CompTIA Network+ (N10-009)Networking ConceptsMedium
A network designer wants every device on a small network to have a direct physical connection to every other device, maximizing redundancy but increasing cabling complexity. Which topology is being described?
- AStar
- BBus
- CRing
- DFull mesh
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Full mesh
A full mesh topology connects every device directly to every other device, providing maximum redundancy and fault tolerance but requiring significantly more cabling as the network grows, following the formula n(n-1)/2 connections.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. A star topology connects all devices to a central point, not to each other directly.
- B. A bus topology uses a single shared backbone cable, offering no redundancy.
- C. A ring topology connects devices in a closed loop, not with direct links to every device.
Full Mesh Topology
A network design where every node has a dedicated point-to-point link to every other node, providing maximum redundancy at the cost of high cabling and configuration complexity.
- Number of links = n(n-1)/2 for n nodes
- Highly fault tolerant since multiple paths exist
- Impractical for large networks due to cost and complexity
Memory trick: Mesh = a web where everyone talks to everyone