What Does a Network Look Like?

I have recently learned a bit about networks. They can be large or small. The largest network would be the entire web. The smallest would be two devices connected to each other. Somewhere in the middle are the LAN, MAN, and WAN's. (local, metropolitan, and wide area networks) These connections between devices can be hard wired or wireless through bluetooth technology or infrared transfer. These networks come in four basic configurations and a few hybrid varieties. I will describe each of them as simply as I know how.

The Mesh type is the most widely used. The biggest example of this is the World Wide Web. The major advantage to this type is the fact that individual or even partial failure does not bring down the entire network. The disadvantage to this is all the extra cabling required.

The Bus type is very simple, but can be most easily be compared to an electrical series. Like the old strands of Christmas lights, when one goes out-they all go out.

The Ring type is where all the connections link to a circular path. A "token"(like a miniature mail carrier) runs from connection to connection looking for data to deliver in an endless circle. The major advantage here is the ease of connecting lots of devices.

The Star type configuration is just like it sounds. Each device is connected to a central hub. This one is illustrated her on the right.