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Networking & Telecommunications vocabulary · Network Fundamentals

Topology

Meaning in networking & telecommunications, with examples

/təˈpɒlədʒi/nounCommon term

In networking & telecommunications, topology means: The layout of a network: how its devices and links are arranged and connected, for example in a star, ring or mesh shape.

In Turkish: topoloji, ağ topolojisi

How it is used

Used in design documents, diagrams and change plans. Engineers draw, document and redesign the network topology. Physical topology shows the actual cables; logical topology shows how traffic flows. Most office LANs use a star topology built around switches.

Example sentences

  1. Please update the topology diagram after you add the new firewall.

  2. The operator uses a ring topology, so traffic can go the other way round if one fibre is cut.

Common collocations

  • network topology
  • star topology
  • ring topology
  • mesh topology
  • topology diagram
  • networkA group of computers, phones and other devices that are connected by cables or radio signals so that they can exchange data and share resources.
  • LANShort for local area network: a network that connects devices in a limited area such as a home, an office floor or a single building.
  • redundancyHaving extra devices, links or power supplies in place so that the network keeps working if one of them fails.
  • switchA device with many ports that connects computers, phones, printers and other equipment inside the same local network and forwards each frame only to the port where its destination is.
  • backboneThe high-capacity core part of a network that connects smaller networks, sites or cities and carries most of the traffic between them.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Network Fundamentals

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