Cabletron Systems SmartSwitch manual Configuring Frame Relay Interfaces for the SSR

Chapter 22: WAN Configuration Guide

Permanent Virtual Circuits (PVCs)

WAN interfaces can take advantage of connections that assure a minimum level of available bandwidth at all times. These standing connections, called Permanent Virtual Circuits (PVCs), allow you to route critical packet transmissions from host to peer without concern for network congestion significantly slowing, let alone interrupting, your communications. PVCs are the most prevalent type of circuit used today and are similar to dedicated private lines in that you can lease and set them up through a service provider.

In a corporate setting, network administrators can use PVCs in an internal network to set aside bandwidth for critical connections, such as videoconferencing with other corporate departments.

Configuring Frame Relay Interfaces for the SSR

This section provides an overview of configuring a host of WAN parameters and setting up WAN interfaces. When working in the Frame Relay protocol environment, you must first define the type and location of the WAN interface. Having established the type and location of your WAN interfaces, you need to (optionally) define one or more service profiles for your WAN interfaces, then apply a service profile to the desired interface(s). An example of this process is covered in “Frame Relay Port Configuration” on page 325.

Defining the Type and Location of a Frame Relay and VC Interface

To configure a frame relay WAN port, you need to first define the type and location of one or more frame relay WAN ports or virtual circuits (VCs) on your SSR. The following command line displays a simplified example of a frame relay WAN port definition:

Define the type and location of a frame relay WAN port.

port set <port> wan-encapsulation frame- relay speed <number>

Note: If the port is a HSSI port that will be connected to a HSSI port on another router, you can also specify clock <clock-source>in your definition.

Then, you must set up a frame relay virtual circuit (VC). The following command line displays a simplified example of a VC definition:

Define the type and location of a frame relay VC.

frame-relay create vc <port>

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