A mesh topology is not very common in computer networking today. In a mesh topology, every workstation has a connection to every other component of the network, as illustrated in Figure.
Figure: Mesh Topology |
ADVANTAGES OF MESH TOPOLOGY:
The biggest advantage of a mesh topology is fault tolerance, meaning that, if there is a break in a cable segment, traffic can be rerouted through a different pathway because there are multiple pathways to send data from one system to another. This fault tolerance means that it is almost impossible for the network to go down due to a cable fault.
DISADVANTAGES OF MESH TOPOLOGY:
A disadvantage of a mesh topology is the cost of the additional cabling and network interfaces to create the multiple pathways between each system. A mesh topology is very hard to administer and manage because of the numerous connections.