Also called
signal topology. Every
LAN has a
topology, or the way that the devices on a network are arranged and how they communicate with each other. The way that the
workstations are connected to the network through the actual cables that transmit data -- the physical structure of the network -- is called the
physical topology. The logical topology, in contrast, is the way that the signals act on the network media, or the way that the data passes through the network from one device to the next without regard to the physical interconnection of the devices.
Logical topologies are bound to the network protocols that direct how the data moves across a network. The Ethernet protocol is a common logical bus topology protocol. LocalTalk is a common logical bus or star topology protocol. IBM's Token Ring is a common logical ring topology protocol.
A network's logical topology is not necessarily the same as its physical topology. For example, twisted pair Ethernet is a logical bus topology in a physical star topology layout. While IBM's Token Ring is a logical ring topology, it is physically set up in a star topology.
For network diagrams, see Network Topology Diagrams in the Quick Reference section of Webopedia.
