CNSLAB 23010086

Assignment No: 2
Title: Implementing the different types of topologies and types of transmission media by using a packet
tracer tool.

Date of Completion: 11th July 2024

Objectives: Analyze the requirements of network types, topology and transmission media

Problem Statement: Demonstrate the different types of topologies and types of transmission media by
using a packet tracer tool.

Software and Hardware requirements:

 Software Tool: Cisko Packet Tracer

 Processor: A dual-core or quad-core processor (Intel Core i3, i5, i7 or equivalent AMD processor).
 Operating System: 64-bit Opensource Linux or its derivative.

Theory Concept in brief:

 Network Topology:

Network topology refers to the arrangement of different elements like nodes, links, and devices in
a computer network. It defines how these components are connected and interact with each other.
Understanding various types of network topologies helps in designing efficient and robust
networks. Common types include bus, star, ring, mesh, and tree topologies, each with its own
advantages and disadvantages.

 Types of Network Topology:

 Mesh Topology :
In mesh, all the computers are interconnected to every other during a network. Each computer not
only sends its own signals but also relays data from other computers. The nodes are connected to
every other completely via a dedicated link during which information is travel from nodes to nodes
and there are N(N-1)/2 links in mesh if there are N nodes. Every node features a point-to-point
connection to the opposite node. The connections within the mesh are often wired or wireless.

- Simulation:
CNSLAB 23010086

- Advantages:

1. High Redundancy:
o Multiple paths between devices ensure high reliability and fault tolerance.
o A failure in one device or connection doesn't affect the entire network.
2. Robustness:
o Well-suited for mission-critical applications.
o Load balancing improves network performance.

- Disadvantages:

1. High Cost:
o Expensive due to extensive cabling and network devices.
o Complex to install and configure.
2. Complex Maintenance:
o Difficult to manage and maintain due to the high number of connections.

 Star Topology:

A star may be a topology for a Local Area Network (LAN) during which all nodes are individually
connected to a central connection point, sort of a hub or a switch. A star takes more cable than e.g.
a bus, but the benefit is that if a cable fails, just one node is going to be brought down. Each device
within the network is connected to a central device called a hub. If one device wants to send data
to another device, it’s first to send the info to the hub then the hub transmits that data to the
designated device. The number of links required to connect nodes in the star topology is N where
N is the number of nodes. The hub, switch, or concentrator manages and controls all functions of
the network.

- Simulation:
CNSLAB 23010086

- Advantages:

1. Easy to Manage:
o Simple to add or remove devices without affecting the network.
o Centralized control makes management easier.

2. Fault Isolation:
o Easy to detect and isolate faults.
o A failure in one cable doesn't affect other devices.

3. Scalable:
o Easy to scale by adding more devices.

- Disadvantages:

1. Dependency on Central Hub:

o The entire network depends on the functioning of the central hub or switch.
o Hub failure can take down the whole network.

2. Higher Cost:
o More cabling required compared to bus topology.
o Cost of hubs/switches adds to the overall expense.

 Bus topology

Bus topology carries transmitted data through the cable because data reaches each node, the node
checks the destination address (MAC/IP address) to determine if it matches their address. If the
address does not match with the node, the node does nothing more. But if the addresses of nodes
match to addresses contained within the data then they process knowledge. In the bus,
communication between nodes is done through a foremost network cable.

- Simulation:
CNSLAB 23010086

- Advantages:

1. Simple and Easy to Install:

o Minimal cable requirement.
o Easy to implement and extend.
2. Cost-Effective:
o Less cabling compared to other topologies.
o No need for additional network devices like switches or hubs.

- Disadvantages:

1. Limited Cable Length:

o Performance degrades with distance.
o Limited number of devices can be connected.
2. Difficult Troubleshooting:
o Faults can be hard to isolate.
o A failure in the main cable can bring down the entire network.
3. Low Security:
o Data is broadcasted to all devices, making it less secure.

