The mesh topology, as shown in Figure 1.2, is the most robust topology, but it is impractical for connecting a large number of computers together. For a network with N nodes, the number
of links is 
. Therefore, for a large network with
many nodes, a mesh topology is simply not practical. Mesh does have its applications, however. A mesh network is used to connect local telephone switches in busy commercial areas (e.g. Central
and Wanchai), because the business users form a close community with heavy traffic between them. The traffic between any pairs of switches in the business area justifies the mesh connection
routing as the primary routing algorithm. There are overflow routes from these local switches to the transit switches.
The mesh topology is also used to interconnect switches at the higher level of the switch architecture, where connectivity and reliability among a manageable number of switches are essential.
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