CompTIA Network+® Study Guide

1.3. Physical Network Topologies

Just as a topographical map shows the shape of the terrain, the physical topology of a network is also a type of map. It defines the specific characteristics of a network, such as where all the workstations and other devices are located, and the precise arrangement of all the physical media like cables. On the other hand, logical topologies, which were covered in the previous section, delineate exactly how data moves through the network. And though these two topologies are usually a lot alike, a particular network can have physical and logical topologies that are very different. But basically, what you want to remember is that a network's physical topology essentially gives you the lay of the land, and the logical ...