The arrangement of nodes and links is called network topology. They can be configured in different ways to get different outcomes. Some types of network topologies are:
Bus topology
Each node is linked to one other node only. Data transmission over the network connections occurs in one direction.
Ring topology
Each node is linked to two other nodes, forming a ring. Data can flow bi-directionally. However,single node failure can bring down the entire network.
Star topology
A central server node is linked to multiple client network devices. This topology performs better as data doesn’t have to go through each node. It is also more reliable.
Mesh topology
Every node is connected to many other nodes. In a full mesh topology, every node is connected to every other node in the network.