MESH TOPOLOGIES AND THEIR ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
Mesh topology is a type of network design where each node is connected to every other node in the network. It creates a mesh-like structure, hence the name. This design provides multiple paths for data to travel from one node to another, making it highly redundant and reliable. The main advantages of a mesh network include:
- Reliability: If one node fails, data can be rerouted through alternative paths.
- Scalability: Adding more nodes to the network does not significantly impact performance.
- Flexibility: Nodes can be added or removed without disrupting the entire network.
A mesh topology is not very common in computer networking today. In a mesh topology, every workstation has a connection to every other component of the network, as illustrated in Figure.
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| Figure: Mesh Topology |
ADVANTAGES OF MESH TOPOLOGY:
The biggest advantage of a mesh topology is fault tolerance, meaning that, if there is a break in a cable segment, traffic can be rerouted through a different pathway because there are multiple pathways to send data from one system to another. This fault tolerance means that it is almost impossible for the network to go down due to a cable fault.
DISADVANTAGES OF MESH TOPOLOGY:
A disadvantage of a mesh topology is the cost of the additional cabling and network interfaces to create multiple pathways between each system. A mesh topology is very hard to administer and manage because of the numerous connections.
