Network Topologies – Star, Bus, Ring and Mesh
Computer ScienceNetworks & the InternetAges 17–18
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Sign in to playBuild a network of 4–8 computers as a star, bus, ring, full mesh or partial mesh and send packets between them. Cut a cable or break a computer or the switch to see which computers lose their connection; count the cables needed (a full mesh needs n(n − 1)/2), compare cost and resilience in a table, and watch collisions when several computers transmit on a shared bus.
Lesson: Network devices and topologies: star, bus, ring and mesh; reliability and cost
What it shows
A network topology is the way devices are connected. In a star, every computer has its own cable to a central switch; a bus shares one backbone cable; a ring links each computer to its two neighbours and passes data one way round; a mesh adds extra links so that data can take another route. This model counts cables and network ports, works out which computers can still reach each other after a failure, and shows collisions on a shared bus, where only one computer can transmit at a time. Signals on the bus are slowed down so that collisions can be seen.
How to use
Choose a Topology and the Number of computers. In Send packet mode, click a sender (green rings mark computers it can reach, red rings those it cannot), then click a receiver. Switch to Break / repair and click a cable, a computer or the switch, then watch how many pairs can still communicate both ways. Raise the Automatic traffic on the bus to see more collisions, and compare the table rows for the different topologies.
Parameters you can change
- Topology Star, Bus, Ring, Full mesh, Partial mesh
- Number of computers 4–8 computers
- Automatic traffic 0–2 packets/s
- Simulation speed 1–5
Questions to explore
- With 8 computers, how many cables does a full mesh need, and how many times more than a star?
- In a star network, which single device failure stops the whole network?
- Why do collisions on a shared bus increase quickly when the traffic rises?
