• Bus
• Ring
• Star
• Tree
• Mesh

Each workstation on the network is connected to two other workstations, forming a loop or ring as illustrated in the diagram below. Data is sent around the loop in one direction. Conflicts in the transmission of data is avoided with token ring technology, which grants messages a "token" or permission to send. Each workstation receives, regenerates and retransmits a token signal until it reaches its destination.

Ring topology provides stable networking for over 10 users. Like bus topologies, rings are easy and relatively inexpensive to install. Response time on a ring is determined by the number of workstations on the ring. Even if one connection fails, the rest of the network will function.

The ring topology is an older technology with a few limitations. The ring is difficult to troubleshoot, because when one connection fails, it is hard to determine where that problem is. Reconfiguring a ring will shut down the network.