UNIVERSITY OF RWANDA

College of Science and Technology

Module ETE 4261:

Computer Networks
Fourth year
Semester I: 2017-2018

Lecturer: Dr. Louis Sibomana

1
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture

Physical Topology and Logical Topology

 Physical topology: it refers to the way in which a

network is laid out physically.
Two or more devices connect to a link; two or more links
form a topology.

 Logical topology: Defines how the hosts access the

media to send data. Shows the flow of data on a network

2
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture

Physical Topology and Logical Topology

3
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture

Physical Topology
Bus Topology:
 connects networking components along a single cable
or uses a series of cable segments that are connected
linearly.
 Used with: 10 BASE E5 (Thicknet),  10BASEE2 (Thinnet)
 Bus topology is used for:
• Small work-group LANs
• Trunk cables connecting hubs or switches of
departmental LANs to form a larger LAN
• Backboning, by joining switches and routers to
form campus-wide networks
4
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture

Physical Topology
Bus Topology:
Advantages:
 Easy to install
 Costs are usually low
 Easy to add systems to network
 Great for small networks
Disadvantages:
include difficult reconnection and fault isolation
 Can be difficult to troubleshoot
 Unmanageable in a large network
 If cable breaks, whole network is down
5
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture

Physical Topology

Ring Topology:

 A signal is passed along the ring in one direction, from

device to device, until it reaches its destination
 Packets (tokens) move to the next node in the ring. Only
one node has the token at any one time. 
 Used with: FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) and 
Token Ring

6
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture

Physical Topology

Ring Topology:

Advantages:
 Very orderly network where every device has access
to the token and the opportunity to transmit
 Performs better than a bus topology under heavy
network load
 Does not require network server to manage the
connectivity between the computers

7
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture

Physical Topology

Ring Topology:

Disadvantage:
 One malfunctioning workstation or bad port can create
problems for the entire network
 Moves, adds and changes of devices can affect the
network
 Network adapter cards and a Multistation Access Unit
are much more expensive than Ethernet cards and hubs
 Much slower than an Ethernet network under normal
load 8
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture

Physical Topology

Mesh Topology:

 every device has a dedicated point-to-point link to

every other device
 The term dedicated means that the link carries traffic
only between the two devices it connects. To connect n
nodes in Mesh topology, we require

n(n-1)/2 duplex mode links.

9
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Physical Topology
Mesh Topology:
Advantage:
 The use of dedicated links guarantees that each connection
can carry its own data load, thus eliminating the traffic
problems that can occur when links must be shared by
multiple devices
 Robust, If one link becomes unusable, it does not
incapacitate the entire system
 Advantage of privacy or security
 Point-to-point links make fault identification and fault
isolation easy; traffic can be routed to avoid links with
suspected problems 10
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Physical Topology
Mesh Topology:
Disadvantage:
 Required high amount of cabling and the number of
input/output (I/O) ports
 the sheer bulk of the wiring can be greater than the
available space (in walls, ceilings, or floors) can
accommodate
 the hardware required to connect each link (I/O ports
and cable) can be prohibitively expensive.

11
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture

Physical Topology
Star Topology:
 each device has a dedicated point-to-point link only to
a central controller, usually called a hub
 Unlike a mesh topology, a star topology does not allow
direct traffic between devices
 The controller acts as an exchange: If one device wants
to send data to another, it sends the data to the controller,
which then relays the data to the other connected device

12
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Physical Topology
Star Topology:
Advantage:
 Less expensive than Mesh topology
 In a star topology, each device needs only one link and
one I/O port to connect it to any number of other devices.
This factor also makes it easy to install and reconfigure
 Less cabling, Addition and Deletion involves only one
connection between the devices and the Hub or Switch
 Easy for Fault identification and fault isolation. If one
link fails, only that link is affected. All other links remain
active.
13
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Physical Topology
Star Topology:
Desadvantage:

 the dependency of the whole topology on one single

point, the hub. If the hub goes down, the whole system
is dead.

14
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Physical Topology
 Extended Topology:
 links individual stars together by connecting the
hubs or switches.