 Ring Topology:

Ring Topology may be a network configuration where device connections create a circular data
path. In this each device is connected to with its exactly two neighboring devices, like points on a
circle which forms like a ring structure. A number of repeaters are used for Ring topology with a
large number of nodes to send data and to prevent data loss repeaters are used in this network.
Together, devices during a ring topology are mentioned as a hoop network. In this packets travels
from one device to another until they reach the desired destination. In this data travels in
unidirectional forms means in only one direction but it can also do bidirectional by having 2
connections between each Network Node, it is called Dual Ring Topology. It is used in LANs and
WANs depending on the card of network in the computer.

- Simulation:
 CNSLAB 23010086

- Advantages:

1. Efficient Data Transfer:

o Data packets travel at high speeds.
o Each device has equal access to the network.
2. Reduced Collisions:
o The data flows in a single direction, reducing chances of collisions.

- Disadvantages:

1. Single Point of Failure:

o Failure of a single device or cable can disrupt the entire network.
2. Difficult to Troubleshoot:
o Isolating faults can be challenging.
3. Less Flexible:
o Adding or removing devices can disrupt the network.

 Hybrid topology:

A hybrid topology is defined as a network topology that combines two or more different network
topologies. A hybrid topology can be a combination of bus topology, ring topology and mesh
topology. The selection of different types of network topologies combined together depends upon
the number of computers, their location, and the required performance. In the hybrid topology
network sections consist of a configuration of different types of network topologies. The structure
of hybrid topology is more complex but offers various advantages such as flexibility and fault
tolerance.
 CNSLAB 23010086
- Simulation:

- Advantages:

1. Flexibility:
o Combines advantages of different topologies.
o Can be tailored to meet specific network requirements.
2. Scalability and Reliability:
o Easy to scale and offers high reliability.

- Disadvantages:

1. Complex Design:
o More complex to design and implement.
o Can be expensive due to the use of multiple types of network devices and cabling.
2. Management Complexity:
o Requires more sophisticated management and troubleshooting skills.

 Transmission media:

o Transmission media is a communication channel that carries the information from the sender to
the receiver. Data is transmitted through the electromagnetic signals.
o The main functionality of the transmission media is to carry the information in the form of bits
through LAN(Local Area Network).
o It is a physical path between transmitter and receiver in data communication.
o In a copper-based network, the bits in the form of electrical signals.
o In a fibre based network, the bits in the form of light pulses.
o In OSI(Open System Interconnection) phase, transmission media supports the Layer 1.
Therefore, it is considered to be as a Layer 1 component.
 CNSLAB 23010086
o The electrical signals can be sent through the copper wire, fibre optics, atmosphere, water, and
vacuum.
o The characteristics and quality of data transmission are determined by the characteristics of
medium and signal.
o Transmission media is of two types are wired media and wireless media. In wired media, medium
characteristics are more important whereas, in wireless media, signal characteristics are more
important.
o Different transmission media have different properties such as bandwidth, delay, cost and ease of
installation and maintenance.
o The transmission media is available in the lowest layer of the OSI reference model, i.e., Physical
layer.

 Types of Transmission media:

Guided Media
It is defined as the physical medium through which the signals are transmitted. It is also known
as Bounded media.

- Types Of Guided media:

1. Twisted pair:

 Twisted pair is a physical media made up of a pair of cables twisted with each other. A twisted
pair cable is cheap as compared to other transmission media. Installation of the twisted pair cable
is easy, and it is a lightweight cable. The frequency range for twisted pair cable is from 0 to
3.5KHz.

 A twisted pair consists of two insulated copper wires arranged in a regular spiral pattern.

 The degree of reduction in noise interference is determined by the number of turns per foot.
Increasing the number of turns per foot decreases noise interference.
 CNSLAB 23010086

Types of Twisted pair:

I. Unshielded Twisted Pair:

An unshielded twisted pair is widely used in telecommunication. Following are the categories of
the unshielded twisted pair cable:

o Category 1: Category 1 is used for telephone lines that have low-speed data.
o Category 2: It can support upto 4Mbps.
o Category 3: It can support upto 16Mbps.
o Category 4: It can support upto 20Mbps. Therefore, it can be used for long-distance
communication.
o Category 5: It can support upto 200Mbps.

