what is frame relay in networking?

Question

In which segment of the network these two terms i.e broadcast and non-broadcast multi access are used ?

Answer 1

Frame Relay is a protocol standard for LAN internetworking which provides a fast and efficient method of transmitting information from a user device to LAN bridges and routers.

The Frame Relay protocol uses a frame structured similar to that of LAPD, except that the frame header is replaced by a 2-byte Frame Relay header field. The Frame Relay header contains the user-specified DLCI field, which is the destination address of the frame. It also contains congestion and status signals which the network sends to the user.

Virtual Circuits

The Frame Relay frame is transmitted to its destination by way of virtual circuits (logical paths from an originating point in the network) to a destination point. Virtual circuits may be permanent (PVCs) or switched (SVCs). PVCs are set up administratively by the network manager for a dedicated point-to-point connection; SVCs are set up on a call-by-call basis.

Advantages of Frame Relay

Frame Relay offers an attractive alternative to both dedicated lines and X.25 networks for connecting LANs to bridges and routers. The success of the Frame Relay protocol is based on the following two underlying factors:

Because virtual circuits consume bandwidth only when they transport data, many virtual circuits can exist simultaneously across a given transmission line. In addition, each device can use more of the bandwidth as necessary, and thus operate at higher speeds.
The improved reliability of communication lines and increased error-handling sophistication at end stations allows the Frame Relay protocol to discard erroneous frames and thus eliminate time-consuming error-handling processing.
These two factors make Frame Relay a desirable choice for data transmission; however, they also necessitate testing to determine that the system works properly and that data is not lost.

Frame Relay Structure

Standards for the Frame Relay protocol have been developed by ANSI and CCITT simultaneously. The separate LMI specification has basically been incorporated into the ANSI specification. The following discussion of the protocol structure includes the major points from these specifications.

The Frame Relay frame structure is based on the LAPD protocol. In the Frame Relay structure, the frame header is altered slightly to contain the Data Link Connection Identifier (DLCI) and congestion bits, in place of the normal address and control fields. This new Frame Relay header is 2 bytes in length and has the following format:

Frame Relay header structure

Credit: http://www.protocols.com/pbook/frame.htm

Answer 2

Frame relay is a telecommunication service designed for cost-efficient data transmission for intermittent traffic between local area networks (LANs) and between end-points in a wide area network (WAN). Frame relay puts data in a variable-size unit called a frame and leaves any necessary error correction (retransmission of data) up to the end-points, which speeds up overall data transmission. For most services, the network provides a permanent virtual circuit (PVC), which means that the customer sees a continous, dedicated connection without having to pay for a full-time leased line, while the service provider figures out the route each frame travels to its destination and can charge based on usage.

For more information:http://searchenterprisewan.techtarget.com/definition/frame-relay