Frame Relay and Leased Lines In networking there are many options in having data transferred from one location to another. Two of which include frame relay and leased lines. Frame relay is a communication method that transfers data by dividing information into packets and sending them over a virtual network. Frame relay is a difficult process to understand and to accomplish. Leased lines, however, is the permanent connection between two stations. Leased lines are simpler to understand and do not take a lot of effort to achieve.According to Computer Networks, frame relay came into existence to overcome the complex protocols caused by slow telephone lines, and expensive computers. Today, telephone lines are fast and inexpensive, which make a good market for frame relay (60). Frame relay is a service in which information can be transmitted in a fast and inexpensive way in either a Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN). However, the Frame Relay FAQ Website, refers to frame relay as "cost effective" because it is not necessarily cheap. The most is made out of the purchaser's money.Frame relay is often referred to as a "cloud" because information travels over many different paths; it is not a physical connection between two stations. It is uncertain how exactly the information will get from place to place at any given time. According to the LAN Times Encyclopedia of Networking, the Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC) is a path in which the frame relay network connects two end points. These PVC's are always active and are guaranteed to provide a certain level of service (384). Today, frame relay is a true "fast packet" switching network by using switched virtual circuits. Switched virtual circuits can provide "any-to-any connectivity" by allowing a customer to change the end points of the link to keep up with business changes. Switched virtual circuits also can provide "bandwidth-on-demand" meaning that when the lin...
