Which topology requires a multipoint connection?
2024
Which topology requires a multipoint connection?
Answer: B. Bus Topology — Concept: line configuration of a linkThe line configuration of a communication link describes how many devices are attached to it. In a point-to-point…
- A.
Mesh Topology
- B.
Bus Topology
- C.
Star Topology
- D.
More than one of the above
- E.
None of the above
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Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept: line configuration of a link
The line configuration of a communication link describes how many devices are attached to it. In a point-to-point connection a dedicated link joins exactly two devices, and the entire capacity of that link is reserved for those two. In a multipoint connection — also called a multidrop connection — more than two devices share the capacity of one single link, either spatially (all attached at the same time to the same medium) or in turns (timeshared access).
Applying the concept to this question
A bus network is built around one long backbone cable that runs the length of the network.
Every station is attached to that backbone through a short drop line ending in a tap, so no station gets a cable of its own.
A signal placed on the backbone therefore travels along the same cable and reaches every attached station: one link, many devices. That is precisely a multidrop, i.e. multipoint, line configuration.
Because the medium is shared, a bus must also run a media-access method such as CSMA/CD to decide which station may transmit at any moment — a control problem that only arises on a shared link.
Cross-check: how the other topologies are cabled
Topology | Cabling | Line configuration |
|---|---|---|
Mesh | A dedicated cable between every pair of nodes; n(n − 1)/2 links for n nodes | Point-to-point |
Star | A dedicated cable from each node to a central hub or switch | Point-to-point |
Bus | One backbone cable shared by every node through drop lines and taps | Multipoint (multidrop) |
Ring (for contrast) | A dedicated cable between each node and each of its two neighbours | Point-to-point |
Among the three named topologies, the multipoint configuration belongs to the bus and not to mesh or star, so the aggregate claims "More than one of the above" and "None of the above" do not hold.
Answer: Bus Topology.
Reference: B. A. Forouzan, Data Communications and Networking — line configuration is classified there as either point-to-point or multipoint (multidrop), and the bus topology is given as the multipoint example.