 Advantages Of Unshielded Twisted Pair:

o It is cheap.
o Installation of the unshielded twisted pair is easy.
o It can be used for high-speed LAN.

 Disadvantage:

o This cable can only be used for shorter distances because of attenuation.

II. Shielded Twisted Pair

A shielded twisted pair is a cable that contains the mesh surrounding the wire that allows the
higher transmission rate.

 Characteristics Of Shielded Twisted Pair:

 CNSLAB 23010086
o The cost of the shielded twisted pair cable is not very high and not very low.
o An installation of STP is easy.
o It has higher capacity as compared to unshielded twisted pair cable.
o It has a higher attenuation.
o It is shielded that provides the higher data transmission rate.

 Disadvantages

o It is more expensive as compared to UTP and coaxial cable.

o It has a higher attenuation rate.

2. Coaxial Cable

o Coaxial cable is very commonly used transmission media, for example, TV wire is usually a
coaxial cable.
o The name of the cable is coaxial as it contains two conductors parallel to each other.
o It has a higher frequency as compared to Twisted pair cable.
o The inner conductor of the coaxial cable is made up of copper, and the outer conductor is made
up of copper mesh. The middle core is made up of non-conductive cover that separates the inner
conductor from the outer conductor.
o The middle core is responsible for the data transferring whereas the copper mesh prevents from
the EMI(Electromagnetic interference).

 Coaxial cable is of two types:

1. Baseband transmission: It is defined as the process of transmitting a single signal at high speed.
2. Broadband transmission: It is defined as the process of transmitting multiple signals
simultaneously.

 Advantages Of Coaxial cable:

o The data can be transmitted at high speed.

o It has better shielding as compared to twisted pair cable.
 CNSLAB 23010086
o It provides higher bandwidth.

 Disadvantages Of Coaxial cable:

o It is more expensive as compared to twisted pair cable.

o If any fault occurs in the cable causes the failure in the entire network.

3. Fibre Optic

o Fibre optic cable is a cable that uses electrical signals for communication.
o Fibre optic is a cable that holds the optical fibres coated in plastic that are used to send the data
by pulses of light.
o The plastic coating protects the optical fibres from heat, cold, electromagnetic interference from
other types of wiring.
o Fibre optics provide faster data transmission than copper wires.

 Diagrammatic representation of fibre optic cable:

 Basic elements of Fibre optic cable:

o Core: The optical fibre consists of a narrow strand of glass or plastic known as a core. A
core is a light transmission area of the fibre. The more the area of the core, the more light
will be transmitted into the fibre.
o Cladding: The concentric layer of glass is known as cladding. The main functionality of
the cladding is to provide the lower refractive index at the core interface as to cause the
reflection within the core so that the light waves are transmitted through the fibre.
o Jacket: The protective coating consisting of plastic is known as a jacket. The main purpose
of a jacket is to preserve the fibre strength, absorb shock and extra fibre protection.

 Following are the advantages of fibre optic cable over copper:

o Greater Bandwidth: The fibre optic cable provides more bandwidth as compared copper.
Therefore, the fibre optic carries more data as compared to copper cable.
 CNSLAB 23010086
o Faster speed: Fibre optic cable carries the data in the form of light. This allows the fibre
optic cable to carry the signals at a higher speed.
o Longer distances: The fibre optic cable carries the data at a longer distance as compared to
copper cable.
o Better reliability: The fibre optic cable is more reliable than the copper cable as it is
immune to any temperature changes while it can cause obstruct in the connectivity of
copper cable.
o Thinner and Sturdier: Fibre optic cable is thinner and lighter in weight so it can withstand
more pull pressure than copper cable.

UnGuided Transmission
o An unguided transmission transmits the electromagnetic waves without using any physical medium.
Therefore it is also known as wireless transmission.
o In unguided media, air is the media through which the electromagnetic energy can flow easily.

