This section describes how to configure your bridge/router to transmit and receive data over a Frame Relay interface.

You must follow the steps in this section whether you are configuring for bridging or for routing. After you have completed these steps, proceed to "Setting Up Basic Bridging over Frame Relay" for bridging configuration information or to "Setting Up Basic Routing over Frame Relay" for routing configuration information.

For detailed descriptions of all commands, see Reference for Enterprise OS Software.

Prerequisites

Before beginning this procedure, complete the following tasks:

• Log on to the system with Network Manager privilege.

• Configure your wide area bridge/router ports and paths.

• Determine if your Frame Relay network supports the Local Management Interface (LMI) Protocol. For information about LMI, see "Local Management Interface Protocol" later in this chapter.

• Determine if you have a partially meshed or nonmeshed topology. If you do and you plan to enable the Internet Protocol (IP), the Routing Information Protocol (RIP), the Internet Packet Exchange (IPX), or AppleTalk routing, make certain that the next-hop split horizon feature is enabled. If you have a partially meshed or nonmeshed topology and you plan to enable Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), make sure that you set -OSPF CONTrol to NonMesh to enable the point-to-multipoint interface. If you plan to enable bridging, Xerox Network Systems (XNS), VINES, or DECnet IV routing, make sure that you have created virtual ports for each remote network that is attached to a Frame Relay cloud. For information on meshed, partially meshed, and nonmeshed topologies, next-hop split horizon, and virtual ports, see "How Frame Relay Works" later in this chapter. For instructions on setting up virtual ports, see the Configuring Advanced Ports and Paths chapter.

To transmit and receive data over a Frame Relay network, follow these steps:

1 .   Enable the Frame Relay service by setting the owner of the serial interface to Frame Relay using:

SETDefault !<port> -PORT OWNer = FrameRelay

If PORT OWNer is set to Auto, Frame Relay is detected and configured automatically and this step may not be necessary.

For networks running RIP with the port up and the -RIPIP CONTrol parameter set to TAlk, the CONTrol parameter DynamicNbr option is automatically enabled. With the DynamicNbr enabled, neighbors are automatically added. If DynamicNbr is not enabled, neighbors must be added manually.

2 .   If your Frame Relay network supports the LMI Protocol, make sure that the appropriate LMI Protocol is enabled. If your Frame Relay network does not support the LMI Protocol, disable this protocol.

The Enterprise OS software includes four types of LMI: Consortium LMI, Annex-D LMI, NTT LMI, and ITU LMI. Configure the software with the type of LMI that the switching equipment supports. Configure Consortium LMI by specifying LMI; configure Annex-D LMI by specifying ANsiLMI; configure NTT LMI by specifying the value NTTLMI; configure ITU LMI by specifying the value ITULMI.

If the port is configured for auto detect, the type of LMI is determined dynamically. To manually enable the specific LMI or to completely disable the LMI Protocol, use:

SETDefault !<port> -FR CONTrol = [NoLMI | LMI | ANsiLMI | NTTLMI | ITULMI]

You can configure congestion control for individual virtual circuits on a logical or virtual port you are configuring for Frame Relay. There is a procedure to configure congestion control for NETBuilder bridge/router ports configured for the NTTLMI protocol, and there is another procedure to configure congestion control for ports configured to use LMI protocols other than NTTLMI. For more information, see "Frame Relay Congestion Control" later in this chapter .

For NTTLMI Protocol Users

To configure congestion control for NETBuilder bridge/router ports configured for NTTLMI, use:

SETDefault !<port> -FR DLCIR = <vcid> <cir>

where the Frame Relay <vcid> (virtual circuit identifier) value for a permanent virtual circuit (PVC) is the data link circuit identifier (DLCI) assigned by your Frame Relay service provider from a range of 16 through 991. The <vcid> value for a switched virtual circuit (SVC) is a unique virtual circuit identifier number that you assign to an SVC from the 16 through 991 DLCI range of numbers that has not been assigned by your service provider for a PVC. For more information on the -FR DLCIR parameter, see the FR Service Parameters chapter in Reference for Enterprise OS Software.

