Advantages of a Mesh Topology
- Eliminates traffic problems in links sharing.
- If one link becomes unusable, it does not incapacitate the entire system. Thus, act as robust.
- It has privacy and security.
- Point-to-point link make fault identification and fault isolation easy.
- Installation and reconnection are difficult.
- The hardware required to connect each link (I/O ports and cable) is expensive.
- It is generally too costly and complex for practical networks.
Advantages of a Star Topology
- Easy to install and reconfigure.
- No disruptions to the network when connecting or removing devices.
- Easy to detect faults and to remove parts.
- Less expensive.
- Includes robustness, that is, if one link fails, only that link is affected, other links remain active.
Disadvantages of a Star Topology
- If the hub fails, the whole system is dead.
- If the hub, switch, or concentrator fails, nodes attached are disabled.
- Requires more cable length than a bus topology.
- More expensive than bus topologies because of the cost of the hubs, etc.
Advantages of a Ring Topology
- · It is relatively easy to install and reconfigure.
- Easy to identify the problem if the entire network shuts down.
Disadvantages of a Ring Topology
- · Only one machine can transmit on the network at a time.
- · The failure of one machine will cause the entire network to fail.
Advantages of a Tree Topology
- Point-to-point wiring for individual segments.
- Supported by several hardware and software venders.
Disadvantages of a Tree Topology
- Overall length of each segment is limited by the type of cabling used.
- If the backbone line breaks, the entire segment goes down.
- More difficult to configure and wire than other topologies.
Advantages of Bus Topology
- Easy to connect a computer or peripheral to a linear bus.
- Requires less cable length than mesh or star topologies.
- It is cheaper than any other topologies.
Disadvantages of Bus Topology
- If the network cable breaks, the entire network will be down.
- Terminators are required at both ends of the backbone cable.
- Difficult to identify the problem if the entire network shuts down.
- Not meant to be used as a stand-alone solution in a large building.
- Include difficult reconnection and fault isolation.
- The managing cost of network is too high.
- Addition of new devices requires modification or replacement of the backbone.
Advantages of a Hybrid Topology
- · It provides a better result by it.
- · It can be designed in many ways for various purposes.
Disadvantages of Hybrid Topology
- · It is costly.
- Difficult to identify the problem if the entire network shuts down.