Frame Relay Multisite
Survey
Written by - Amy McMillen,
Staff Writer
Frame Relay
was developed to solve communication problems that other protocols
could not: the increased need for higher speeds, an increased need
for large bandwidth efficiency, particularly for clumping ("bursty"
traffic), an increase in intelligent network devices that lower
protocol processing, and the need to connect LANs and WANs. Like
X.25, Frame Relay is a packet-switched protocol. But the Frame-Relay
process is streamlined. There are significant differences that make
Frame Relay a faster, more efficient form of networking. A Frame-Relay
network doesn't perform error detection, which results in a considerably
smaller amount of overhead and faster processing than X.25. Frame
Relay is also protocol independent-it accepts data from many different
protocols. This data is encapsulated by the Frame-Relay equipment,
not the network. 'Today's LANs
and computing equipment have the potential to run at much higher
speeds and transfer very large quantities of data. With the diversity
and complexity of today's networks, management can be a mammoth
task if you don't have the proper tools. Each environment is a
unique combination of equipment from different vendors. Frame
Relay uses a packet-switching technology, similar to X.25, but
is more efficient. As a result, it can make your networking quicker,
simpler, and less costly.
Frame Relay sends information in packets
called frames through a shared Frame-Relay network. Each frame
contains all the information necessary to route it to the correct
destination. So in effect, each endpoint can communicate with
many destinations over one access link to the network. And instead
of being allocated a fixed amount of bandwidth, Frame-Relay services
offer a CIR (committed information rate) at which data is transmitted.
But if traffic and your service agreement allow, data can burst
above your committed rate. Since Frame Relay has a low overhead,
it's a perfect fit for today's complex networks. You get several
clear benefits: First, multiple logical connections can be sent
over a single physical connection, reducing your internetworking
costs. By reducing the amount of processing required, you get
improved performance and response time. And because Frame Relay
uses a simple link layer protocol, your equipment usually requires
only software changes or simple hardware modifications, so you
don't
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