 Hierarchical Topology
 similar to an extended star. However, instead of
linking the hubs or switches together, the system is
linked to a computer that controls the traffic on the
topology

15
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture

Logical Topology

 logical topology of a network determines how the hosts

communicate across the medium. The two most common
types of logical topologies are broadcast and token
passing

 use of a broadcast topology indicates that each host

sends its data to all other hosts on the network medium.
There is no order that the stations must follow to use the
network. It is first come, first serve.
Example: Ethernet works this way 16
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Logical Topology

 In token passing topology, an electronic token is passed

sequentially to each host. When a host receives the token,
that host can send data on the network. If the host has no
data to send, it passes the token to the next host and the
process repeats itself.

Two examples of networks that use token passing are Token

Ring and Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI).

17
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture

Network Types

 Types of networking:
 LAN,
 WAN,
 MAN,
 Extranet,
 Intranet
 Internet

18
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Types

 LAN:
 LAN refers to a local network or a group of
interconnected network that are under the same
administrative control
 LANs are designed to:
Operate within a limited geographic area
Allow multi-access to high bandwidth media

19
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Types

 LAN:
 LANs consist of the following components:
 Computers
 Network interface cards
 Peripheral devices
 Networking media
 Network devices
 LANs allow business to locally share computer files and
printers efficiently and make internal communications
possible.
20
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Types

 LAN:

 LANs manage data,

local communications,
and computing
equipment.
Some common LAN
technologies include the
following:
A network serving a home,
• Ethernet, Token Ring, building, campus is considered as
FDDI LAN 21
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Types

 MAN:
 is a large network that spans a city or a large
campus
 MAN network consists of various buildings
interconnected via either wireless or fiber optics
backbones.
 MAN usually interconnects a number of LANs using
a high-capacity backbone technology, such as fiber-
optical links, and provides up-link services to WAN
and the Internet.
22
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Types

 MAN:

POP:point-of-presence (interface between communicating entities)

SAN: storage area network 23
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Types

 WAN:
WANs are designed to do the following:
 Operate over a large and geographically separated are
 Allow users to have real-time communication
capabilities with other users
 Provide full-time remote resources connected to local
services
 Provide e-mail, Internet, file transfer, and e-commerce
service

24
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Types

 WAN:
Some common WAN technologies include the following:
 Modems
 Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
 Digital subscriber line (DSL)
 Frame Relay
 T1, E1, T3, and E3
 Synchronous Optical Network (SONET)

25
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Types

 WAN:

26
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Types

 LAN versus WAN:

27
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Types

 Internet:
The network formed by the co-operative interconnection of a
large number of computer networks.
 Network of networks
 No one owns the Internet
 Every person who makes a connection owns a slice of
the Internet
 There is no central administration of the Internet

28
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Types

 Internet:

 LANs and WANs may be connected into internetworks29

 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Types

 Internet: Internet is comprises of :

A community of people : who use and develop the network
A collection of resources: that can be reached from those
networks
 A setup to facilitate collaboration: Among the members of
the research and educational communities world wide.
The connected networks use the TCP/IP protocols
 Important Internet applications:
world wide web(WWW)
 File Transfer Protocol(FTP)
 Electronic Mail
 Internet Relay Chat 30
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Types

 Intranet:
 A private TCP/IP internetwork within an organization
that uses Internet technologies such as Web servers and
Web browsers for sharing information and collaborating
 Intranets can be used to publish company policies and
newsletters, provide sales and marketing staff with
product information, provide technical support and
tutorials, and just about anything else you can think of
that fits within the standard Web server/Web browser
environment
31
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Types

 Intranet:
 Intranet Web servers differ from public Web servers in
that the public must have the proper permissions and
passwords to access the intranet of an organization.
 Intranets are designed to permit users who have access
privileges to the internal LAN of the organization
 Within an intranet, Web servers are installed in the
network. Browser technology is used as the common
front end to access information on servers such as
financial, graphical, or text-based data.
32
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Types
 Extranet:
 Extranets refer to applications and services that are
Intranet based, and use extended, secure access to external
users or enterprises. This access is usually accomplished
through passwords, user IDs, and other application level
security.
 An extranet is the extension of two or more intranet
strategies with a secure interaction between participant
enterprises and their respective intranets
Extranets let businesses share resources on their own
private networks over the Internet with suppliers, vendors,
business partners, or customers
33
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Types : Intranet/Extranet

VPN: virtual private network 34

 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Types of LAN Technologies

 Ethernet:
 is a family of LAN technologies
 Ethernet technologies have three part names:
 Speed
 Signal Method (BaseBand and BroadBand)
 Medium
For example, 100BASET:
 100 Mbps, Baseband, Unshielded Twisted Pair
(UTP)
10BASE5:
 10Mbps, Baseband, 5*100Meters
35
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Types of LAN Technologies

