Which network topology is described as a hybrid of hub-and-spoke topology and full-mesh topology?

• A. Partial-mesh topology
• B. Star topology
• C. Full-mesh topology
• D. Ring topology

Answer: (A)

Partial-mesh topology blends the centralized simplicity of hub-and-spoke with the redundancy of a full mesh. In a hub-and-spoke (star) setup, all devices connect through a central hub, so there aren’t direct links between peripheral devices. In a full mesh, every device connects directly to every other device, which offers maximum redundancy but is very costly as the network grows. A partial-mesh adds multiple direct connections only among a subset of devices, giving several possible paths between important pairs while avoiding the expense of linking every device to every other device. This hybrid approach provides resilience where needed without the high link count of a full mesh. That’s why partial-mesh is the best description for a hybrid of hub-and-spoke and full-mesh.