Frame Relay was among the earliest Virtual Private Network (VPN) technologies used for connecting customer sites together to transfer data to each other. Not anymore ...MPLS has jumped to the forefront as the clear answer of preference today.
With FR (frame relay) customer sites connect with a network provider's Frame Relay "cloud", commonly using leased line technology (64kbps - 2Mbps are normal in the UK).
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Once every one of the customer sites are linked to the exact same Frame Relay cloud, the client network is created in software using "virtual circuits ".Each VC goes from the branch, to the head office or where the data application is hosted. You can cause a VC for data and a different VC for voice, each with separate performance characteristics (committed information rates).
Key reasons for having Frame Relay - it was not very scalable and was expensive to manage (because of all of the virtual circuits and back up virtual circuits). It'd naturally be properly used to produce "hub-spoke" networks with one main office and plenty of kids - which suited some businesses - even to this day. However the increase in traffic seen in customer networks through the 1990s and beyond has largely rendered Frame Relay obsolete.
However you will find still a rump of businesses still using FR in the UK - particularly individuals with thin client or terminal applications with suprisingly low traffic demands, but high uptime requirements. Because access to the FR cloud was based on highly reliable leased lines, FR networks are generally solid and unremarkable, albeit "low" bandwidth by modern standards.
In the US ... that's not too true. Frame Relay is rarely even discussed when looking into new networks or upgrading existing ones.
Frame Relay competed against ATM in the late 80s and early 90s, but has been superceded by MPLS (Multi-Protocal Label Switching) and Ethernet-based wide-area networks since then. For what you once considered Frame Relay for (application) ... look instead to MPLS first. If more bandwidth or robustness is needed ... and cost can be an obstacle ... gravitate toward an ethernet based WAN. In any event you're better off compared to old Frame relay.
With FR (frame relay) customer sites connect with a network provider's Frame Relay "cloud", commonly using leased line technology (64kbps - 2Mbps are normal in the UK).
Visit website
Once every one of the customer sites are linked to the exact same Frame Relay cloud, the client network is created in software using "virtual circuits ".Each VC goes from the branch, to the head office or where the data application is hosted. You can cause a VC for data and a different VC for voice, each with separate performance characteristics (committed information rates).
Key reasons for having Frame Relay - it was not very scalable and was expensive to manage (because of all of the virtual circuits and back up virtual circuits). It'd naturally be properly used to produce "hub-spoke" networks with one main office and plenty of kids - which suited some businesses - even to this day. However the increase in traffic seen in customer networks through the 1990s and beyond has largely rendered Frame Relay obsolete.
However you will find still a rump of businesses still using FR in the UK - particularly individuals with thin client or terminal applications with suprisingly low traffic demands, but high uptime requirements. Because access to the FR cloud was based on highly reliable leased lines, FR networks are generally solid and unremarkable, albeit "low" bandwidth by modern standards.
In the US ... that's not too true. Frame Relay is rarely even discussed when looking into new networks or upgrading existing ones.
Frame Relay competed against ATM in the late 80s and early 90s, but has been superceded by MPLS (Multi-Protocal Label Switching) and Ethernet-based wide-area networks since then. For what you once considered Frame Relay for (application) ... look instead to MPLS first. If more bandwidth or robustness is needed ... and cost can be an obstacle ... gravitate toward an ethernet based WAN. In any event you're better off compared to old Frame relay.
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