A mesh topology is a type of computer network in which each node (computer or other device) is connected to every other node in the network. This type of network is often used in large organisations or companies because it can handle a large amount of data traffic and can be easily expanded.
Table of Contents
- What is Mesh Topology?
- Advantages of Mesh Topology
- Disadvantages of Mesh Topology
- Applications of Mesh Topology
What is Mesh Topology?
In a mesh topology, every node is connected to every other node in the network. This provides redundant paths between nodes and allows for every node to act as a router. A mesh topology is therefore very fault tolerant – if one link fails, there are alternate routes that can be taken.
Advantages of Mesh Topology
There are several advantages that mesh topology has over other network topologies:
- It is very fault tolerant. If one node in the network goes down, the rest of the nodes can still communicate with each other.
- All nodes in a mesh network have a dedicated connection to every other node in the network. This means that there is no single point of failure and the network can continue to operate even if one node fails.
Disadvantages of Mesh Topology
However, there are also some disadvantages to mesh topology.
- It can be expensive to implement because each node needs its own dedicated connection to every other node in the network. This can make mesh topology impractical for large networks.
- Mesh topology can be complex to configure and manage.
Applications of Mesh Topology
Mesh topology is often used in large networks, where reliability and redundancy are important. Mesh topology can also be used in small networks, where it can offer some advantages over other topologies.
One of the best parts of mesh topology is that it can be easily scaled. As the network grows, additional nodes can be added to the network without having to reconfigure the entire network.
Another important factor is that each node has a dedicated connection to every other node in the network. This provides redundant paths between nodes, so that if one path fails, there is another path that can be used. This makes mesh topology very fault-tolerant.
