Embedded Computing SpiderWare® Frame Relay STREAMS-Based Frame Relay Implementation

SpiderWare FRAME RELAY protocol stack is a STREAMS-based Frame Relay implementation based on the Frame Relay Forum, ITU-T and ANSI standards providing both PVC and SVC access to a Frame Relay Bearer Service. It implements the Local Management Interface (LMI), and support is provided for multi-protocol encapsulation as per FRF 3.1 (RFCs 1490 and 2427); IP over Frame Relay; dialup/switched access over ISDN, and SNMP MIBs.

SpiderWare FRAME RELAY is a portable, STREAMS - based implementation of the Frame Relay (FR) protocol stack. It can run with any Operating System which has STREAMS support (for example, SVR4 and VxWorks) or with any other Operating System environment using SpiderWare STREAMS. SpiderWare FRAME RELAY has been designed to conform to ITU-T and ANSI specifications and the FRF implementation agreements for the Frame Relaying Bearer Service. It supports Permanent Virtual Circuits (PVC), Switched Virtual Circuits (SVC) and IP encapsulation procedures for either SpiderWare TCP or another vendor's IP. The product provides access to those services via a DLPI standard interface. It is sold mainly under source code license agreement for applications such as providing Frame Relay access for multi-protocol routers, GPRS, communications boards, bridges, intelligent hubs, workstations and communications servers.

Key Features

SpiderWare FRAME RELAY integrates the following key features:

• All layers have comprehensive configuration, tracing, packet decode, and statistical gathering utilities
• Support of 2, 3, 4 octet DLCI headers
• IP over PVC encapsulation procedures are all presented using the industryl standard DataLink Provider Interface (DLPI)
• Dynamic Network configuration support
• SVC Call Control Procedures according to FRF.4 (User to Network Switched Virtual Circuit Implementation Agreement) which includes the DL-CONTROL aspects of ITU-T Q.922 (LAPF) and the Call Control aspects of ITU-T Q.933
• PVC and subnetwork status updates supporting both asynchronous and bi-directional procedures according to Annex D of ANSI T1.617, Annex A of ITU-T Q.933 and the Original LMI Specification
• Frame Relay Service according to the DL-CORE procedures of ANSI T1.618, Annex A of ITU-T Q.922 and FRF.1
• Multi-Protocol Encapsulation as per RFCs 1490 and 2427, FRF.3.1 and Annex F of ANSI T1.617
• Frame Relay Interface MIB RFC 1213 and DTE MIBs RFCs 1315 and 2115
• Congestion control based on receipt of frames with FECN/BECN set or CLLM frames
• Support for Fractional T1/E1
• Support for dialup access over SpiderWare ISDN

Operating Environment

SpiderWare FRAME RELAY has been ported to many architectures including Intel 80X86 and i960, Motorola 68k and PowerPC and SPARC. Operating Systems which SpiderWare FRAME RELAY runs on include VxWorks, pSOS and RTEMS.

Interoperability

SpiderWare FRAME RELAY can easily coexist with other SpiderWare protocols such as TCP/IP, ISDN and X.25, or with other vendors' networking implementations. SpiderWare FRAME RELAY can also operate with SpiderWare STREAMS in a variety of hardware platforms, either with or without an RTOS.

Quality

The SpiderWare Frame Relay implementation is passed through conformance test suites to ensure both the PVC and SVC procedures comply with the current standards. The product has also been tested in a variety of different operating environments, thus ensuring interoperability with most of the main stream service providers and equipment manufacturers’ implementations.

All SpiderWare products are put through a rigorous in-house testing procedure before shipping, including stress tests, to ensure they can continue to function properly in even the most extreme situations.

Deliverables

SpiderWare FRAME RELAY can be licensed mainly as a source code to provide either PVC only or SVC and PVC access technologies. It comes with hardware drivers, programmer's documentation and a 90-day warranty.