What is Network Architecture? Types of
Network Architecture
Network architecture understood as the set of
layers and layer protocols that constitute the communication system.
Network architectures offer different ways of solving
a critical issue when it comes to building a network: transfer data quickly and
efficiently by the devices that make up the network. The type of network
architecture used will not only determine the network topology but also define
how network nodes access those media. There are different types of network
architecture, all of them with their strategy to conduct information over
the network.
Following are the ways to achieve connection
between different manufacturers:
- Protocol Converters These are devices that translate from
one native protocol into another, for example, from ASCII
to IBM SNA/SDLC.
- Gateways These are hardware/software combinations
that connect devices running different native protocols. In addition to
protocol conversion, gateways provide a gateway connection between
incompatible networks. Examples include Ethernet-to-Token Ring gateways,
X.25-to- Frame Relay gateways, and T-carrier-to-E-Carrier International
Gateway Facilities (IGFs).
Types of Network Architecture
Ethernet
Ethernet is the most used network architecture today. Ethernet
provides network access using multiple cover perception access with collision
detection or CSMA / CD (carrier sense multiple access with collision
detection). This network access strategy is basically that each component of
the network or node listens before transmitting the information packets.
If two nodes transmit at the same time, a collision occurs. When a collision is
detected, the computer interrupts the transmission and waits for the line to be
free. One of the computers then goes on to transmit the data, achieving control
of the line, and complementing the transmission of the packets.
These are the different types of frames that
Ethernet uses:
• 802.3 Ethernet: Although this frame
has the relevant IEEE number, it does not meet all Ethernet specifications.
Novel Netware 2.2 and 3.1 networks use this type of frame.
• 802.2 Ethernet: This type of frame meets all the specifications
dictated by the IEEE. It found in the latest versions of Novell Netware,
including Netware 3.12, 4.x and 5.x.
• Ethernet SNAP: This type of Ethernet frame is the one used by
Apple Talk networks.
• Ethernet II: Networks that run several protocols such as
the Internet generate Ethernet II frames.
Token Ring
IBM Token Ring is a faster and safer network that uses the signal
token as a strategy to access the communication channel. Token Ring networks
connected in a star-shaped topology through a Multistation Access Unit (MAU)
that provides the central connection for the nodes of the network. The ring
through which the signal or token circulates (the token travels in only one
direction) is a logical ring included within the MAU.
FDDI
The Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) is an architecture that
provides a high speed and high capacity environment that can be used to connect
several different types of networks (see Figure). FDDI uses fiber optic cables
and configured in a ring topology. FDDI uses the signal or token pass as a
method of access to the communication channel and can operate at high speeds
(almost all implementations work at 100Mbps, but data can also transfer at
higher speeds).
AppleTalk
AppleTalk is the network architecture used by Apple Macintosh
computers. The network hardware required in this case already installed on each
Macintosh (although, if you want to connect a Macintosh to an Ethernet network,
you need an Ethernet network card for Mac). The wiring system that allows
Macintosh computers to connect is called local talk and uses twisted pair
cables with a special adapter for Macintosh.
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