Bus Topology
A bus network uses a trunk or backbone to which all of the computers on the network connect. Systems connect to this backbone using T connectors or taps. To avoid signal reflection, a physical bus topology requires that each end of the physical bus be terminated. Figure 3 shows an example of a physical bus topology.
Figure 3 Physical bus topology.
The most common implementation of a linear bus is the IEEE 802.3 standard. Table 2 summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of the bus topology.
|
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
|---|---|
|
Compared to other topologies, a bus is cheap and easy to implement. |
There might be network disruption when computers are added or removed. |
|
Requires less cable than other topologies. |
Because all systems on the network connect to a single backbone, a break in the cable will prevent all systems from accessing the network. |
|
Does not use any specialized network equipment. |
Difficult to troubleshoot. |