Bus topology

A bus topology uses a single cable to connect all the devices used in the network. The single cable forms the backbone of the communication medium in which the devices are attached. To establish a communication, a signal originating from the source travels in both directions to all the machines connected on the bus cable until it finds the address of the device to which the data is to be delivered. If the destination device finds that the data is for its own address, then only it accepts the data. The topology consists of terminators at both ends so that the data does not continue bouncing to and fro.

Advantages of bus topology:

• If one of the station fails to operate, it does not affect the operation of other stations.
• It can be a good replacement against other topologies.
• It is very suitable for such networks which are more or less temporary and which are needed immediately.
• It is easy to implement and extend.

Disadvantages of bus topology: 

• Data collision may occur when two or more nodes are transmitting the data at the same time.
• It is not suitable if the traffic rates in the network is heavy.
• It is very difficult to manage and troubleshoot a bus topology.
• A fault in the cable may disable the whole network and it would be very difficult to find that fault.
• Maintenance cost can increase unexpectedly at the long run.
• Performance of the network is degraded when more computers are added to the network.

Bus topology