What does a P2MP topology consist of?

A P2MP (Point-to-Multipoint) topology is characterized by a single host element, such as a central office or main distribution point, that is connected through a splitter to multiple customer endpoints. This arrangement allows one signal to be distributed to several users, making it efficient for scenarios where a centralized source needs to serve numerous locations without requiring separate connections for each.

This design is commonly used in fiber optic networks as it minimizes infrastructure costs and simplifies the deployment of services to end-users. The use of splitters facilitates the division of the signal to be sent to various customers, enabling a sharing of the bandwidth from a single source.

The other options do not adequately describe a P2MP topology, as they focus on different connection methods that either restrict the number of connections or describe network setups that do not utilize a central splitter for multiple endpoints. For instance, a direct connection between all nodes refers to a topology where each node connects to every other node, which is characteristic of a mesh network but not P2MP.