In a bus configuration, each computer in the network is responsible for carrying out its own communications without the aid of a central unit.A common communications cable (the bus) connects all of the computers in the network. As data travels along the path of the cable, each unit performs a query to determine if it is the intended recipient of the message. The bus network is less expensive than the star configuration and is thus widely in use for systems that connect only a few microcomputers and systems that do not emphasize the sharing of common resources.
The problem in a computer on a bus topology does not frustrate the operation of the network, but a crack in the central cable will stop the whole network. Bus topology is popular because many computers can be connected to a single central cable. In a bus topology, each end user computer in the network handles its own communications control. There is no host computer or file server. As the information passes along the bus, it is examined by each terminal to see if the data is for it.
