Network Connection Sequence

[jnmeade]

I understand that one point on the network is essentially the same as any other point.  That is, networking through modules such as going in one Com25, out it to another Com25, out it to a D1000 is the same as if all were connected to a hub.
My question is whether there are any likely failure points or modes where daisychaining through modules might be less dependable than going through a hub (assuming the hub stays functional).
Let's say I have 2 D1000 and connect them directly with a network cable.  Is that better than connecting them by cabling through modules such as Com25 or KNOB panel?
I'm not asking about functionality, I'm asking if a COM25 radio or KNOB Panel goes bad is it more likely to disrupt the connection between the two D1000s than if the D1000s are cabled directly?

 

[Dynon]

Electrically, on devices with multiple SkyView Network ports, the pins are electrically shorted to each other. While the physical failure of a board that breaks that connection is I suppose possible, I think it's unheard of as a failure mode. Definitely less likely than the failure of a wire or harness, in our experience. In essence, the connections within those devices are not really adding any risk to the equation. General topology is a reasonable consideration though: if a harness or connection breaks at point X, what capability will you lose? ie daisy-chaining everything from one screen's port is a little less robust than using a network hub, where you can "star" things one hop away from the display. But then you need to think about how critical each of the components "downstream" in a given chain are.