Local Area Networking - Upgrading and Repairing PCs - page 1033

• You can't connect more than 260 computers on an STP Token-Ring cable.
Table 17.6 Network Distance Limitations
If you have a station wired with Category 5 or better cable that is more than 328 feet (100
meters) from a hub, you must use a hub or switch that acts as a repeater to regenerate
the signal. If you have two or more stations beyond the 328 foot limit of UTP Ethernet,
connect them to a hub or switch that is less than 328 feet away from the primary hub or
switch and connect the new hub or switch to the primary hub or switch via its uplink port.
Because hubs and switches can act as repeaters, this feature enables you to extend the ef-
fective length of your network.
Wired Network Topologies
Each computer on the network is connected to the other computers with cable (or some
other medium, such as wireless using radio frequency signals). The physical arrangement
of the cables connecting computers on a network is called the network topology .
The three basic topologies used in computer networks have been as follows:
• Bus —Connects each computer on a network directly to the next computer in a linear
fashion. The network connection starts at the server and ends at the last computer in
the network. (Obsolete.)
• Star —Connects each computer on the network to a central access point.
• Ring —Connects each computer to the others in a loop or ring. (Obsolete.)
Table 17.7 summarizes the relationships between network types and topologies.
Table 17.7 Network Cable Types and Topologies