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Bus Topology

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The layout of a network's cable system and the methods that workstations use to access and transmit data on the cable are part of the topology of a network. A bus topology network consists of a single cable trunk that connects one workstation to the next in a daisy-chain configuration, as shown in Figure Bus-1. In an actual installation, the cable snakes its way through a building from office to office. All nodes share the same media, and only one node can broadcast messages at a time. While bus topologies are easy to install because they conform well to office layouts, a break in the trunk cable will disable the entire network.

[Figure Bus-1: See book]

The most common bus topology network is Ethernet. Coaxial cable has been its primary transmission media, although twisted-pair wire is now used in most new installations. Twisted-pair Ethernet (10Base-T) is a star-configured bus topology. The bus itself is collapsed into a small box called a concentrator. Wires branch out to workstations from the connection in a star configuration, as shown in Figure Bus-2.

[Figure Bus-2: See book]




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