1. Understanding Frame Relay Frame Relay Presentation by Jeff K. Esquibel

2. Presentation Overview t Frame Relay Benefits t Frame Relay Components t Understanding Frame Relay Services t Competing Technologies t Frame Relay’s Market Success t Future Competition t Frame Relay Vs. ATM t Frame Relay Vs. IP t Co-Existence t Frame Relay’s Continued Success

3. Benefits of Frame Relay t Savings over Private Lines – Reduces number of dedicated devices which reduces equipment costs – Reduces complexity for network managers t Greater Bandwidth Flexibility than Private Lines t Higher Reliability and Resiliency than Private Lines t Lower Cost of Ownership and Better Bandwidth Utilization – Growth of Branch Office Networks

4. Benefits of Frame Relay (cont’d) t Consolidation of LAN, SNA, On-net Voice, and/or Packetized Video – Simplifies Network Architecture – Reduces Operations and Administrative Costs – Improves Application Performance and Network Efficiency t Smooth migration to ATM – Service and Network Interworking with ATM (FRF.5 and FRF.8)

5. Frame Relay Basics: Terms And Definitions t User to Network Interface (UNI) – Specifies signaling and management functions between a frame relay network device and the end user’s device t Network to Network Interface (NNI) – Specifies signaling and management functions between two frame relay networks t Virtual Circuit (VC) – The connection between two frame relay ports t Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC) – A pre-defined VC t Switched Virtual Circuit (SVC) – A VC that is established dynamically t Data Link Connection Identifier (DLCI) – Virtual Circuit Identification Number

6. Differences between PVCs And SVCs t PVCs –Staticly Defined at Configuration, Unless PVC Parameters Need to be Modified –Connection is Always Configured Whether There is Information to Send or Not t SVCs –Dynamically Established When There is Information to Send (Call-by-Call Basis) –Connection is Released When There is No More Information to Send

7. Benefits Of SVCs t Simplified Network Design, Particularly for Large and Highly Meshed Networks –Scalable Network Design –Provisioning N*(N-1)/2 Connections Not Required t Easier to Maintain and Manage t Supports Any-to-Any Connectivity

8. Benefits Of SVCs t Can Offer a More Cost-Effective Solution –Pay Based on Usage: Call Length, Bandwidth Used, Number of Frames Sent, Etc. –Only Pay When Using the Network t Offers a Migration Path to PVCs –Locations Already Have Connections to the Frame Relay Network –Can Easily Transition to PVCs as Traffic Volumes Increase

9. How Does Frame Relay Work? Frame Relay Structure

10. Frame Relay Terms And Definitions (cont’d) t Committed Information Rate (CIR) – The bandwidth defined for a VC t Bc = Committed Burst – Maximum number of committed bits to be transmitted over time interval t Be = Excess Burst – Number of Excess bits that will be transmitted over time t Tc Time interval – Time measurement based how much bandwidth is available for data to burst on to the network

11. Frame Relay Terms And Definitions (cont’d) t FECN Forward Explicit Congestion Notification – Bit set by the network node (FR Switch) that is experiencing congestion – Sent in the direction of the receiver (destination) t BECN Backward Explicit Congestion Notification – Bit set by the network node that is experiencing congestion – Sent in the direction of the sender (source) t DE Discard Eligible bit – Set by either the DTE (access device FRAD, router etc.) or the network nodes (switches) – May be set selectively by some DTE devices – May be set by network nodes in the event the user has exceeded CIR and the network is experiencing congestion

12. Frame Relay Components Frame Relay Network Frame Relay Network UNI DTE DCE PVC SVC NNI DTE DCE DTE DCE

13. Service Comparison Engineer Network for Peak Traffic Needs CSU/DSU per Leased Line per remote site Time Division Multiplexing Resiliency is Not Inherent Engineer Network for Average Traffic Needs CSU/DSU per Leased Line that can access many remote sites Statistical Multiplexing and Burst Capability Resiliency is Inherent in Network Private Lines (TDM) Frame Relay

14. Networking for the New Millennium Frame Relay

15. Frame Relay’s Market Success - U.S. (in $Ms) $9.6B$10.4B$10.9B$11.3B$11.8BPL Revs: Source: Vertical Systems Group - 1997

16. Frame Relay’s Market Success International (in $Ms) $10.3B$12.2B$12.6B$13.1B$13.5BPL Revs: Source: Vertical Systems Group - 1997

17. Market Forecast by WAN Technology Network Service Market Worldwide 1997 and 2000 Estimates Leased Lines Sources: Vertical Systems Group 1997 and Data Comm 1998 Forecast Frame Relay ATM X.25 SMDS $3.9B $.128B $.167B $.242B $1.6B $2.7B $2.6B $6.8B $22.6B $27.7B

18. Frame Relay Complements Other Technologies LAN LAN & SNA Data & On-net Voice Data, On-net Voice & Packetized Video Application Technology FR, SMDS, ATM FR, ATM < 1.5 Mbps 1.5 - 45 Mbps >45 Mbps Speeds Technology FR FR, ATM ATM FR - ATM FR - SMDS Interworking Agreement FR or ATM ATM Dedicated or Dial FR Dial Remote Access or or Dial FR HQ RegionalSites Remote Sites Mobile Workers & Telecommuters FRF.5 and FRF.8 SIP

19. Technology Comparison

20. The Competitive Road Ahead t ATM / Frame Relay Battle Joined By IP –Deployment of VPDNs (i.e. Intra/Extranets) Power IP adoption for Businesses t Majority of End Users Migrating Private Line Networks Will Look to Frame Relay and IP –Legacy Applications Demanding Frame Relay Performance; New Applications a Result of IP Features and Benefits t Frame Relay at the Edge, ATM at the Core t Frame Relay Transport for IP Services

21. High Speed IP Environments t Solutions/Technologies Outside Frame Relays’ Intended Scope are Servicing the Very High Speed IP Environments and Campus Backbone –IP Over SONET Offers Users a Simple and Efficient High Speed Transport Option for IP at OC-3 and Greater Speeds –Gigabit Ethernet Delivers the Mass Bandwidth Many Campus Backbones Operating in a Pure Data Environment Require

22. Co-Existence Frame Relay ATM IP VPN’s, Intranet, Extranet, etc.  Even as Buying Decisions Move Away from Underlying Connectivity, Frame Relay will Continue to Play a Major Role In Service Delivery

23. Summary t Frame Relay is Widely Accepted and Deployed, Building Upon its Own Momentum t Frame Relay’s Longevity and Visibility as a Technology is Fostered by its Ability to Co-exist and Complement Legacy as well as Emerging Technologies t Standards Continue to Evolve to Meet Changing End User Environments and Requirements t Frame Relay Will Continue to Play an Integral Part in Layer 2 Connectivity t Accelerated Growth in Frame Relay Implementations is Expected to Continue t Market Maturity of ATM and IP Still Years Away

24. Frame Relay Reference Material t Frame Relay Forum Web page www.frforum.com t Data Communications Magazine www.datacomm.com t Network World www.nwfusion.com t Internet Week (formerly CommWeek) www.internetwk.com t Black, Uyless. Frame Relay Networks: Specifications and Implementations. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996. t Smith, Philip. Frame Relay: Principles and Applications Wokingham, England: Addison- Wesley, 1995.

25. Questions? If not, you applause is greatly appreciated!!!