Bus Topology

Correct Answer: Terminator Failure

In a bus topology network, all nodes are connected to a single cable or 'bus'. A terminator is placed at both ends of the bus, to prevent network signals from bouncing back and forth along the bus line. If one of these terminators fails, the network can experience issues such as the ones described in the question. A hub, switch, or cable break could feasibly cause network issues, but these are less likely in a typical bus topology network. A hub or switch failure would more typically affect a star topology network, and while a cable break could cause the issue, in practice it's less likely given there's only a single 'bus' to break. Given this, terminator failure is the most likely explanation for the network issue.

Correct Answer: Limited expandability

The primary disadvantage of a bus topology when compared to other topologies is its limited expandability. This is largely due to the way a bus topology is designed. In a bus topology, all devices share a common communication line or bus. While this design makes it easy to connect devices, it also makes it challenging to add (or scale) more devices beyond a certain limit without causing issues such as data collisions and reduced performance. The other options are not the primary disadvantages. For example, 'Higher installation cost' is incorrect as bus topology is indeed cheaper to install compared to other topologies since fewer cables are needed. 'Incompatibility with various network devices' is also incorrect since bus topology doesn't require specific devices. Lastly, 'Difficulty in diagnosing network problems' is not a primary disadvantage specific to bus topology - diagnosing network problems relies more on the network management systems in place rather than the topology.

Correct Answer: Upgrade to a more efficient network topology

The best solution to improve the network performance of a small design studio using a bus topology network would be to 'Upgrade to a more efficient network topology'. Bus topology, although simple, can become inefficient and slow when all workstations are busy because all data packets have to travel through the same bus and only one device can transmit data at a time. Upgrading to more efficient network topologies, like star or mesh, can solve this problem as they allow for multiple data packets to be transmitted at once and don't suffer from traffic congestion. The answer 'Add more devices to the network' doesn't improve the network performance but rather, it might slow it down further due to increased traffic. The answer 'Replace terminators with switches' is not correct because terminators are a necessary component in a bus topology network to prevent signal reflection. Finally, the answer 'Move workstations closer to the bus' is also not a viable solution, as the physical location of workstations has no significant effect on the efficiency of data transfer in a bus topology network.