<cir> specifies the rate of NETBuilder bridge/router data (in kilobits per second) that the Frame Relay network commits to transfer under normal conditions.

CAUTION: Failure to specify <cir> values for the DLCIs causes unpredictable results.

For Other LMI Protocol Users

To configure congestion control for NETBuilder bridge/router ports configured to use an LMI protocol other than NTTLMI, follow these steps:

See the FR Service Parameters chapter in Reference for Enterprise OS Software for more information on the parameters described in these steps.

1 .   To activate congestion control for a particular port and individual <vcid> connection, and to specify how many consecutive BECN=1 frames (<step>) Frame Relay sends to the bridge/router port before the maximum throughput rate is reduced to a level below cir, use:

SETDefault !<port> -FR CongestControl = <vcid> [YES | NO] <step> (1-999)

2 .   To specify the throughput parameters for data coming in and going out a specified virtual circuit (<vcid>) connection on a specified port, use:

SETDefault !<port> -FR CIRbothdir = <vcid> <cir> <mincir> <Bc> <Be>

where:

• <vcid> identifies the identification of the Frame Relay virtual circuit used to establish the connection between the remote user and the local port.

• <cir> specifies the rate of NETBuilder bridge/router data (in Kilobits per second) that the Frame Relay network commits to transfer under normal conditions.

• <mincir> specifies the minimum rate of NETBuilder bridge/router data throughput (in Kilobits per second) that the calling user is committed to accept for the call. Normally <mincir> is specified for SVCs and not PVCs. The <mincir> value will be specified for PVCs only if the PVC <cir> is set to zero and the user wants to use congestion control.

• <Bc> specifies the maximum of NETBuilder bridge/router data bits (in Kilobits) that the network commits to transfer under normal conditions during the time interval (Tc) measured in seconds.

• <Be> specifies the maximum of uncommitted NETBuilder data bits (in Kilobits) in excess of Bc that the network attempts to deliver during the time interval (Tc) measured in seconds. If <Be> is nonzero, the NETBuilder bridge/router will not transmit more than <Be> number of data bits over the Tc time interval.

  When configuring a PVC, the values entered for <cir> , <Bc>, and <Be> must match the values for these variables provided by your service provider.

3 .   To enable (disable is the default) Frame Relay to send messages when the network is congested and uncongested to the LLC2 layer use:

SETDefault -LLC2 FRCongestCont = ([Enable | Disable])

Setting Frame Relay Congestion Control for a port that is configured for LLC2 and SNA over Frame Relay increases overall network performance and reliability. On very large networks,congestion control for a port configured for LLC2 and SNA over Frame Relay can lower the performance of SNA because of the messages sent by Frame Relay when the network is congested or uncongested. Poor response time is an indicator that the SNA performance is being affected by Frame Relay Congestion Control.

See "FRCongestCont" in the LLC2 Service Parameters chapter in Reference for Enterprise OS Software for details about the -LLC2 FRCongestCont parameter.

This example describes how to configure the logical ports of the SuperStack II NETBuilder bridge/router shown in Figure 326 for Frame Relay Congestion Control. The following values are used in the configuration:

• Virtual port 1 on physical path 2 over DLCI (vcid) 21 with a <cir> of 32, <mincir> of 32, <Bc> of 32, and a <Be> of 32.

• Virtual port 2 on physical path 2 over DLCI (vcid) 22 with a <cir> of 16, <mincir> of 16, <Bc> of 16, and a <Be> of 16.

• Virtual port 3 on physical path 3 over DLCI (vcid) 22 with a <cir> of 16, <mincir> of 16, <Bc> of 16, and a <Be> of 32.

• All ports are set to a <step> value of 4.

