Topologies

1. Star Topology

  • Structure: Central node (hub or switch) connects all devices.
  • Advantages:
    • Easy to set up and manage.
    • Fault isolation (failure in one device doesn’t affect others).
  • Disadvantages:
    • If the central hub fails, the entire network goes down.
    • Requires more cables.
  • Examples: Home or small office networks.

2. Bus Topology

  • Structure: Single central cable (backbone) connects all devices.
  • Advantages:
    • Easy and cost-effective for small networks.
    • Fewer cables required.
  • Disadvantages:
    • Collision of data can occur on the main cable.
    • Difficult to troubleshoot.
    • Failure of the backbone disrupts the entire network.
  • Examples: Early LAN setups.

3. Ring Topology

  • Structure: Devices are connected in a circular loop, with each device connected to two neighbours.
  • Advantages:
    • Equal access to resources (token-passing prevents collisions).
    • Performs well under low traffic.
  • Disadvantages:
    • If one device fails, the entire network may fail (can be mitigated by dual rings).
    • Adding/removing devices disrupts the network.
  • Examples: Token Ring networks (obsolete now).

4. Mesh Topology

  • Structure: Every device is connected to every other device.
  • Advantages:
    • High fault tolerance (multiple paths for data).
    • Reliable and secure.
  • Disadvantages:
    • Expensive due to the large number of cables and ports.
    • Complex setup and maintenance.
  • Examples: WANs like the Internet.

5. Hybrid Topology

  • Structure: Combines two or more topologies (e.g., star-bus, star-ring).
  • Advantages:
    • Flexible and scalable.
    • Can leverage the strengths of individual topologies.
  • Disadvantages:
    • Complex design and higher costs.
  • Examples: Large enterprise networks.

Key Comparison Table

TopologyFault ToleranceCostUse Cases
StarLow (hub failure)ModerateSmall office/home networks
BusNone (backbone)LowTemporary setups, small networks
RingModerate (token)ModerateLimited to legacy systems
MeshHighHighLarge, secure, and reliable WANs
HybridDepends on mixHighScalable enterprise networks

