Ring and Mesh Topology Designs

Star and bus are the basics, but two other classic layouts matter on the exam: the ring and the mesh. The ring connects devices in a closed loop, while the mesh links devices with many redundant paths. Each solves a different problem — orderly access for the ring, and fault tolerance for the mesh. Understanding both rounds out your picture of how network shapes affect reliability and cost.

In a ring topology, each device connects to exactly two neighbors, forming a closed loop. Data travels around the ring in one direction, passing through each device until it reaches its destination. There is no central hub. The ring was used in technologies like Token Ring and FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface), where an orderly turn-taking system controlled who could send.