Properties of communication networks

While designing a communication network, we need to consider the following characteristics:

• Topology
• Routing algorithm
• Switching strategy
• Flow control

Let's look at these characteristics in more detail.

Topology

Topology refers to how nodes (bridges, switches, and infrastructure devices) are connected. Some common topologies include crossbar, ring, 2D mesh, 3D mesh, higherD mesh, 2D torus, 3D torus, higherD torus, hypercube, tree, butterfly, perfect shuffle, and dragonfly.

In the case of the crossbar topology, every node in the network is connected to every other node (though they may not be connected directly). Thus, messages can be passed via a number of routes to avoid any conflicts...