Ring network - wikipedia Ring network This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( December 2007 ) Image showing ring network layout A ring network is a network topology in which each node connects to exactly two other nodes, forming a single continuous pathway for signals through each node - a ring. Data travels from node to node, with each node along the way handling every packet. Rings can be unidirectional, with all traffic travelling either clockwise or anticlockwise around the ring, or bidirectional ( as in SONET / SDH ). Because a unidirectional ring topology provides only one pathway between any two nodes, unidirectional ring networks may be disrupted by the failure of a single link. A node failure or cable break might isolate every node attached to the ring. In response, some ring networks add a `` counter-rotating ring '' ( C - Ring ) to form a redundant topology : in the event of a break, data are wrapped back onto the complementary ring before reaching the end of the cable, maintaining a path to every node along the resulting C - Ring. Such `` dual ring '' networks include Spatial Reuse Protocol, Fiber Distributed Data Interface ( FDDI ), and Resilient Packet Ring. 802.5 networks - also known as IBM token ring networks - avoid the weakness of a ring topology altogether : they actually use a star topology at the physical layer and a media access unit ( MAU ) to imitate a ring at the datalink layer. Some SONET / SDH rings have two sets of bidirectional links between nodes. This allows maintenance or failures at multiple points of the ring usually without loss of the primary traffic on the outer ring by switching the traffic onto the inner ring past the failure points. Contents 1 Advantages 2 Disadvantages 3 Misconceptions 4 References Advantages This section does not cite any sources. ( January 2017 ) See also : Ring Protection Very orderly network where every device has access to the token and the opportunity to transmit Performs better than a bus topology under heavy network load Does not require a central node to manage the connectivity between the computers Due to the point to point line configuration of devices with a device on either side ( each device is connected to its immediate neighbor ), it is quite easy to install and reconfigure since adding or removing a device requires moving just two connections. Point to point line configuration makes it easy to identify and isolate faults. Reconfiguration for line faults of bidirectional rings can be very fast, as switching happens at a high level, and thus the traffic does not require individual rerouting. Disadvantages This section does not cite any sources. ( January 2017 ) One malfunctioning workstation can create problems for the entire network. This can be solved by using a dual ring or a switch that closes off the break. Moving, adding and changing the devices can affect the network Communication delay is directly proportional to number of nodes in the network Bandwidth is shared on all links between devices More difficult to configure than a Star : node adjunction = Ring shutdown and reconfiguration Misconceptions This section does not cite any sources. ( January 2017 ) `` Token Ring is an example of a ring topology. '' 802.5 ( Token Ring ) networks do not use a ring topology at layer 1. As explained above, IBM Token Ring ( 802.5 ) networks imitate a ring at layer 2 but use a physical star at layer 1. `` Rings prevent collisions. '' The term `` ring '' only refers to the layout of the cables. It is true that there are no collisions on an IBM Token Ring, but this is because of the layer 2 Media Access Control method, not the physical topology ( which again is a star, not a ring. ) Token passing, not rings, prevent collisions. `` Token passing happens on rings. '' Token passing is a way of managing access to the cable, implemented at the MAC sublayer of layer 2. Ring topology is the cable layout at layer one. It is possible to do token passing on a bus ( 802.4 ) a star ( 802.5 ) or a ring ( FDDI ). Token passing is not restricted to rings. References Jump up ^ Bradley Mitchell. `` Introduction to Computer Network Topology ''. About.com. Retrieved January 18, 2016. Network topologies Arrangements of the data links and nodes of computer networks Bus network Grid network Mesh network Ring network Star network Tree network Fat tree Hypertree Internet topology Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ring_network&oldid=824158341 '' Categories : Network topology Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from December 2007 All articles needing additional references Articles needing additional references from January 2017 Articles using small message boxes Talk Contents About Wikipedia Azərbaycanca Català Čeština Español Euskara فارسی Français Gaeilge Galego 한국어 Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Қазақша Latviešu Magyar Македонски Bahasa Melayu ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Polski Português Русский Shqip Slovenčina Slovenščina Svenska தமிழ் Türkçe Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 5 February 2018, at 17 : 34. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. 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Question: a fiber break in the link between the two nodes
Answer: node failure