A bus network is a network architecture in which a set of clients are connected via a shared communications line, called a bus. There are several common instances of the bus architecture, including one in the motherboard of most computers, and those in some versions of ethernet networks.

Bus networks are the simplest way to connect multiple clients, but often have problems when two clients want to communicate at the same time on the same bus. Thus systems which use bus network architectures normally have some scheme of collision handing or collision avoidance for communication on the bus, quite often using Carrier Sense Multiple Access.

The bus topology is passive – the computers on the bus simply listen for a signal; they are not responsible for moving the signal along.

Comparing bus networks to other types of network

Advantages

• Easy to implement and extend
• Well suited for temporary networks (quick setup)
• Typically the cheapest topology to implement
• Failure of one station does not affect others

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Disadvantages

• Difficult to administer/troubleshoot
• Limited cable length and number of stations
• A cable break can disable the entire network
• Maintenance costs may be higher in the long run
• Performance degrades as additional computers are added

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