1.2 Networking Topologies and Characteristics

Physical Network Topology Building with basement, Ground, floor 1 and floor 2 Pasted image 20220712204434.png

Basement Internet from outside to a router Router to Switch Switch to Director Server Switch to Switches on Ground, Floor 1, Floor 2 Ground Switch to Wireless Router Floor 1 Switch Floor 2 Switch to Desktop Pasted image 20220712204521.png

Mesh Topology The mesh topology connects all networking devices to ensure high-availability redundancy in the event of a disaster. Pasted image 20220712204545.png

Star Topology (Hub and Spoke) The star topology is the most widely used logical network topology for Local area networks. It consists of a central device connecting the other devices. Pasted image 20220712204603.png

Bus Topology In the Bus logical topology, the devices are connected to a central cable or link. All the devices can communicate with each other. If a device goes down, it does not affect the communication, but the whole network is affected if the central cable goes down. Pasted image 20220712204708.png

Ring Topology In the Bus logical topology, the devices are connected to a central cable or link. All the devices can communicate with each other. If a device goes down, it does not affect the communication, but the whole network is affected if the central cable goes down. Pasted image 20220712204722.png

Hybrid Topology A Logical Hybrid topology combines other topologies, such as combining a Star Topology with a Bus Topology. Combining different topologies will depend on the requirements of the network. A hybrid topology is a combination of two topologies. -In this example below, a Star topology is combined with a bus topology. These types of combinations will depend on the requirements of the network infrastructure._ Pasted image 20220712204739.png

Networking Types¶

Networking types can be defined as how different networks are interconnected to each other. The main differentiator is the physical location and setup of the specific network.

The following are the most commonly used networking connectivity models:

Peer-to-Peer Networking Model¶

-- A Peer-To-Peer networking model is usually created in a home or small office environment where two or more devices are connected. It can be used to share files and devices, for example, printers. There are centralized authentication servers involved, and it can normally be done over a wi-fi connection without the need for expensive networking equipment.

Client-Server Networking Model¶

Companies use Client-Server networking models to connect devices. A centralized authentication server is used for authentication and authorization of the available networking resources. These resources can include file shares or printers. Several networking topologies can be used in this model.

Local Area Network (LAN)¶

Local Area Networks are used to connect devices on the network. These devices are all located in the same geographical location, like an office block. A client-server networking model is normally used in conjunction with this model.

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)¶

A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is used to connect different local area networks. These LANs are situated in the same metropolitan area, such as a company or campus with several office buildings. These buildings will have a LAN, which needs to connect to the other buildings’ LAN, thus forming a Metropolitan area network (MAN).

Wide Area Network (WAN)¶

The internet is used to create a Wide area network (WAN). Wide area networks span different geographical areas and connect different networks. For example, a company will have offices located in the United Kingdom and the United States, and a WAN will be used to connect these offices over the public internet.

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)¶

Similar to the peer-to-peer networking model, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) connects devices by using a wireless router. It is normally used in homes and small offices. This type of network is easy to setup and configure and does not require expensive networking equipment, for example, an authentication server.

Personal Area Network (PAN)¶

A Personal Area Network (PAN) is created by an individual user and typically consists of the user connecting to nearby devices using wireless technologies like wifi and Bluetooth. It can also be used to connect the user device to the internet. Tablets and smartphones are mostly used to create these types of networks.

Campus Area Network (CAN)¶

This networking model refers to connecting different buildings and is widely used by educational facilities like colleges and universities. All the buildings are located in the same geographical area and are connected using specific networking equipment.

Storage Area Network (SAN)¶

A Storage Area Network is used in conjunction with other area networking models and consists of several storage devices on the network. Companies can use these storage devices to provide a rugged solution to provide fault tolerance and high availability to applications.

Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)¶

Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a routing technique, not a routing protocol. The data is directed to nodes based on the shortest path and not according to a routing table, thus speeding up the transfer of data on the network. It is a very complex and expensive setup.

Multipoint Generic Routing Encapsulation (mGRE)¶

Multipoint Generic Routing Encapsulation (mGRE) is a Cisco proprietary routing protocol that encapsulates several network layer protocols through virtual point-to-point or point-to-multipoint links using the Internet.

Software-defined Wide Area Network (SDWAN)¶

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is a technology that is used to centralize the management of networking devices using an application. In addition to centrally managing these wider networks, software-defined wide area network applications are used. This technology expands the current software-defined networking software and manages networks that span different geographical areas, for example, a company that has an office in Spain and Ireland.

Demarcation Points and Smartjacks¶

Companies use Internet Service Providers (ISP) to connect their networks to the internet. After the ISP has connected the network to the internet-specific points in the network, the ISP’s responsibility ends, and the company’s responsibilities start. This can be referred to as a demarcation point of the network. It denotes where the public network ends and the company’s private network starts.

After the demarcation point has been stipulated, the company can install a smart device to manage the data flow in and out of the network. These devices are known as a Smartjack.