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Chapter 15
Frame Relay
You learned that PPP and ISDN are two WAN technologies that can be implemented to
solve connectivity issues for locations that need access to geographically distant locations.
In this chapter, you learn about another type of WAN technology, Frame Relay, that can
solve connectivity issues for users who need access to geographically distant locations.
In this chapter, you learn about Frame Relay services, standards, components, and
operation. In addition, this chapter describes the configuration tasks for Frame Relay
service, along with the commands for monitoring and maintaining a Frame Relay
connection.
Concept Questions

Demonstrate your knowledge of these concepts by answering the following questions in

the space provided.
1. List all the data communication equipment needed to implement
Frame Relay.

The network providing the Frame Relay interface can be either a carrier-provided public
network or a network of privately owned equipment, serving a single enterprise. Frame
Relay access equipment such as routers or modems; and Frame Relay network devices
such as switches, routers, CSU/DSUs, or multiplexers.
2. List the router commands needed to implement Frame Relay on the
router.

Basic Frame Relay Configuration:

A basic Frame Relay configuration assumes that you want to configure Frame Relay on
one or more physical interfaces, and that LMI and inverse ARP are supported by the
remote router(s). In this type of environment, the LMI notifies the router about the
available DLCIs. Inverse ARP is enabled by default, so it does not appear in configuration
output. Use the following steps to configure basic Frame Relay:
Step 1. Select the interface and go into interface configuration mode:
router(config)# interface serial 0
Step 2. Configure a network layer address (for example, an IP address):

router(config-if)# ip address 192.168.38.40 255.255.255.0

Step 3. Select the encapsulation type used to encapsulate data traffic end to end:

router(config-if)# encapsulation frame-relay [cisco | IETF]

where cisco is the default, which you use if connecting to another Cisco router.
ietf is used for connecting to a non-Cisco router.
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Step 4. If you’re using Cisco IOS Release 11.1 or earlier, specify the LMI type used by
the Frame Relay switch:

router(config-if)# frame-relay lmi-type {ansi | cisco | q933a}

where cisco is the default. With IOS Release 11.2 or later, the LMI type is auto-
sensed, so no configuration is needed.
Step 5. Configure the bandwidth for the link:

router(config-if)# bandwidth kilobits

This command affects routing operation by protocols such as IGRP, because it
is used to define the metric of the link.
Step 6. If inverse ARP was disabled on the router, re-enable it (inverse ARP on by
default):

router(config-if)# frame-relay inverse-arp [ protocol] [ dlci]

3. Frame Relay WAN technology provides a flexible method of

connecting LANs. Why is this so, and how does it work?

To enable the sending of complete routing updates in a Frame Relay network, you can
configure the router with logically assigned interfaces called subinterfaces. Subinterfaces
are logical subdivisions of a physical interface. In a subinterface configuration, each PVC
can be configured as a point-to-point connection, which allows the subinterface to act as a
dedicated line.
By logically dividing a single physical WAN serial interface into multiple virtual
subinterfaces, the overall cost of implementing a Frame Relay network can be reduced. A
single router interface can service many remote locations through individual unique
subinterfaces.
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Vocabulary Exercise

Define the following terms as completely as you can. Use the online curriculum or Chapter
15 of the Cisco Networking Academy Program CCNA 3 and 4 Companion Guide for help.

BECN (backward explicit congestion notification) A bit set by a Frame Relay

network in frames traveling in the opposite direction of frames encountering a congested
path. DTE devices receiving frames with the BECN bit set can request that higher level
protocols take flow-control action as appropriate.
CPE (customer premises equipment) Terminating equipment, such as terminals,
telephones, and modems, supplied by the telephone company, installed at customer sites,
and connected to the telephone company network.
DCE (data circuit-terminating equipment) The device used to convert the user data
from the DTE into a form acceptable to the WAN service’s facility. Compare with DTE.
DLCI (data-link connection identifier) A value that specifies a PVC or an SVC in a
Frame Relay network. In the basic Frame Relay specification, DLCIs are locally
significant. (That is, connected devices can use different values to specify the same
connection.) In the LMI extended specification, DLCIs are globally significant. (That is,
DLCIs specify individual end devices.)
DTE (data terminal equipment) A device at the user end of a user-to-network
interface that serves as a data source, destination, or both. A DTE connects to a data
network through a DCE device (for example, a modem) and typically uses clocking
signals generated by the DCE. DTEs include such devices as computers, protocol
translators, and multiplexers. Compare with DCE.
FECN (forward explicit congestion notification) A bit set by a Frame Relay network
to inform DTE devices receiving the frame, that congestion was experienced in the path
from source to destination. DTE devices receiving frames with the FECN bit set can
request that higher level protocols take flow-control action as appropriate.
Frame Relay An industry-standard, switched data link layer protocol that handles
multiple virtual circuits using HDLC encapsulation between connected devices. Frame
Relay is more efficient than X.25, the protocol for which it is generally considered a
replacement.
Frame Relay switch Equipment found at the telco CO. This allows the CPE entrance
to the Frame Relay cloud.
LMI (Local Management Interface) A set of enhancements to the basic Frame Relay
specification. LMI includes support for a keepalive mechanism, which verifies that data is
flowing; a multicast mechanism, which provides the network server with its local DLCI
and the multicast DLCI; global addressing, which gives DLCIs global rather than local
significance in Frame Relay networks; and a status mechanism, which provides an ongoing
status report on the DLCIs known to the switch.
Local access rate The clock speed (port speed) of the connection (local loop) to the
Frame Relay cloud. It is the rate at which data travels into or out of the network.
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Media (plural of medium) The various physical environments through which