🚀 TOP 55 IMPORTANT MCQs ON NETWORK TOPOLOGIES

⭐ SECTION 1 — BASIC TOPOLOGIES

1. Which topology has a central controller or hub?

A. Bus
B. Star
C. Ring
D. Mesh
✔ Ans: B

2. Which topology is MOST widely used in LANs today?

A. Bus
B. Mesh
C. Star
D. Ring
✔ Ans: C

3. In which topology do all computers share a single communication line?

A. Bus
B. Star
C. Tree
D. Mesh
✔ Ans: A

4. Failure of a single node affects the entire network most severely in:

A. Mesh
B. Star
C. Bus
D. Ring
✔ Ans: C

5. Which topology uses a token for communication?

A. Mesh
B. Ring
C. Bus
D. Hybrid
✔ Ans: B

6. In a fully connected mesh topology, number of links required for n devices =

A. n(n – 1)
B. n – 1
C. n/2
D. n(n – 1)/2
✔ Ans: D

7. Topology resistant to node failure (high reliability):

A. Ring
B. Bus
C. Mesh
D. Star
✔ Ans: C

8. Which topology is used in telephone networks?

A. Ring
B. Star
C. Bus
D. Mesh
✔ Ans: B

9. Which topology is most secure?

A. Mesh
B. Bus
C. Ring
D. Star
✔ Ans: A

10. Which topology is least expensive to install?

A. Bus
B. Star
C. Ring
D. Mesh
✔ Ans: A

⭐ SECTION 2 — FAILURES & PERFORMANCE

11. If the central hub fails, the entire network fails in which topology?

A. Bus
B. Mesh
C. Ring
D. Star
✔ Ans: D

12. Cable failure affects the entire network in:

A. Star
B. Bus
C. Mesh
D. Hybrid
✔ Ans: B

13. Message always travels in one direction in:

A. Bus
B. Ring
C. Star
D. Mesh
✔ Ans: B

14. Which topology has the highest redundancy?

A. Ring
B. Mesh
C. Star
D. Bus
✔ Ans: B

15. Which topology is MOST difficult to install and maintain?

A. Bus
B. Star
C. Ring
D. Mesh
✔ Ans: D

⭐ SECTION 3 — ADVANCED TOPOLOGIES

16. Tree topology is a combination of:

A. Star + Mesh
B. Bus + Star
C. Ring + Star
D. Bus + Mesh
✔ Ans: B

17. A topology combining two or more topologies is called:

A. Ring
B. Hybrid
C. Mesh
D. Tree
✔ Ans: B

18. Which topology is hierarchical in structure?

A. Bus
B. Ring
C. Tree
D. Mesh
✔ Ans: C

19. Which topology is used in corporate networks and universities?

A. Bus
B. Tree
C. Ring
D. Mesh
✔ Ans: B

20. Hybrid topology is used in:

A. WANs
B. Ethernet LANs
C. Small home networks only
D. Token Ring networks
✔ Ans: A

⭐ SECTION 4 — PROTOCOLS & TOPOLOGIES

21. Token Ring uses which topology?

A. Mesh
B. Physical star, logical ring
C. Only ring
D. Star only
✔ Ans: B

22. Ethernet originally used which topology?

A. Star
B. Ring
C. Mesh
D. Bus
✔ Ans: D

23. Modern Ethernet uses:

A. Ring
B. Bus
C. Star
D. Mesh
✔ Ans: C

24. FDDI uses which topology?

A. Bus
B. Dual Ring
C. Mesh
D. Star
✔ Ans: B

⭐ SECTION 5 — DISTANCE, SCALABILITY, EFFICIENCY

25. Which topology is best for long-distance communication?

A. Bus
B. Ring
C. Star
D. Tree
✔ Ans: D

26. Which topology is most scalable?

A. Star
B. Mesh
C. Tree
D. Bus
✔ Ans: C

27. Adding new nodes is simplest in:

A. Mesh
B. Bus
C. Star
D. Ring
✔ Ans: C

28. Which topology suffers from data collisions the most?

A. Star
B. Bus
C. Ring
D. Mesh
✔ Ans: B

29. Ring topology performance degrades when:

A. More stations added
B. Central hub fails
C. One station transmits
D. No token available
✔ Ans: A

30. Which topology offers equal transmission opportunities to all nodes?

A. Mesh
B. Star
C. Bus
D. Ring (due to token passing)
✔ Ans: D

⭐ SECTION 6 — CONNECTIVITY & REDUNDANCY

31. Which topology provides a backup path for every node?

A. Bus
B. Star
C. Ring
D. Mesh
✔ Ans: D

32. A topology suitable for mission-critical networks is:

A. Mesh
B. Bus
C. Tree
D. Ring
✔ Ans: A

33. In Ring topology, failure of one node affects:

A. None
B. All nodes
C. Neighboring nodes only
D. Hub only
✔ Ans: B

34. Redundant links exist in:

A. Bus
B. Ring
C. Star
D. Mesh
✔ Ans: D

⭐ SECTION 7 — CABLING & COST

35. Which topology requires the least cable length?

A. Bus
B. Star
C. Ring
D. Mesh
✔ Ans: A

36. Which topology requires the MOST cable length?

A. Mesh
B. Star
C. Ring
D. Tree
✔ Ans: A

37. Which topology requires a terminator?

A. Star
B. Bus
C. Tree
D. Mesh
✔ Ans: B

⭐ SECTION 8 — REAL-WORLD NETWORK USAGE

38. WANs mostly use which topology?

A. Star
B. Mesh
C. Tree
D. Bus
✔ Ans: B

39. MAN networks commonly use:

A. Ring topology
B. Bus topology
C. Tree topology
D. Hybrid topology
✔ Ans: A

40. LANs mostly use:

A. Bus
B. Star
C. Ring
D. Mesh
✔ Ans: B

⭐ SECTION 9

41. A company requires maximum fault tolerance. Which topology?

A. Ring
B. Star
C. Mesh
D. Bus
✔ Ans: C

42. A small office needs low cost and minimal wiring. Which topology?

A. Star
B. Mesh
C. Bus
D. Ring
✔ Ans: C

43. For real-time communication with no collisions, choose:

A. Bus
B. Ring
C. Mesh
D. Tree
✔ Ans: B

44. For connecting branch offices across a city, best topology:

A. Bus
B. Ring
C. Mesh
D. Star
✔ Ans: C

45. For university campus backbone:

A. Star
B. Bus
C. Tree
D. Mesh
✔ Ans: C

⭐ SECTION 10 — HYBRID & SPECIAL TOPOLOGIES

46. Physical Star + Logical Ring is used in:

A. Ethernet
B. Token Ring
C. FDDI
D. WiFi
✔ Ans: B

47. Which is NOT a topology?

A. Tree
B. Mesh
C. Hybrid
D. Bridge
✔ Ans: D

48. Multiple star networks connected together form a:

A. Ring
B. Bus
C. Tree
D. Mesh
✔ Ans: C

49. Wireless networks typically use:

A. Mesh
B. Star
C. Bus
D. Ring
✔ Ans: B

50. Internet backbone largely uses:

A. Star
B. Full Mesh
C. Bus
D. Ring
✔ Ans: B

⭐ SECTION 11 — VERY HIGH EXPECTED QUESTIONS

51. Ring topology uses:

A. Half-duplex communication
B. Full-duplex communication
C. Simplex
D. Depends on design
✔ Ans: B

52. Example of Hybrid topology:

A. ATM networks
B. Bank branch networks
C. Data centers
D. All of the above
✔ Ans: D

53. Mesh topology improves reliability by:

A. Using multiple paths
B. Reducing nodes
C. Using cables only
D. Centralized control
✔ Ans: A

54. Star topology reduces:

A. Traffic collisions
B. Cable cost
C. Redundancy
D. Reliability
✔ Ans: A

55. Tree topology fails when:

A. Leaf node fails
B. Root node fails
C. Branch node fails
D. Terminator fails
✔ Ans: B