What is Bus Network Topology? Advantages and Disadvantages of Bus Network Topology by Anshul 2023

What is Bus Network Topology? Advantages and Disadvantages of Bus Network Topology by Anshul 2023

Bus network topology

Bus topology refers to the configuration of a network in which all devices are connected to a single cable or network backbone. Network cards are connected by coaxial cables with RJ-45 connectors. When a station is down and does not broadcast on the network, it does not disturb the network. The signal transmitted by a station is transmitted in only one direction or in both directions. If the transmission is bidirectional, all connected stations receive the signal emitted on the bus at the same time (up to the nearest propagation delay).

Advantages of Bus Topology

• If N devices are connected to each other in a bus topology, the number of cables required to connect them is 1, known as the backbone cable, and N drop lines are required.
• Coaxial or twisted pair cables are mainly used in bus-based networks that support up to 10 Mbps.
• The cable costs less than other topologies, but is used to build smaller networks.
• It works well in small networks.
• This topology connects all the devices linearly.
• Less cabling is required as compared to star topology.
• Bus topology is familiar technology because the installation and troubleshooting techniques are well known.
• CSMA is the most common approach for this type of topology.

Disadvantages of Bus Topology

• Troubleshooting can be difficult when the entire network is down.
• Solving problems related to personal devices can be challenging.
• Bus topology is not recommended for large networks.
• To avoid cable noise, terminators are required at both ends of the trunk (main) cable.
• The network slows down when additional devices are connected.
• If the main cable gets damaged, the whole network gets damaged.
• A bus topology is quite simple, but still, it requires a lot of cabling.
• If the common cable gets damaged, the whole system will crash.
• If the network traffic is heavy, it leads to network conflicts. To avoid this, various protocols are used in MAC layer known as Pure Aloha, Slotted Aloha, CSMA/CD etc.
• Adding new devices to the network will slow down the network.
• Security is very less.