2.2.5 Frame Relay
With increasing demand for higher bandwidth and lower latency packet switching, communications providers introduced Frame Relay. Although the network layout appears similar to that for X.25, available data rates are commonly up to 4 Mbps, with some providers offering even higher rates.
Frame Relay differs from X.25 in several aspects. Most importantly, it is a much simpler protocol that works at the data link layer rather than the network layer.
Frame Relay implements no error or flow control. The simplified handling of frames leads to reduced latency, and measures taken to avoid frame build-up at intermediate switches help reduce jitter.
Most Frame Relay connections are PVCs rather than SVCs. The connection to the network edge is often a leased line but dialup connections are available from some providers using ISDN lines. The ISDN D channel is used to set up an SVC on one or more B channels. Frame Relay tariffs are based on the capacity of the connecting port at the network edge. Additional factors are the agreed capacity and committed information rate (CIR) of the various PVCs through the port.
Frame Relay provides permanent shared medium bandwidth connectivity that carries both voice and data traffic. Frame Relay is ideal for connecting enterprise LANs. The router on the LAN needs only a single interface, even when multiple VCs are used. The short-leased line to the Frame Relay network edge allows cost-effective connections between widely scattered LANs.
2.2.6 ATM
Communications providers saw a need for a permanent shared network technology that offered very low latency and jitter at much higher bandwidths. Their solution was Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). ATM has data rates beyond 155 Mbps. As with the other shared technologies, such as X.25 and Frame Relay, diagrams for ATM WANs look the same.
ATM is a technology that is capable of transferring voice, video, and data through private and public networks. It is built on a cell-based architecture rather than on a frame-based architecture. ATM cells are always a fixed length of 53 bytes. The 53 byte ATM cell contains a 5 byte ATM header followed by 48 bytes of ATM payload. Small, fixed-length cells are well suited for carrying voice and video traffic because this traffic is intolerant of delay. Video and voice traffic do not have to wait for a larger data packet to be transmitted.
The 53 byte ATM cell is less efficient than the bigger frames and packets of Frame Relay and X.25. Furthermore, the ATM cell has at least 5 bytes of overhead for each 48-byte payload. When the cell is carrying segmented network layer packets, the overhead will be higher because the ATM switch must be able to reassemble the packets at the destination. A typical ATM line needs almost 20% greater bandwidth than Frame Relay to carry the same volume of network layer data.
ATM offers both PVCs and SVCs, although PVCs are more common with WANs.
As with other shared technologies, ATM allows multiple virtual circuits on a single leased line connection to the network edge.
With increasing demand for higher bandwidth and lower latency packet switching, communications providers introduced Frame Relay. Although the network layout appears similar to that for X.25, available data rates are commonly up to 4 Mbps, with some providers offering even higher rates.
Frame Relay differs from X.25 in several aspects. Most importantly, it is a much simpler protocol that works at the data link layer rather than the network layer.
Frame Relay implements no error or flow control. The simplified handling of frames leads to reduced latency, and measures taken to avoid frame build-up at intermediate switches help reduce jitter.
Most Frame Relay connections are PVCs rather than SVCs. The connection to the network edge is often a leased line but dialup connections are available from some providers using ISDN lines. The ISDN D channel is used to set up an SVC on one or more B channels. Frame Relay tariffs are based on the capacity of the connecting port at the network edge. Additional factors are the agreed capacity and committed information rate (CIR) of the various PVCs through the port.
Frame Relay provides permanent shared medium bandwidth connectivity that carries both voice and data traffic. Frame Relay is ideal for connecting enterprise LANs. The router on the LAN needs only a single interface, even when multiple VCs are used. The short-leased line to the Frame Relay network edge allows cost-effective connections between widely scattered LANs.
2.2.6 ATM
Communications providers saw a need for a permanent shared network technology that offered very low latency and jitter at much higher bandwidths. Their solution was Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). ATM has data rates beyond 155 Mbps. As with the other shared technologies, such as X.25 and Frame Relay, diagrams for ATM WANs look the same.
ATM is a technology that is capable of transferring voice, video, and data through private and public networks. It is built on a cell-based architecture rather than on a frame-based architecture. ATM cells are always a fixed length of 53 bytes. The 53 byte ATM cell contains a 5 byte ATM header followed by 48 bytes of ATM payload. Small, fixed-length cells are well suited for carrying voice and video traffic because this traffic is intolerant of delay. Video and voice traffic do not have to wait for a larger data packet to be transmitted.
The 53 byte ATM cell is less efficient than the bigger frames and packets of Frame Relay and X.25. Furthermore, the ATM cell has at least 5 bytes of overhead for each 48-byte payload. When the cell is carrying segmented network layer packets, the overhead will be higher because the ATM switch must be able to reassemble the packets at the destination. A typical ATM line needs almost 20% greater bandwidth than Frame Relay to carry the same volume of network layer data.
ATM offers both PVCs and SVCs, although PVCs are more common with WANs.
As with other shared technologies, ATM allows multiple virtual circuits on a single leased line connection to the network edge.
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