There is then a wire that runs from the wall plug back to a central location, often referred to as a wiring closet. At the central location, wires from many computer workstations and printers are pulled together and plugged into a hub. The hub, or concentrator, acts as a switching device, moving the data that came from one computer to a wire in the hub over to another wire in the hub which moves the data out to a different computer. Communications Protocols and Topology Network architecture determines how the network components work together. The two major components of network architecture are communications protocols and topology.
Communications protocols are the rules that govern the interaction between the devices on a network.
Topology defines how the network components are arranged in relation to each other, that is, it is the physical layout of the network. Design Considerations Networks can be designed in many different ways, depending on the physical environment in which they are located, and the way they are used. A network may be restricted to a single floor of a building, connect a limited number of hardware components, and move only small amounts of data. A network could also span over many miles, connect thousands of devices, and move large amounts of data. The designs for each would be very different and require different physical components to work efficiently.