A hospital is planning a new network for one of its wards.
Identify the network topology in which all the devices share a single backbone cable.
Mark scheme
- A Bus (1)
- The only correct answer is A. The correct answer is bus.
- B is not correct because in a full mesh every device is connected directly to every other device, so there is no single shared backbone cable
- C is not correct because in a partial mesh some devices are connected directly to several other devices, so there is no single shared backbone cable
- D is not correct because in a star topology every device is connected to a central switch, not to a shared backbone cable
Example answers and how they were marked
Full marks1/1
A Bus
Why: Correct topology (1); in a bus all the devices share one backbone cable.
No marks0/1
C Partial mesh
Why: A partial mesh connects some devices directly to several others and has no single shared backbone cable; no mark.
No marks0/1
D Star
Why: Misconception that the shared cable is central: a star uses a central switch, with a separate cable to each device, so no mark.