Bus network
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A bus network is a network architecture in which a set of clients are connected via a shared communications line, called a bus. There are several common instances of the bus architecture, including one in the motherboard of most computers, and those in some versions of Ethernet networks.
Bus networks are the simplest way to connect multiple clients, but often have problems when two clients want to transmit at the same time on the same bus. Thus systems which use bus network architectures normally have some scheme of collision handling or collision avoidance for communication on the bus, quite often using Carrier Sense Multiple Access or the presence of a bus master which controls access to the shared bus resource.
A true bus network is passive – the computers on the bus simply listen for a signal; they are not responsible for moving the signal along. However, many active architectures can also be described as a "bus", as they provide the same logical functions as a passive bus; for example, switched Ethernet can still be regarded as a logical bus network, if not a physical one. Indeed, the hardware may be abstracted away completely in the case of a software bus.
With the dominance of switched Ethernet over passive Ethernet, passive bus networks are uncommon in wired networks. However, almost all current wireless networks can be viewed as examples of passive bus networks, with radio propagation serving as the shared passive medium.
Advantages and Disadvantages of a Bus Network
Advantages
- Easy to implement and extend
- Well suited for temporary networks (quick setup)
- Typically the cheapest topology to implement
Disadvantages
- Difficult to administer/troubleshoot
- Limited cable length and number of stations
- A cable break can disable the entire network
- Maintenance costs may be higher in the long run
- Performance degrades as additional computers are added or on heavy traffic
- Low security (all computers on the bus can see all data transmissions)
- One virus in the network will affect all of them (but not as badly as a star or ring network)
- Proper termination is required.(loop must be in closed path)
See also
Other Topologies
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