Network Architecture Design
The design of any digital network architecture involves optimizing its building blocks. These include:
Hardware
These are the equipment that forms the components of a network, such as user devices (laptops, computers, mobile phones), routers, servers, and gateways. So, in a way, the goal of any network architecture is to find the most efficient way to get data from one hardware point to another.Transmission Media
Transmission media refers to the physical connections between the hardware devices on a network. Different media have various properties that determine how fast data travels from one point to another.They come in two forms: wired and wireless. Wired media involve physical cables for connection. Examples include coaxial and fiber optic. Wireless media, on the other hand, relies on microwave or radio signals. The most popular examples are WiFi and cellular.
Protocols
Protocols are the rules and models that govern how data transfers between devices in a network. It’s also the common language that allows different machines in a network to communicate with each other. Without protocols, your iPhone couldn’t access a web page stored on a Linux server.There are many network protocols, depending on the nature of the data. Examples include the Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) used by networks to connect to the Internet, the Ethernet protocol for connecting one computer to another, and the File Transfer Protocol for sending and receiving files to and from a server.
Topology
How the network is wired together is just as important as its parts. Optimizing this is the goal of network topology.Topology is the structure of the network. This is important because factors like distance between network devices will affect how fast data can reach its destination, impacting performance. There are various network topologies, each with strengths and weaknesses.
A star topology, for example, describes a layout where all devices in the network are connected to a central hub. The advantage of this layout is that it’s easy to connect devices to the network. However, if the central hub fails, the whole network goes down.
On the other hand, a bus topology is where all network devices are connected to a single pathway, called the bus. The bus acts like a highway that carries data from one part of the network to the other. While cheap and easy to implement, its performance tends to slow down as more devices are added to the network.
Today, most network architectures use a hybrid topology, combining different topologies to compensate for each individual’s weakness.
