Network Topologies Interview Questions

What is a Network Topology?

A network topology is a layout pattern and connectivity scheme between the devices in a network.

How many types of Network topologies are there in total?

There are 7 types of network topologies which are:

Point-to-Point Network Topology
Star Network Topology
Ring Network Topology
Mesh Network Topology
Tree Network Topology
Bus Network Topology
Hybrid Network Topology

What is LAN (local area network)?

A LAN (local area network) is a computer network that interconnects computers within a limited area such as a residence, school, laboratory, university campus or office building.

What are the advantages of Point-to-Point network topology?

It is the fastest network topology because there is a direct connection so no broadcast is required on such network types.
It is the most reliable than all other types of the connections because there is a direct connection.

What is the disadvantage of Point-to-Point topology?

This type of network topology can only be used for small areas where computers are in proximity & short distance.

What is WAN (Wide Area Network)?

A WAN (Wide Area Network) is a large computer network that spans over a large geographic area.

What is Physical Network Topology?

It is the actual connectivity / layout according to real cabling & connections

What is Logical Network Topology?

Logical network topology is the virtual view of the network that member devices see.

What are the advantages Associated with Star Network Topology?

It is easier to manage.
It is easier to locate or identify node and cable problems.
It is well suited for expansion into high-speed networking.

What are the disadvantages of Star Network Topology?

It requires more network cable.
There is single point of failure.

What are the advantages of Ring Network Topology?

It is more secure because if one link gets broken in the Ring, data can travel from the side.
It is easy to Troubleshoot.
It is easy to install.

What are the disadvantages of Ring Network Topology?

The scalability and expansion in existing network is a bit difficult & it requires more skill.

What are the advantages of Mesh Network Topology?

It is the most stable & fault tolerant.
It has both cable fault & device fault tolerant.

What are the disadvantages of Mesh Network Topology?

It is the most expensive because it requires more cabling & infrastructure.

What are the advantages of Tree Network Topology?

It is a loop free network topology & is mostly used in Layer 2 networks.
It is an easy to scale network. We can simply continue increasing devices on branches with no down time required.

What is the disadvantage of a Tree Network Topology?

There’s single point of failure in case the Backbone goes down.

What are the advantages of Bus Network Topology?

Not expensive as it requires less cabling.
It does not need any special equipment.
It is less complex.

What are the disadvantages of Bus Network Topology?

It is more prone to problems. If one cable fails then the whole network is disturbed.
Used for old 10base2 thin Ethernet connector, cable/NIC’s

What is the advantage of Hybrid Network Topology?

We can attain combined advantage of individual member topologies if properly designed.

What is the disadvantage of Hybrid Network Topology?

It becomes complex when the network is not properly designed.

What kind of Topology is used to minimize traffic problem?

Under the mesh topology, every pair of nodes has a dedicated line or a dedicated channel. Since every pair of node has a dedicated link, so there is no traffic in this case. Hence, traffic issues or problem can be minimized using the mesh topology.

How many ports and cable links are required for a star topology?

In a star topology, there exists a central node and every node is connected to the central node. If there are five devices connected to the central device, we count both the ports on each device and also the port each device is connected to.

Hence, in the entire scenario there are ten (10) ports and five (5) cables. Mathematically:

Number of cables be: n
Number of cables: 5
Number of ports be: 2 x n
Number of ports = 2 x 5 = 10

What is Bus Topology?

In a bus topology, there is a common transmission media and all the data traffic will flow through this transmission medium only.

What is Ring Topology?

It is a bus topology that is in a closed loop. It is a unidirectional communication which means all data traffic will flow in one direction only.

What is Star Topology?

In this topology, there is a central node (device) either a hub or a switch where each end device will be connected to the central node.

What is Mesh Topology?

Every pair of node will have a dedicated line. If there is a node, every node will be connected with its other nodes through a dedicated link.

What is Hybrid Topology?

It is a combination of two or more network topologies.

What is Point-to-Point Topology?

There is no central or intervening device. Devices are connected directly via a cable.

For n devices in a network, what is the number of cable links required for a mesh, ring, bus, and star topology?

Mesh: n x (n – 1) / 2
Ring: n
Bus: n + 1 (n for cables, 1 for backbone)
Star: n

What happens if a connection fails for devices arranged in a Mesh topology?

If one connection fails, there is no major setback to complete the work.

What happens if a connection fails for devices in a Bus topology?

If the backbone fails, then all communication is disrupted.

What is the consequence if connection fails for devices arranged in a Ring topology?

If one connection fails, the entire network could be disabled.

What occurs when a connection fails in a Star topology?

Star topology has a single point of failure. So, if the central node fails then, the connectivity of all hosts to all other hosts fails.

-End-

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