A star topology is a topology for a Local Area Network (LAN) in which all nodes are individually connected to a central connection point, like a hub or a switch. A star takes more cable than e.g. a bus, but the benefit is that if a cable fails, only one node will be brought down.
Star topology
All traffic emanates from the hub of the star. The central site is in control of all the nodes attached to it. The central hub is usually a fast, self contained computer and is responsible for routing all traffic to other nodes. The main advantages of a star network is that one malfunctioning node does not affect the rest of the network. However this type of network can be prone to bottleneck and failure problems at the central site.
A star network is often combined with a bus topology. The central hub is then connected to the backbone of the bus. This combination is called a tree.
Alternatively referred to as a star network, star topology is one of the most common network setups. In this configuration, every node connects to a central network device, like a hub, switch, or computer. The central network device acts as a server and the peripheral devices act as clients. Depending on the type of network card used in each computer of the star topology, a coaxial cable or an RJ-45 network cable is used to connect computers together. The image shows how this network setup gets its name, as it is shaped like a star.
Advantages of star topology
- Centralized management of the network, through the use of the central computer, hub, or switch.
- Easy to add another computer to the network.
- If one computer on the network fails, the rest of the network continues to function normally.
Disadvantages of star topology
- May have a higher cost to implement, especially when using a switch or router as the central network device.
- The central network device determines the performance and number of nodes the network can handle.
- If the central computer, hub, or switch fails, the entire network goes down and all computers are disconnected from the network.
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