Baseband:
 A signaling technology that sends digital signals over a
single frequency as discrete electrical pulses.
 The baseband signal is bidirectional so that a baseband
system can both transmit and receive signals
simultaneously
 Use time-division multiplexing (TDM) to accommodate
multiple channels over a single baseband transmission
 Baseband signals can be regenerated using repeaters in
order to travel longer distances before weakening and
becoming unusable because of attenuation
36
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Types
Broadband:
 A signaling technology that sends signals simultaneously
over a range of different frequencies as electromagnetic
waves.
 These signals are unidirectional—traveling in only one
direction at a time—so a broadband system can generally
either transmit or receive but cannot do both simultaneously.
 Broadband signals can be regenerated using amplifiers in
order to travel longer distances before becoming attenuated
 Broadband transmissions are divided into multiple bands or
channels by multiplexers using a multiplexing scheme such as
frequency-division multiplexing (FDM)
37
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Types of LAN Technologies

 Fast Ethernet:
 The Fast Ethernet standard (IEEE 802.3u) has been
established for Ethernet networks that need higher
transmission speeds ( > 100 Mbps)
 Fast Ethernet provides faster throughput for video,
multimedia, graphics, Internet surfing and stronger error
detection and correction.
 There are three types of Fast Ethernet: 100BASE-TX for use
with level 5 UTP cable; 100BASE-FX for use with fiber-optic
cable; and 100BASE-T4 which utilizes an extra two wires for
use with level 3 UTP cable.
38
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Types of LAN Technologies

 Gigabit Ethernet:
 Gigabit Ethernet was developed to meet the need for faster
communication networks with applications such as
multimedia and Voice over IP (VoIP).
 Also known as “gigabit-Ethernet-over-copper” or
1000Base-T, GigE is a version of Ethernet that runs at speeds
10 times faster than 100Base-T.
 It is defined in the IEEE 802.3 standard and is currently
used as an enterprise backbone.
 Existing Ethernet LANs with 10 and 100 Mbps cards can
feed into a Gigabit Ethernet backbone to interconnect high
performance switches, routers and servers. 39
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Types of LAN Technologies

 Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM):

 ATM is a cell-based fast-packet communication
technique that can support data-transfer rates from
sub-T1 speeds to 10 Gbps
 ATM achieves its high speeds in part by transmitting
data in fixed-size cells and dispensing with error-
correction protocols.

40
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
LAN Technology Specifications:

41
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Architecture
Two types of Network Architecture:
1. Peer-to-Peer Model
2. Client-server Model

Client-server Model
42
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Architecture

1.Peer-to-Peer Model
 As peers, each computer can take on the client function
or the server function. Individual users control their own
resources
 Computer A may request for a file from Computer B,
which then sends the file to Computer A. Computer A
acts like the client and Computer B acts like the server. At
a later time, Computers A and B can reverse roles.
 No central point of control or administration in the
network
 As networks grow, peer-to-peer relationships become
increasingly difficult to coordinate 43
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Architecture

1.Client-Server Model
 In a client/server arrangement, network services are
located on a dedicated computer called a server
 The server responds to the requests of clients. Servers are
designed to handle requests from many clients
simultaneously
 Before a client can access the server resources, the client
must be identified and be authorized to use the resource
 Examples of client-server systems on the Internet include
Web browsers and Web servers, FTP clients and servers,
and DNS.
44
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture

Client-Server versus Peer-to-Peer network

45
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Architecture
Wireless LAN
 Physical cable for network connection is not required
 In wireless LAN each client computer is connected to the
Access Point (AP) though which they can share the file and
access to the Internet.

46
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Architecture

Wireless LAN versus LAN

47
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Architecture

Wireless Standards - 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11g, and 802.11n

48
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Architecture

Wireless Technologies:

 BSS (Basic Service Set).

 presence of a control module often called “Base
Station” or Access points.
 Ad-hoc or Peer-to-Peer
When there is no control module

49
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Network Architecture

A typical office network:

50
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Elements of a Network

51
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture
Elements of a Network

52
 Lecture #2: Network Topology and Architecture

Homework

Discuss (in your respective groups) the IEEE 802

LAN/MAN standards: frequency range, specifications, data
rate, applications/services.

To be presented during next session.

53