CertiGuide to Network+  9  Chapter 0000:  Network Basics       9  VIII  Network Topologies

Star Network 1 Ring Network

The bus network uses a single cable that all devices interconnect to. This eliminates the wiring closet. While bus topology networks are sometimes (not always) less expensive to install than other types of networks, the price paid for this type of network is realized when a cable failure occurs at any point on the cable. The entire network goes down, or slows to a crawl due to unreliable data transmission. Consider why this might be.

The line of communication is straight. If that line is broken along the way, then no one on the line can communicate. It is simply a broken signal as depicted in the graphic. Sometimes you’ll see a bus network get split into two halves, with a cable break in the middle. In that instance, you might just see very slow performance on each half, with the workstations on each half able to communicate with the other workstations on the same half of the cable, but not with those on the other half of the cable.

Star Network 1 Ring Network