Selecting the Right Topology

Selecting the Right Topology

Each topology has its advantages and drawbacks. The process of selecting a topology can be much like buying a pair of shoes. It’s a matter of finding something that fits, feels right, and is
within your budget. Instead of asking what your shoe size is, ask questions such as, How much fault tolerance is necessary? and How often will I need to reconfigure the network? Creating a
simple network for a handful of computers in a single room is usually done most efficiently by using a wireless access point and wireless network cards because they are simple and easy to
install and don’trequire the running of cables. Larger environments are usually wired in a star because moves, adds, and changes to the network are performed more efficiently with a physical star than with any of the other topologies.

If you need up time to the definition of fault resistant (that is, 99.9-percent up time or less than 8 hours total downtime per year), you should seriously consider a partial mesh layout. While you are thinking about how fault tolerant a full mesh network is, let the word maintenance enter your thoughts. Remember that you will have n(n–1)/2 connections to maintain in a full mesh configuration and a subset of that for a partial mesh, which will quickly become a nightmare and could exceed your maintenance budget.
Generally speaking, you should balance the following  Considerations when choosing a physical topology for your network:

• Cost
• Ease of installation
• Ease of maintenance
• Cable fault tolerance