Figure 326 Congestion Control Configuration Example

1 .   To activate congestion control for all virtual circuits, and to specify 4 consecutive BECN=1 frames (<step>) Frame Relay sends to the bridge/router port to notify it of congestion on the specific virtual circuit before the maximum throughput traffic is reduced below cir, enter:

SETDefault !V1 -FR CongestControl 21 Yes 4

SETDefault !V2 -FR CongestControl 22 Yes 4

SETDefault !V3 -FR CongestControl 21 Yes 4

2 .   To specify the <cir>, <mincir>, <Bc>, and <Be> values for all the logical ports, enter:

SETDefault !V1 -FR CIRbothdir 21 32 32 32 32

SETDefault !V2 -FR CIRbothdir 22 16 16 16 16

SETDefault !V3 -FR CIRbothdir 21 64 64 64 0

You can use either PVCs or SVCs to connect remote users through the Frame Relay network to your bridge/router port. PVCs are identified by Frame Relay virtual circuit IDs (<vcid>), which are actually DLCI numbers assigned by your service provider to make the connection. The range of DLCIs from which the service provider can assign is determined by the LMI protocol that you configured for your NETBuilder bridge/router port.

SVCs are identified by Frame Relay virtual circuit IDs, which are numbers that match DLCI numbers available from the range of DLCIs that have not been assigned by the service provider for PVC connections.

Unlike PVCs, which use the DLCIs to make their connections, SVCs must be configured for the following addresses (telephone numbers) to establish their connections:

• The customer premises equipment (CPE) link address, which is the telephone number assigned by your network service provider for your local bridge/router port. This address is used by all SVCs configured for this port.

• The destination address (telephone number) of the remote user associated with the local virtual circuit ID

• The address of the local SVC, which is the telephone number associated with the local virtual circuit ID (the DLCI you assigned it). The CPE link address is used to identify the local virtual circuit if the address of the local SVC is not set

SVCs can be dynamic connections that go down after the data transfer has stopped for the time interval specified with the -FR SvcIdleTimer parameter or they can be configured as static connections that remain up after the data transfer has stopped, like PVCs.

To configure SVC connections for your NETBuilder bridge/router port, follow these steps:

See the FR Service Parameters chapter in Reference for Enterprise OS Software for more information on the parameters described in these steps.

1 .   Identify the local customer premises equipment (CPE) address (telephone number) assigned by your Frame Relay network service provider for your NETBuilder bridge/router, which identifies the local bridge/router port to the network, using:

SETDefault !<port> -FR LinkAddress = [<E.164 address> (1-15 digits) | <X.121 address> (1-15 digits)]

2 .   Identify the SVC destination address (telephone number) of the remote user associated with the local virtual circuit ID (<vcid>) using:

ADD !<port> -FR SvcDestAddress = <vcid> [<E.164 address> (1-15 digits) | <X.121 address> (1-15 digits)]

3 .   Identify the local SVC telephone number associated with a specified virtual circuit ID (<vcid>) to the remote user (optional) using:

SETDefault !<port> -FR SvcLocalAddress = <vcid> [<E.164 address> (1-15 digits) | <X.121 address> (1-15 digits)]

where <vcid> specifies a virtual circuit identifier number from the range of DLCI numbers available and that have not been assigned by your service provider for a PVC connection. The local address configured for this <vcid> number is used to identify the local virtual circuit used to establish the connection between the remote user and the bridge/router port. If the address of the local SVC is not set, the CPE link address is used to identify the virtual circuit.

4 .   An SVC connection is automatically established depending on whether the port is busy with another caller on another <vcid> assigned to the port.

To manually activate an SVC connection that ensures a connection for your <vcid> to that port (optional), use:

ADD !<port> -FR SvcConnection <vcid>

To manually disconnect an SVC connection for your <vcid> to that port (optional), use:

DELete !<port> -FR SvcConnection <vcid>

5 .   To set your SvcIdleTimer parameter for how long an SVC will remain idle before it shuts down (optional), use (the default is 80 seconds):

SETDefault!<port> -FR SvcIdleTimer <vcid> [None | (0-3600 seconds)]

6 .   To either enable or disable SVC operation on the specified port (optional), use:

SETDefault !<port> -FR SvcMode = [0 = disabled | 1 = enabled]

The default setting for this parameter is 0 (disabled).