transmission signals pass. Common network media include twisted-pair, coaxial, and fiber-
optic cable, and the atmosphere (through which microwave, laser, and infrared
transmission occurs). Sometimes called physical media
PDN (public data network) A network operated either by a government (as in
Europe) or by a private concern to provide computer communications to the public,
usually for a fee. PDNs enable small organizations to create a WAN without all the
equipment costs of long-distance circuits.
PVC (permanent virtual circuit) A virtual circuit that is permanently established.
PVCs save bandwidth associated with circuit establishment and teardown in situations
where certain virtual circuits must exist all the time.
Virtual circuit A logical circuit created to ensure reliable communication between two
network devices. A virtual circuit is defined by a VPI/VCI pair, and can be either
permanent (a PVC) or switched (an SVC). Virtual circuits are used in Frame Relay and
X.25. In ATM, a virtual circuit is called a virtual channel. Sometimes abbreviated VC
CIR (committed information rate). The CIR is the guaranteed rate, in bits per second,
that the service provider commits to providing.
DE (discard eligibility indicator). A set bit that indicates the frame may be discarded in
preference to other frames if congestion occurs. When the router detects network
congestion, the Frame Relay switch will drop packets with the DE bit set first. The DE bit
is set on the oversubscribed traffic (that is, the traffic that was received after the CIR was
met).
Excess burst. The maximum number of uncommitted bits that the Frame Relay switch
attempts to transfer beyond the CIR. Excess burst is dependent on the service offerings
available by the vendor, but is typically limited to the port speed of the local access loop.
FECN (forward explicit congestion notification). A bit set in a frame that notifies a
DTE that congestion-avoidance procedures should be initiated by the receiving device.
When a Frame Relay switch recognizes congestion in the network, it sends an FECN
packet to the destination device, indicating that congestion has occurred.
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CCNA Exam Review Questions

The following questions help you review for the CCNA exam. The answers appear in
Appendix A, “Answers to CCNA Exam Review Questions.”
1. How does Frame Relay handle multiple conversations on the same
physical connection?

A. It duplexes the conversations.

B. It multiplexes the circuits.
C. It converts it to an ATM cell.
D. Multiple conversations are not allowed.
2. Which of the following protocols does Frame Relay use for error
correction?

A. Physical and data-link protocols

B. Upper-layer protocols
C. Lower-layer protocols
D. Frame Relay does not do error correction.
3. Which of the following does Frame Relay do to make its DLCIs
global?

A. It broadcasts them.
B. It sends out unicasts.
C. It sends out multicasts.
D. DLCIs can’t become global.
4. Which of the following is the data rate at which the Frame Relay
switch agrees to transfer data?

A. Committed information rate

B. Data transfer rate
C. Timing rate
D. Baud rate
5. Which of the following assigns DLCI numbers?

A. The end user

B. The network root
C. A DLCI server
D. The service provider
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6. DLCI information is included in which field of the Frame Relay

header?

A. The Flag field

B. The Address field
C. The Data field
D. The Checksum field
7. Which of the following does Frame Relay use to keep PVCs active?

A. Point-to-point connections
B. Windows sockets
C. Keepalives
D. They become inactive.
8. How does Frame Relay use inverse ARP requests?

A. It maps IP addresses to MAC addresses.

B. It maps MAC addresses to IP addresses.
C. It maps MAC addresses to network addresses.
D. It uses the IP address-to-DLCI mapping table.
9. Which of the following does Frame Relay use to determine the next
hop?

A. An ARP table
B. A RIP routing table
C. A Frame Relay map
D. An IGRP routing table
10. For which of the following tasks does Frame Relay use split horizon?

A. To increase router updates

B. To prevent routing loops
C. To raise convergence times
D. Frame Relay does not use split horizon.