What Does Frame Relay Mean?
Frame Relay is a scalable wide area network solution which makes use of packet-mode transmission. Frame Relay allows for a single serial interface on the router to connect multiple remote sites with the help of virtual circuits. Although Frame Relay is popular due to its relatively inexpensive nature, it is being replaced in many areas by other faster technologies such as asynchronous transfer mode.
Techopedia Explains Frame Relay
Initially designed for transportation across an integrated services digital network infrastructure, Frame Relay places data in a variable unit known as a frame. Configuring user equipment in a Frame Relay network is extremely simple. The connection-oriented link-layer service provided by Frame Relay has properties like non-duplication of frames, preservation of the frame transfer order and small probability of frame loss. The features provided by Frame Relay make it one of the best choices for interconnecting local area networks using a wide area network. However the drawback in this method is that it becomes prohibitively expensive with growth of the network.
