http://info.babylon.com/online_reply_templates/ info.babylon.com http://info.babylon.com/onlinebox.cgi?rt=ol&tid=AffToolbar English French Spanish Dutch Portuguese German Russian Japanese Chinese (S) Greek Turkish Hebrew Polish Hungarian Czech Latvian Croatian Bulgarian Finnish Romanian Farsi Macedonian constellation configuration network topology English Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia en en http://info.babylon.com/onlinebox.cgi?rt=GetFile&uri=!!ARV6FUJ2JP&type=1&index=11 © This article uses material from <b>Wikipedia<sup>®</sup></b> and is licensed under the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License">GNU Free Documentation License</a> and under the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_3.0_Unported_License"> Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License</a> <DIV><div><b>Network topology</b> is the arrangement of the various elements (links,&nbsp;nodes, etc.) of a&nbsp;computer network. Essentially, it is the&nbsp;topological&nbsp;structure of a network and may be depicted physically or logically. <i>Physical topology</i> is the placement of the various components of a network, including device location and cable installation, while <i>logical topology</i> illustrates how data flows within a network, regardless of its physical design. Distances between nodes, physical interconnections, transmission rates, or signal types may differ between two networks, yet their topologies may be identical.</div></DIV> <BR><TABLE><TR><TD width="40"><IMG src="http://info.babylon.com/onlinebox.cgi?rt=GetFile&uri=!!ARV6FUJ2JP&type=0&index=3183"/></TD><TD>See more at Wikipedia.org...</TD></TR></TABLE> WordNet 2.0 en en http://info.babylon.com/onlinebox.cgi?rt=GetFile&uri=!!P8YDXW3J0T&type=1&index=11 <HR><B><FONT color='blue'>Noun</FONT></B><BR>1. the configuration of a communication network<BR><FONT color='blue'> (synonym) </FONT>topology<BR><FONT color='blue'> (hypernym) </FONT>configuration, constellation<BR><FONT color='blue'> (hyponym) </FONT>bus topology, bus<BR> Telecommunication Standard Terms en en http://info.babylon.com/onlinebox.cgi?rt=GetFile&uri=!!XVQ3V8DTBT&type=1&index=11 The specific physical, <I>i.e.,</I> real, or logical, <I>i.e.,</I> virtual, arrangement of the elements of a&nbsp;network&nbsp;. <I>Note 1:</I> Two networks have the same topology if the&nbsp;connection&nbsp;configuration&nbsp;is the same, although the networks may differ in physical interconnections, distances between nodes,&nbsp;transmission&nbsp;rates, and/or&nbsp;signal&nbsp;types. <I>Note 2:</I> The common types of network topology are illustrated <I>[refer to the figure on this page]</I> and defined in alphabetical order below:<BR><BR><B>bus topology:</B> A network topology in which all nodes, <I>i.e.,</I> stations, are connected together by a single bus. <B>fully connected topology:</B> A </A>&nbsp;network&nbsp;topology in which there is a direct&nbsp;path&nbsp;(branch&nbsp;) between any two nodes. <I>Note:</I> In a fully connected network with n nodes, there are n(n-1)/2 direct paths, <I>i.e.,</I> branches. <I>Synonym</I> <B>fully connected mesh network.<BR></B><BR><B>hybrid</B> <B>topology:</B> A combination of any two or more&nbsp;network&nbsp;topologies. <I>Note 1:</I> Instances can occur where two basic network topologies, when connected together, can still retain the basic network&nbsp;character&nbsp;, and therefore not be a hybrid network. For example, a tree network connected to a tree network is still a tree network. Therefore, a hybrid network accrues only when two basic networks are connected and the resulting network topology fails to meet one of the basic topology definitions. For example, two star networks connected together exhibit hybrid network topologies. <I>Note 2:</I> A hybrid topology always accrues when two different basic network topologies are connected.<BR><BR><B>linear topology:</B> <I>See</I> <B>bus topology</B> <B>.</B><BR></B><BR><B>mesh topology:</B> A&nbsp;network&nbsp;topology in which there are at least two nodes with two or more paths between them.<BR><BR><B>ring</B> <B>topology:</B> A&nbsp;network&nbsp;topology in which every&nbsp;node&nbsp;has exactly two branches connected to it.<BR><BR><B>star topology:</B> A&nbsp;network&nbsp;topology in which peripheral nodes are connected to a central&nbsp;node&nbsp;, which rebroadcasts all transmissions received from any peripheral node to all peripheral nodes on the network, including the originating node. <I>Note 1:</I> All peripheral nodes may thus communicate with all others by transmitting to, and receiving from, the central node only. <I>Note 2:</I> The&nbsp;failure&nbsp;of a&nbsp;transmission line&nbsp;, <I>i.e.,</I>&nbsp;channel&nbsp;, linking any peripheral node to the central node will result in the isolation of that peripheral node from all others. <I>Note 3:</I> If the star central node is passive, the originating node must be able to tolerate the reception of an&nbsp;echo&nbsp;of its own transmission, delayed by the two-way&nbsp;transmission time&nbsp;, <I>i.e.,</I> to and from the central node, plus any&nbsp;delay&nbsp;generated in the central node. An active star network has an active central node that usually has the means to prevent echo-related problems. (188&nbsp;)<BR><BR><B>tree topology:</B> A&nbsp;network&nbsp;<U>topology that,