> I keep hearing about frame relay. Can anyone tell me what this is?
You can take a look at a short, human-speak overview of Frame Relay at:
http://www.myhome.org/frame.html
It is a technology that encapsulates data in 'frames' and sends it out
over the 'frame cloud' through whatever available switch it can find to
make the fastest connection. Users connect into the frame cloud at
whatever connection method is best for them. It requires higher end
Customer Premises Equipment than just a modem, specifically a bridge or
router with CSU/DSU on one side, or an ISDN bridge or router or modem with
Terminal Adaptor.
Many school districts are finding it to be a solid investment on the path
toward ATM, one of the technologies we hope we're moving rapidly toward.
Frame Relay allows you to connect at speeds between 56K and T1 (or E1 in
Europe).
If you are considering frame relay, know that it is good for 'bursty'
types of data such as you may encounter on a school LAN, but you may not
enjoy a fluid video rate if you choose frame relay as your vehicle of
choice. If the Frame Relay network becomes congested, the overflow
packets are simply dropped. Then the 'end points' must re-send the
packets.
Frankly, the cost savings spoken of in the industry don't materialize
until you have at least five to eight links set up. After that, it's
quite cost-effective. You can add additional connections into your group
for roughly $200 each after you've done the initial equipment investment.
There is an excellent Frame Relay technical page online at:
http://www.mot.com/MIMS/ISG/tech/frame-relay/resources.html
hht
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