lane Road with two directional traffic
- When cars are traveling in one direction, cars going the other way must wait
- Full Channel capacity is allocated to whatever entity that is transmitting at a specific time
- Walkie Talkies
Full Duplex (Duplex)
- Both stations can transmit and receive simultaneously
- Two way street with traffic flowing in both directions at the same time
- Signals traveling in either direction share the capacity of the link
- The sharing can take place in two ways:
- Either the link must contain two physically separate transmission paths:
- One for sending and
- One for receiving
- Capacity of the channel is divided between signals traveling in opposite directions
EXAMPLE
- Telephone Network
When two people are communicating via a telephone line, both can talk and listen at the same time
Categories of Networks
- There are three main categories of Networks:
- LANS
- WANS
- MANS
LANS
- A LAN is usually Privately owned and Links the devices in a single office, Building or a campus
Two Implications
- Care must be taken in choice of a LAN, because there may be a substantial capital investment for purchase and maintenance.
- Secondly, the network management responsibility falls solely on the user/company
Size of a LAN
- Size of a LAN depends upon the Needs of Organization and the Type of Technology
- LAN can be as simple as two PCs and a printer in someone’s home office or it can extend throughout a company and include complex equipment too
- Currently LAN size is limited to a few kilometers
Design of a LAN
- LANs are designed to allow resources to be shared between personal computers or workstations
- The resources to be shared can include hardware (printer), software (anapplication program) or data.
- Example of a LAN
A common example of a LAN found in many business environments links a work group of task related computers, for example engineering workstations or Accounting PCs. One of the PCs may be given a large capacity disk and becomes a server to others. Software stored on the server and is used by the whole group. In this case size is determined by software licenses
- Example of a LAN
Transmission Media & Topology
- In addition to size, LANs are distinguished from other types of networks by Transmission media and topology
- In general a given LAN will use only one type of Transmission medium
- The most common LAN topology Bus, Star Ring
Data Rates in a LAN
- Traditionally 4 –16 Mbps
- Speeds increased and now 100Mbps and above are also possible
- Giga Bit LAN technologies
WANS
- Generally cover a large geographical area and it usually span an Unlimited number of miles by utilizing Public or Leased networks instead of having their own hardware as in the case of LANs
Design of a WAN
- Typically , it consists of a large number of Switching Nodes
- Transmission from any one device is routed through these internal nodes to the specified destination device
- These nodes are not concerned with the content of the data, rather their purpose is to provide a switching facility that will move the data from node to node until it reaches its destination
How to Implement a WAN?
- Traditionally WAN s have been implemented using one of the 2 technologies:
- Circuit Switching
- Packet Switching
- Frame Relay and ATM Networks play important role nowadays too
Circuit Switching
- A dedicated communication path is established between two stations through the nodes of the network
- This path/CAPACITY stays up for the duration of the communication Example is Telephone Network
Packet Switching
- No capacity is dedicated along a path through the network
- Data Is sent out in small chunks called “Packets”
- Each path is passed from node to node
- At each node, entire packet is received, stored briefly and then transmitted to the next node.
Example is : Computer to Computer Communication
Frame Relay & ATM
- Overhead bits for Error Protection are removed
- 10’s of 100’s of Mbps and also Gbps is possible
Summary
- The OSI Model
- Layered Architecture
- Encapsulation and Decapsulation
- Physical Layer
- Data Link Layer
Reading Sections
- Section 2.4,2.5, “Data Communications and Networking” 4th Edition by Behrouz A. Forouzan
- Sections 1.3, “Data and Computer Communication” 6th Edition by William Stallings