Network Topologies

Network devices connect to the transport medium through a transmitter/receiver called a transceiver. A transceiver can be an external device or can be built into the device's Network Interface Card (NIC). The pattern in which the network devices (nodes) are connected together is called the network topology. Network cabling topology is largely determined by the type of connection medium being used to connect the nodes. In addition, there is a logical topology that is defined by how the nodes interact with one another through the transmission media protocol. For example, it's possible for a collection of hosts to be physically connected in a star topology but to run as if they're connected as a logical ring. There are three ...

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