Unguided transmission is broadly classified into three categories:

1. Radio waves

o Radio waves are the electromagnetic waves that are transmitted in all the directions of free space.
o Radio waves are omnidirectional, i.e., the signals are propagated in all the directions.
o The range in frequencies of radio waves is from 3Khz to 1 khz.
o In the case of radio waves, the sending and receiving antenna are not aligned, i.e., the wave sent
by the sending antenna can be received by any receiving antenna.
o An example of the radio wave is FM radio.

 Applications Of Radio waves:

 CNSLAB 23010086
o A Radio wave is useful for multicasting when there is one sender and many receivers.
o An FM radio, television, cordless phones are examples of a radio wave.

 Advantages Of Radio transmission:

o Radio transmission is mainly used for wide area networks and mobile cellular phones.
o Radio waves cover a large area, and they can penetrate the walls.
o Radio transmission provides a higher transmission rate.

2. Microwaves

Microwaves are of two types:

o Terrestrial microwave
o Satellite microwave communication.

 Terrestrial Microwave Transmission

o Terrestrial Microwave transmission is a technology that transmits the focused beam of a

radio signal from one ground-based microwave transmission antenna to another.
o Microwaves are the electromagnetic waves having the frequency in the range from 1GHz
to 1000 GHz.
o Microwaves are unidirectional as the sending and receiving antenna is to be aligned, i.e.,
the waves sent by the sending antenna are narrowly focussed.
o In this case, antennas are mounted on the towers to send a beam to another antenna which
is km away.
o It works on the line of sight transmission, i.e., the antennas mounted on the towers are the
direct sight of each other.

- Characteristics of Microwave:
 CNSLAB 23010086
o Frequency range: The frequency range of terrestrial microwave is from 4-6 GHz to 21-23
GHz.
o Bandwidth: It supports the bandwidth from 1 to 10 Mbps.
o Short distance: It is inexpensive for short distance.
o Long distance: It is expensive as it requires a higher tower for a longer distance.
o Attenuation: Attenuation means loss of signal. It is affected by environmental conditions
and antenna size.

- Advantages Of Microwave:

o Microwave transmission is cheaper than using cables.

o It is free from land acquisition as it does not require any land for the installation of cables.
o Microwave transmission provides an easy communication in terrains as the installation of
cable in terrain is quite a difficult task.
o Communication over oceans can be achieved by using microwave transmission.

- Disadvantages of Microwave transmission:

o Eavesdropping: An eavesdropping creates insecure communication. Any malicious user can

catch the signal in the air by using its own antenna.
o Out of phase signal: A signal can be moved out of phase by using microwave transmission.
o Susceptible to weather condition: A microwave transmission is susceptible to weather
condition. This means that any environmental change such as rain, wind can distort the
signal.
o Bandwidth limited: Allocation of bandwidth is limited in the case of microwave
transmission.

 Satellite Microwave Communication

o A satellite is a physical object that revolves around the earth at a known height.
o Satellite communication is more reliable nowadays as it offers more flexibility than cable and
fibre optic systems.
o We can communicate with any point on the globe by using satellite communication.

- How Does Satellite work?

The satellite accepts the signal that is transmitted from the earth station, and it amplifies the
signal. The amplified signal is retransmitted to another earth station.

- Advantages Of Satellite Microwave Communication:

o The coverage area of a satellite microwave is more than the terrestrial microwave.
 CNSLAB 23010086
o The transmission cost of the satellite is independent of the distance from the centre of the
coverage area.
o Satellite communication is used in mobile and wireless communication applications.
o It is easy to install.
o It is used in a wide variety of applications such as weather forecasting, radio/TV signal
broadcasting, mobile communication, etc.

- Disadvantages Of Satellite Microwave Communication:

o Satellite designing and development requires more time and higher cost.
o The Satellite needs to be monitored and controlled on regular periods so that it remains in
orbit.
o The life of the satellite is about 12-15 years. Due to this reason, another launch of the
satellite has to be planned before it becomes non-functional.

3. Infrared

o An infrared transmission is a wireless technology used for communication over short ranges.
o The frequency of the infrared in the range from 300 GHz to 400 THz.
o It is used for short-range communication such as data transfer between two cell phones, TV remote
operation, data transfer between a computer and cell phone resides in the same closed area.

