What Is a Network Structure?

Network structure refers to the structure of a computer network. Computer network is composed of computer system, communication link and network node. It is a field where computer technology and communication technology are closely combined. It undertakes two types of work: data communication and data processing. From the perspective of logical functions, the network can be divided into resource subnets and communication subnets. The resource subnet provides the ability to access the network and process data. It consists of a host computer system, a terminal controller, and a terminal. The communication subnet provides network communication functions. It consists of network nodes, communication links, and signal conversion equipment. The structure of the communication subnet in the network directly affects the network structure. Communication subnets can be divided into point-to-point communication channels and broadcast communication channels according to their technology of transmitting data.

Each channel of the communication subnet is connected to a pair of network nodes. If there are no directly connected channels between any two points in the network, the communication between them must be completed by other intermediate nodes. In the information transmission process, each intermediate node will store the received information until the request output line is idle, and then forward it to the next node. This channel is called a point-to-point channel. Communication subnet using this transmission method

In the broadcast channel subnet, all nodes share a communication channel, and each network node

The star topology consists of a central node and stations connected to the central node through a point-to-point link.

The bus-type topology uses a single transmission line as the transmission medium, and all stations are directly connected to the transmission medium (ie, the bus) through corresponding hardware interfaces.

This network consists of point-to-point links forming a closed loop.

Tree topology evolved from bus topology. It has a branched root and can be extended with several sub-branches. Tree topology usually uses coaxial cable as the transmission medium, and uses broadband transmission technology.

Tree topology and bus topology are compared as follows:

1. The main difference between tree topology and bus topology with several network segments is the existence of roots. After the data sent by the node is received by the root, it can be rebroadcasted to the entire network.

2. Tree topology is easy to fault isolation, which is unmatched by bus topology. Other advantages are the same as bus topology.

3. The disadvantage of tree topology is that it depends too much on the root. If the root fails, the entire network cannot work properly. The reliability problem of this network is similar to the star topology. ^[1]