Frame Relay Terms

Frame Relay Interface

A physical interface that is configured to carry frame relay traffic. For instance, a router has a number of interfaces, ie. serial 0, serial 1, ethernet 0, ethernet 1. Any of these can be configured for Frame Relay, while the others could be HDLC, ATM, Lan connections etc.

DLCI Data Link Connection Identifiers

These are configured on a frame relay interface. Each DLCI represents a segment of a virtual circuit between the network and the end user device ie. router

Each DLCI is unique to that segment, but does not have to be across the entire network.

PVC Permanent Virtual Circuit

The PVC is the definition between the two end points of a circuit ie. router on Network A to router on Network B.

The PVC is identified by the DLCI's configured across the network.

When there is data to be sent, the DTE searches for the DLCI which identifies the pre-established path through the network. At each node the device device must search and locate the corresponding DLCI for the next part of the journey from a table.

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