What is Mesh Topology ? What are the advantages and disadvantages of a mesh network ( topology) ?

 Mesh Topology

What is Mesh Topology ? 

In a mesh topology :

 every device has a dedicated point-to-point link to every other device. 
The term dedicated means that the link carries traffic only between the two devices it connects.
What is the example of mesh topology?

What is a full mesh topology?
Full mesh topology occurs when every node has a circuit connecting it to every other node in a network.
A fully connected mesh topology.

What are the advantages of a mesh network ( topology) ?
Advantages of mesh topology :
A mesh offers several advantages over other network topologies.

• First, the use of dedicated links guarantees that each connection can carry its own data load, thus eliminating the traffic problems that can occur when links must be shared by multiple devices.
• Second, a mesh topology is robust.
• If one link becomes unusable, it does not incapacitate the entire system.

• Third, there is the advantage of privacy or security.
• When every message travels along a dedicated line, only the intended recipient sees it.
• Physical boundaries prevent other users from gaining access to messages.

• 4__Finally, point-to-point links make fault identification and fault isolation easy.
•  Traffic can be routed to avoid links with suspected problems.
• This facility enables the network manager to discover the precise location of the fault and aids in finding its cause and solution.

What are the disadvantages of a mesh network ( topology) ?
disadvantages of mesh topology :
A mesh offers several disadvantages over other network topologies .
The main disadvantages of a mesh are :

• related to the amount of cabling and the number of I/O ports required.
•  First, because every device must be connected to every other device, installation and reconnection are difficult.
• Second, the sheer bulk of the wiring can be greater than the available space (in walls, ceilings, or floors) can accommodate.
•  Finally, the hardware required to connect each link (I/O ports and cable) can be prohibitively expensive.

What are mesh networks used for?
Why would you choose a mesh topology?
For these reasons a mesh topology is usually implemented in a limited fashion, 
for example, as a backbone connecting the main computers of a hybrid network that can include several other topologies. 
One practical example of a mesh topology is the connection of telephone regional offices in which each regional office needs to be connected to every other regional office.