CCIE Practical Studies, Volume I

Chapter 5. WAN Protocols and Technologies: Frame Relay

Frame Relay has become "king of the WAN" over the past five to seven years . Many private networks have gone through lengthy migration processes, moving from point-to-point serial links to Frame Relay “based networks. As popular as Frame Relay is, its popularity is starting to wane. Frame Relay circuits eventually might be replaced by lower-cost, higher-speed circuits, such as DSL or cable modems. If a home user can get T3 speed access to Internet service providers (ISP), it is only a matter of time before DSL or some other technology using existing copper replaces the lower-bandwidth Frame Relay service. But it will be years for a new protocol to take the title away from the "king."

This chapter covers Frame Relay terminology and provides a technical overview of Frame Relay and LMI operation. In addition, this chapter examines basic and advanced Frame Relay configuration, including Frame Relay traffic shaping.