Describe bus topology and star topology.

1. Bus topology — Bus topology is a multi-point configuration, i.e., several devices are connected to a main long cable (usually co-axial cable) which acts as a backbone. Nodes are connected by drop lines and taps. A drop line is a connection between long cable and devices and taps are the connectors that are punctured inside the main cable. The data flows from one end of the cable to the other. The cable has terminators at both ends which absorb signals when the signal reaches the end, preventing signal bounce. However, as the signal travels a long distance, it becomes weaker and weaker. It works well for small networks.
2. Star Topology — In star topology, each communicating device is connected to a central controller called a hub or switch. The devices in star topology send and receive data indirectly, the data passes to and from the hub. The central node can be either a broadcasting device (hub) or a unicast device (switch).