What is Frame Relay?

• A high-performance WAN protocol

that operates at the physical and
data link layers of the OSI reference
model.
• Originally was designed for use
across ISDN interfaces. Today, it is
used over a variety of other
network interfaces as well.
• Frame Relay is an example of a
packet-switched technology
• Packet-switched networks enable end
stations to dynamically share the
network medium and the available
bandwidth. Variable-length packets
are used for more efficient and
flexible transfers. These packets
then are switched between the
various network segments until the
destination is reached. Statistical
multiplexing techniques control
network access in a packet-
switched network
• The advantage of this technique is
that it accommodates more
Typical Format of FR
Packet
• Flag Field :
The flag is used to perform high-
level data link synchronization,
which indicates the beginning and
end of the frame with the unique
pattern 01111110.
• Address Field: (vary in sizes 2 to 4
octets)
 - DLCI (Data Link Connection
Identifier):allows multiple
connections to be carried over a
single channel.
 - C/R :used by higher end
applications to manage end to end
 - EA bits (Extended Address) :allow
the address to be extended in size.
 - FECN (Forward Explicit Congestion
Notification)
 - BECN (Backward Explicit
Congestion Notification)
 - DE (Discard Eligibility)
• Information/Data Field: Contains
actual data
• Frame Check Sequence (FCS) :
Avoid wasting of Bandwidth due to
transmission errors. The error
detection mechanism used is based
 Basic Concept
• PVC (Permanent Virtual Circuit)
– No wires/cables used
– Defined as a connection between two
sites or endpoints
– Fixed paths or a dedicated point to
point circuit
– Popular because of cost effective
– Provision require planning, knowledge
of traffic patterns and bandwidth
utilization
– Bandwidth is shared among multiple
users
• CIR (Committed Information
Rate)
– Contracted communication rate (BW)
negotiated with the telephone
company
– Guaranteeing the ability to transmit
at higher speeds generally, but
always attain the CIR negotiated.
– There will often be excess bandwidth
available at any point in time which
is called ‘BURSTS’
– The speed to which data can burst is
referred to as the Committed Burst
Information Rate (CBIR)
 Example of CIR
- For example , a virtualcircuitwith a CIR of
6 4 K b p s m a y h a ve a C B IR o f 1 2 8 K b p s.
 Digital Data Network in
Brunei
• DDN in Brunei are used because:
– Used for data transfer
– Switched to local node
– Leased line compatibility
– Has speed up to 384Kbps
 Usage of Frame Relay in
Brunei
• Used for transfer data
• Switched to another country
• Leased line compatibility
• Connect with digital data network
and able to flow to submarine
cables
• Has speed up to 2Mbps
 List of Local Nodes in
Brunei
• Mumong
• Gadong
• Muara
• Sengkurong
• Madang
• Pulaie
• Temburong
• Tutong
• Seria
Example of FR connectivity to
overseas
Gadong

Mumong DDN ATM

2M 2M

DDN

Submarine ASEAN
2M Cables COUNTRIES

DDN
Telephone
Frame House
Relay
 Frame Relay Network.
• Consists of:
– Endpoints [PCs, servers, host
computers]
– Frame relay access equipments
[bridges, routers, frame relay access
devices(FRAD), hosts]
– Network devices.
• FRAD is responsible for delivering
frames to the network in the
prescribed format.
• Network device is used to switch or
 Why FR is Developed?
• Need for high speed due to transfer
of data that require high peak BW
• Cost effective due widespread digital
facilities and inexpensive
processing power
• Right technology for data
communication
• Smarter attached devices
• High performance
•
 Benefits of Frame Relay
• Lower cost of ownership
• Wide-established & widely adopted
standards which allows open
architecture and plug & play
service implementation
• Low overhead & high reliability
• Network Scalability, flexibility and
Disaster recovery
• Interoperability with new services -
compatible
•
 Advantages of Frame
Relay
• Savings on hardware since only one
port is needed with FR especially in
larger network
• Better than X.25 protocol because FR
supports higher bandwidth with low
overhead & hidden costs
• FR costs is not sensitive to distance
• More efficient in management of
bandwidth
• Supports wide range of protocols
• Better performance
• Less maintenance on equipment
 Disadvantages of Frame
Relay
• No error correction facility in FR
• No data integrity. No guarantee that
the burst data will be delivered
when there is data burst
• Difficult in pricing due to complexity
in determining the CIR and access
rate