1.2 Network Topologies and Types

Question 1

Logical Topologies.

Answer 1

Logical topologies provide a high-level overview of the network and how it operates.

Question 2

Physical Topologies.

Answer 2

The physical topology is a more detailed view of the network and why it can operate.

Question 3

Star Topologies.

Answer 3

The star topology is currently used in networks today, and it’s the main topology used to connect edge devices (end users). All network devices are wired back to a hub or switch.

Question 4

Ring Topologies.

Answer 4

Ring topology was used over 25 years ago, and it was called token ring IEEE 802.5, operating at a maximum speed of 4 Mbps and 16 Mbps.

Question 5

Mesh Topologies.

Answer 5

The full mesh is a topology often used in data centers and cloud computing because it allows for redundant connection in the event of a component failure.

Question 6

Bus Topologies.

Answer 6

The bus topology was common in networks 25 years ago; it is now considered legacy in its design. It used coaxial cables joining computers with BNC connectors.

Question 7

Local Area Network (LAN).

Answer 7

A local area network (LAN) is the locally managed network.

Question 8

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN).

Answer 8

The wireless local area network (WLAN) extends the LAN for wireless capabilities.

Question 9

Wide Area Network (WAN).

Answer 9

The wide area network (WAN) allows a site to get access to another site or Internet access.

Question 10

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN).

Answer 10

The metropolitan area network (MAN) is a type of WAN that is constrained to a metropolitan area.

Question 11

Campus Area Network (CAN).

Answer 11

The campus area network (CAN) is a relatively small area that is locally managed.

Question 12

Storage Area Network (SAN).

Answer 12

The storage area network (SAN) is exclusively used for connecting to storage.

Question 13

Personal Area Net (PAN).

Answer 13

The personal area network (PAN) is a network that is for personal use. Laptops, mobile phones, smart watches are used.

Question 14

Virtual Switch

Answer 14

A virtual switch functions similarly to a physical switch, except for the difference of how the MAC addresses are handled.

Question 15

Virtual Firewall.

Answer 15

You can install virtual firewalls as a virtual appliance, and some virtualization software offers a kernel mode firewall in the hypervisor.

Question 16

Virtual NIC.

Answer 16

The virtual NIC is a software emulated generic network card in the guest operating system.

Question 17

Virtual Router.

Answer 17

Virtual routers are similar to hardware routers.

Question 18

Hypervisors.

Answer 18

Hypervisors allow the hardware resources to be shared among virtual machines.

Question 19

T1 Leased Line.

Answer 19

ISDN PRI operates on a T1 leased line and reserves one of the 24 channels for call setup. T1 lines are point-to-point serial connections with a speed of 1.544 Mbps.

Question 20

E1 Lines.

Answer 20

E1 lines are similar in function to a T1 and are used mainly in Europe.

Question 21

T3 Lines.

Answer 21

T3 lines consist of 28 T1 connections.

Question 22

E3 Lines.

Answer 22

E3 lines consist of 16 E1 connections.

Question 23

Optic Carriers (OC’s).

Answer 23

Optic carriers (OCs) are based off an OC1 at around 50 Mbps.

Question 24

Metropolitan Ethernet.

Answer 24

Metropolitan Ethernet is a WAN technology.

Question 25

Broadband Cable.

Answer 25

Broadband cable uses a coaxial network to communicate back to a fiber node that is wired to the head end at the cable company.

Question 26

Dial-up.

Answer 26

Dial-up is a legacy technology.

Question 27

SDWAN.

Answer 27

SDWAN is a routing technology that is application aware.

Question 28

MPLS.

Answer 28

MPLS is a packet forwarding technology that is used for WAN connectivity.

Question 29

mGRE.

Answer 29

mGRE is a protocol that allows multiple GRE tunnels to be set up for scalability.

Question 30

The Demarcation Point.

Answer 30

The demarcation point is the end of the provider’s responsibility.

Question 31

Channel Service Unit / Data Service Unit.

Answer 31

The CSU/DSU converts channelized serial data from the provider’s network to digital serial data for the customer premises equipment.

Question 32

Customer Premises Equipment.

Answer 32

The customer premises equipment is usually the customer’s router.

Question 33

Smart Jack.

Answer 33

The smart jack enables the provider to remotely diagnose a leased line connection.