Frame Relay Router Question

rc51boss

What are the minimum requirements for a router to operate as a frame relay, i.e. ram, ios, model?

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notgoing2fail

rc51boss wrote: »

What are the minimum requirements for a router to operate as a frame relay, i.e. ram, ios, model?

Not sure of minimum, but you should have some serial ports....if you want it to act as if it were a frame relay switch, having 4 serial ports would be good...

Other than that, I suppose a recent IOS would help, not sure if that would even be required....

Dilbert65

I run frame relay on a 2620 with a 4 serial port module. Other than that that is all you need. For IOS I was running it on version 11.x with no problems. You can also use a 2611 with 4 serail ports but a 2611 costs more than a 2620, usually.

rc51boss

Is there any advantage to having a higher end router as your frame relay?

notgoing2fail

Dilbert65 wrote: »

I run frame relay on a 2620 with a 4 serial port module. Other than that that is all you need. For IOS I was running it on version 11.x with no problems. You can also use a 2611 with 4 serail ports but a 2611 costs more than a 2620, usually.

I've never understood Cisco's naming convention, and I still don't...

You would think that a higher number would be more expensive? Without getting to detailed, why is a 2611 more expensive than a 2620?

I gotta pick up a 2620 myself, it seems to be a pretty standard router everyone has in a lab....having one with 4 serial ports would be fantastic for frame relay...

DPG

notgoing2fail wrote: »

I've never understood Cisco's naming convention, and I still don't...

You would think that a higher number would be more expensive? Without getting to detailed, why is a 2611 more expensive than a 2620?

I gotta pick up a 2620 myself, it seems to be a pretty standard router everyone has in a lab....having one with 4 serial ports would be fantastic for frame relay...

The 2611 has 2x FE ports while the 2620 only has one.

mikej412

rc51boss wrote: »

Is there any advantage to having a higher end router as your frame relay?

For a lab environment, not really. I usually suggest shopping around and going with the "cheap solution."

You can get one of the Cisco 252x routers with 4 or 10 Serial Ports (2 of which are the higher speed synchronous serial ports, the rest are the slower asynchronous serial ports). There are old Token Ring and AUI Ethernet versions of each.

You can also configure a "compound frame relay switch" using a couple of cheap 2501 routers. I've linked a few times over to the page at InternetworkExperts.com (CCIE Lab Workbook/Training Vendor) that shows how to do using the slow AUX port -- but you can do the tunnel interface over the AUI Ethernet and add more ports to the "frame relay cloud" by adding another router.

The speed doesn't matter all that much. I'd usually just configure the ports for 64K and save a synchronous port for a hub router in case I bumped up the speeds.

The 10 port, and even the 4 port, 2500s usually cost more than the $10-15 I suggest possibly paying for a simple 2501 (with MAX Memory) -- but sometimes people think they're worth $100 dollars. The 4/10 port 2500s are NOT worth that.

You can get a $20-50 NM-4A/S and put it in a $20-25 2610 and have a router that works as a 4 port frame relay switch. Spend a bit more for an NM-8A/S and you have and you can have 8 routers connected to your lab frame relay cloud.

Prices vary depending on where you're located, how long you're willing to patiently bid looking for a great deal, and what's available on eBay.

If you're looking "long term" when you build your lab and buy 2600XM routers, you can toss the NM-4A/S or NM-8A/S into one of those and have it pull "double duty" -- have it act as the frame relay switch and as just one of the regular routers out it's other interfaces.

notgoing2fail wrote: »

You would think that a higher number would be more expensive? Without getting to detailed, why is a 2611 more expensive than a 2620?

Dual LAN Interfaces in a slower router beats a Single LAN Interface in a slightly faster router.

hermeszdata

I completely agree with Mike about double dutying an XM router. I am doing this witha 3640. Right now, it is my access server (NM-16A), Frame relay(NM-4A/S, VoIP (and is one part of my PSTN cloud), and Branch office router.

The only problem I have is trying to keep track of everything I have going on with it.

John

notgoing2fail

mikej412 wrote: »

Dual LAN Interfaces in a slower router beats a Single LAN Interface in a slightly faster router.

Got it.....especially for lab purposes where performance isn't the main objective....

hermeszdata wrote: »

I completely agree with Mike about double dutying an XM router. I am doing this witha 3640. Right now, it is my access server (NM-16A), Frame relay(NM-4A/S, VoIP (and is one part of my PSTN cloud), and Branch office router.

The only problem I have is trying to keep track of everything I have going on with it.

John

Would you rather prefer to have multiple routers or consolidate it the way you have it now?

I've been looking for a 2511 on eBay and quite frankly, its hard for me to spend $200+ for a 20 year old device.... So I was thinking of getting a 2600 series router with a NM-16A module. Only to find out that these baby's go for about $200 on eBay as well!! Minus the router!

hermeszdata

notgoing2fail wrote: »

Got it.....especially for lab purposes where performance isn't the main objective....

Would you rather prefer to have multiple routers or consolidate it the way you have it now?

I've been looking for a 2511 on eBay and quite frankly, its hard for me to spend $200+ for a 20 year old device.... So I was thinking of getting a 2600 series router with a NM-16A module. Only to find out that these baby's go for about $200 on eBay as well!! Minus the router!

There are definite pros an cons to having dedicated devices. Right now (mainly because i just sold 6 routers and 4 switches) I am just trying to get the most use out of what I have.

As for an NM-16A, I stole mine on eBay for $55 delivered! I was also very patient with my watching and bidding.

notgoing2fail

hermeszdata wrote: »

There are definite pros an cons to having dedicated devices. Right now (mainly because i just sold 6 routers and 4 switches) I am just trying to get the most use out of what I have.

As for an NM-16A, I stole mine on eBay for $55 delivered! I was also very patient with my watching and bidding.

WOW!! That's a fantastic price!!

I sound like that Staples guy now in that commercial....

"WOW! That's a low price!"

Did the seller not know the value of his module or did he just not care? Or do you just not know and don't care either! LOL...

I'll keep watching, because the 2620's seem to go pretty cheap....so if I can stick one of these modules in, I'd have a newer IOS router that can act as an access server at the very least.....

Forsaken_GA

DPG wrote: »

The 2611 has 2x FE ports while the 2620 only has one.

That's only true of the XM models. Non-XM 2611's have two ethernet ports, not fast ethernets. It boils down to much the same thing - router ports are expensive