What Is A Ring Topology?

Date First Published: 23rd May 2022

Topic: Computer Networking

Subtopic: Network Setups

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty Level: 5/10

Learn more about what a ring topology is in this article.

A ring topology, also known as a ring network, is a type of network topology where every network device connects to exactly two other network devices, forming a ring (or circle) for the data to travel. In a ring topology, each data packet travels in one direction and every node takes turns receiving the data packet until the destination node receives it. Today, ring topologies are rarely used and most schools, offices, and smaller buildings have switched to another type of network topology.

Some ring topologies allow data packets to be moved in both directions (clockwise and anticlockwise). This is known as a bidirectional ring network. Most ring topologies only allow data packets to travel in one direction, known as a unidirectional ring network. However, the disadvantage of a unidirectional ring network is that it may be disrupted if one node fails, since only one path between two nodes is provided.

Advantages and Disadvantages Of A Ring Topology

• Since only one node is allowed to send data at a time, it greatly reduces the risk of data collisions.
• It does not require a central network device to connect the nodes together.
• It is more capable of handling heavy loads than a bus topology.

• Since ring topologies rely on each node to send data to the destination node, if one node fails or disconnects, the whole network will go down.
• It is more time-consuming to add, reconfigure, or remove nodes. This will require the network to be taken offline and downtime to be scheduled, which may cause inconvenience.
• It uses more expensive hardware to connect every node to each other.
• It may be slower than a star topology, since data has to travel through every node to reach its final destination.