text: Extended star : A type of network topology in which a network that is based upon the physical star topology has one or more repeaters between the central node ( the ` hub ' of the star ) and the peripheral or ` spoke ' nodes , the repeaters being used to extend the maximum transmission distance of the point-to-point links between the central node and the peripheral nodes beyond that which is supported by the transmitter power of the central node or beyond that which is supported by the standard upon which the physical layer of the physical star network is based .
simplified: The star topology reduces the probability of a network failure by connecting all of the peripheral nodes ( computers , etc. ) to a central node . When the physical star topology is applied to a logical bus network such as Ethernet , this central node ( traditionally a hub ) rebroadcasts all transmissions received from any peripheral node to all peripheral nodes on the network , sometimes including the originating node .