What describes the physical layout of nodes in a network?

The term that describes the physical layout of nodes in a network is topology. It involves the arrangement of different elements (like devices, nodes, and connections) in a network, illustrating how different parts communicate and connect with each other. There are various types of topologies, such as star, ring, bus, and mesh, each defining how data is transferred and how devices are interconnected.

When understanding topology, it is important to distinguish it from concepts like traffic management, which focuses on optimizing and directing network traffic rather than the layout itself, firewall configuration, which deals with network security measures to control incoming and outgoing traffic, and packet inspection which refers to a technique used in networking to look at the data within packets being sent across the network. These concepts support the functionality and security of a network but do not depict the physical arrangement of its components.