- Characteristics Of Infrared:

o It supports high bandwidth, and hence the data rate will be very high.
o Infrared waves cannot penetrate the walls. Therefore, the infrared communication in one
room cannot be interrupted by the nearby rooms.
o An infrared communication provides better security with minimum interference.
o Infrared communication is unreliable outside the building because the sun rays will interfere
with the infrared waves.

Conclusion/analysis:

Using Cisco Packet Tracer to demonstrate different network topologies and transmission media helps
visualize their unique characteristics and operational behaviors. Each topology—bus, star, ring, mesh, tree,
and hybrid—offers distinct advantages and challenges in terms of setup, scalability, and fault tolerance.
Additionally, various transmission media such as copper cables, fiber optics, and wireless connections can
be explored to understand their impact on network performance and reliability. Packet Tracer provides a
practical platform to understand these differences and aids in designing efficient and reliable network
structures tailored to specific needs.
 CNSLAB 23010086
Network topology is the geometric representation of relationship of all the links connecting the
devices or nodes. Network topology represent in two ways one is physical topology that define the
way in which a network is physically laid out and other one is logical topology that defines how data
actually flow through the network.
Cisco Packet Tracer (CPT) is multi-tasking network simulation software to perform and analyze
various network activities such as implementation of different topologies, select optimum path based
on various routing algorithms, create DNS and DHCP server, sub netting, analyze various network
configuration and troubleshooting commands. In order to start communication between end user
devices and to design a network, we need to select appropriate networking devices like routers,
switches, hubs and make physical Connection by connection cables to serial and fast Ethernet ports
from the component list of packet tracer. Networking devices are costly so it is better to perform first
on packet tracer to understand the concept and behavior of networking.
Network topology is the geometric representation of relationship of all the links connecting the
devices or nodes. Network topology represent in two ways one is physical topology that define the
way in which a network is physically laid out and other one is logical topology that defines how data
actually flow through the network.
Cisco Packet Tracer (CPT) is multi-tasking network simulation software to perform and analyze
various network activities such as implementation of different topologies, select optimum path based
on various routing algorithms, create DNS and DHCP server, sub netting, analyze various network
configuration and troubleshooting commands. In order to start communication between end user
devices and to design a network, we need to select appropriate networking devices like routers,
switches, hubs and make physical Connection by connection cables to serial and fast Ethernet ports
from the component list of packet tracer. Networking devices are costly so it is better to perform first
on packet tracer to understand the concept and behavior of networking.
Network topology is the geometric representation of relationship of all the links connecting the
devices or nodes. Network topology represent in two ways one is physical topology that define the
way in which a network is physically laid out and other one is logical topology that defines how data
actually flow through the network.
Cisco Packet Tracer (CPT) is multi-tasking network simulation software to perform and analyze
various network activities such as implementation of different topologies, select optimum path based
on various routing algorithms, create DNS and DHCP server, sub netting, analyze various network
configuration and troubleshooting commands. In order to start communication between end user
devices and to design a network, we need to select appropriate networking devices like routers,
switches, hubs and make physical Connection by connection cables to serial and fast Ethernet ports
from the component list of packet tracer. Networking devices are costly so it is better to perform first
on packet tracer to understand the concept and behavior of networking.
Network topology is the geometric representation of relationship of all the links connecting the
devices or nodes. Network topology represent in two ways one is physical topology that define the
way in which a network is physically laid out and other one is logical topology that defines how data
actually flow through the network.
Cisco Packet Tracer (CPT) is multi-tasking network simulation software to perform and analyze
various network activities such as implementation of different topologies, select optimum path based
on various routing algorithms, create DNS and DHCP server, sub netting, analyze various network
configuration and troubleshooting commands. In order to start communication between end user
devices and to design a network, we need to select appropriate networking devices like routers,
switches, hubs and make physical Connection by connection cables to serial and fast Ethernet ports
from the component list of packet tracer. Networking devices are costly so it is better to perform first
on packet tracer to understand the concept and behavior of networking.