1. CCNA 5.0 Planning Guide
Chapter 4: Frame Relay

2. Chapter 4: Objectives
Describe the fundamental concepts of Frame Relay technology, including operation, implementation requirements, maps, and Local Management Interface (LMI) operation.
Configure a basic Frame Relay permanent virtual circuit (PVC), including configuring and troubleshooting Frame Relay on a router serial interface and configuring a static Frame Relay map.
Describe advanced concepts of Frame Relay technology, including subinterfaces, bandwidth, and flow control.
Configure an advanced Frame Relay PVC, including solving reachability issues, configuring subinterfaces, and verifying and troubleshooting a Frame Relay configuration. 2

3. Chapter 4: Overview
An alternative to dedicated, expensive, leased WAN lines is Frame Relay. Frame Relay is a high-performance WAN protocol that operates at the physical and data link layers of the OSI reference model.
Although broadband services have reduced the need for Frame Relay in many locations, it is used by many businesses and in rural areas. Frame Relay provides a cost-effective solution for communications between multiple remote sites by using a single access circuit from each site to the provider.
This chapter introduces Frame Relay fundamental and advanced concepts, configuration, verification, and troubleshooting tasks. 3

4. Chapter 4: Activities
What activities are associated with this chapter?
Class Activity – Emerging WAN Technologies
Activity – Identify Frame Relay Terminology and Concepts
Activity – Map the Virtual Circuit to the Port Number
Activity – Match Frame Relay Fields to the Definition
Activity – Identify LMI Terminology and Concepts
Activity – Identify Frame Relay Bandwidth and Flow Control Terminology
Packet Tracer – Configuring Static Frame Relay Maps
Activity – Identify Frame Relay Bandwidth and Flow Control Terminology 4

5. Chapter 4: Activities (cont.)
What activities are associated with this chapter?
Packet Tracer – Configure Frame Relay Point to Point Subinterfaces
Lab – Configure Frame Relay and Subinterfaces
Lab – Troubleshooting Basic Frame Relay
Class Activity – Frame-Relay Budget Proposal
Packet Tracer – Skills Integration Challenge 5

6. Chapter 4: Packet Tracer Activity Password
The password for all the Packet Tracer activities in this chapter is:
PT_ccna5 6

7. Chapter 4: Assessment
Students should complete Chapter 4 Exam after completing Chapter 4.
Worksheets, labs and quizzes can be used to informally assess student progress. 7

8. Chapter 4: New Terms What terms are introduced in this chapter?
Frame Relay Leased Lines X.25 Protocol Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) CPE Router
Broadband Services Ethernet WAN (Point to point Ethernet Service Over Fiber-optic Cable) MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching)
Central Office (CO) Local Loop Fractional T1 Multiplexer
Permanent Virtual Circuits (PVCs) Data-link Connection Identifier (DLCI)
Virtual Circuit (VC) Switched Virtual Circuits (SVC) Local Significance Locally Significant DLCIs 8

9. Chapter 4: New Terms (cont.)
What terms are introduced in this chapter?
Statistically Multiplexed
Link Access Procedure For Frame Relay (LAPF) Extended Address (EA) C/R
Congestion Control
Star Topology (Hub And Spoke)
Full Mesh Topology Partial Mesh Topology
Inverse ARP Inverse Neighbor Discovery (IND) Dynamic Mapping
Static Frame Relay Mapping
Local Management Interface (LMI)
VC Status Messages Multicasting Global Addressing Simple Flow Control 9

10. Chapter 4: New Terms (cont.)
What terms are introduced in this chapter?
Access Rate Committed Information Rate (CIR)
Discard Eligibility (DE) Bit
Oversubscription
Burst Committed Burst Size (Bc)
Excess Burst Size (Be)
Forward Explicit Congestion Notification (FECN) Backward Explicit Congestion Notification (BECN)
Nonbroadcast Multiple Access (NBMA) Network
Frame Relay Subinterface Point to Point Multipoint
ACTIVE INACTIVE DELETED 10

11. Chapter 4: Best Practices
Prior to teaching Chapter 4, the instructor should:
Complete Chapter 4, “Assessment.”
Emphasize that while Frame Relay might not be as popular as it was in the past, its basic concepts are used in other WAN technologies.
Stress that DLCIs normally have local significance only.
Urge students to use the best practice of using subinterfaces for multiple DLCIs on the same physical serial interface.
If using a router as a Frame Relay switch, make sure that students understand that this is only for a lab environment. They will not find routers being used this way in the field.
If you access to an AdTran 550 (it is a Frame Relay test box and provides other WAN functions), it operates closer to how Frame Relay circuits operates in the field. It is a good piece of additional lab equipment for teaching WAN technologies. 11

12. Chapter 4: Additional Help
For additional help with teaching strategies, including lesson plans, analogies for difficult concepts, and discussion topics, visit the CCNA Community at
If you have lesson plans or resources that you would like to share, upload them to the CCNA Community to help other instructors. 12

13. Chapter 4: Topics Not in ICND2 200-101
This section lists topics covered by this chapter that are NOT listed in the ICND Blueprint. Those topics are posted at
Instructors could skip these sections; however, they should provide additional information and fundamental concepts to assist the student with the topic. 13

14. Chapter 4: Topics Not in ICND2 200-101
What sections of this chapter are NOT in the ICND certification blueprint?
All sections are in ICND 14