Star Topology A star may be a topology for a Local Area Network (LAN) during which all nodes are individually connected to a central connection point, sort of a hub or a switch. A star takes more cable than e.g. a bus, but the benefit is that if a cable fails, just one node is going to be brought down. Each device within the network is connected to a central device called a hub. If one device wants to send data to another device, it’s to first send the info to the hub then the hub transmits that data to the designated device. The number of links required to connect nodes in the star topology is N where N is the number of nodes.
Advantages of Star Topology
- It is very reliable – if one cable or device fails then all the others will still work
- It is high-performing as no data collisions can occur
- Less expensive because each device only need one I/O port and wishes to be connected with hub with one link.
- Easier to put in
- Robust in nature
- Easy fault detection because the link are often easily identified.
- No disruptions to the network when connecting or removing devices.
- Each device requires just one port i.e. to attach to the hub.
- If N devices are connected to every other in star, then the amount of cables required to attach them is N. So, it’s easy to line up.
Disadvantages of Star Topology
- Requires more cable than a linear bus .
- If the connecting network device (network switch) fails, nodes attached are disabled and can’t participate in network communication.
- More expensive than linear bus topology due to the value of the connecting devices (network switches)
- If hub goes down everything goes down, none of the devices can work without hub.
- Hub requires more resources and regular maintenance because it’s the central system of star .
- Extra hardware is required (hubs or switches) which adds to cost
- Performance is predicated on the one concentrator i.e. hub.