Re: Please help - Difference between Frame Relay and T1

Ok, first off, this is some what of an over simplification and I am
sure I am going to get called on it, but there is a method to my
madness eh, so all you Frame Relay guru's out there bite your
collective lips for a moment.

When talking about Internet access, there are so many ways to
provision this, eh, that it goes way beyond the scope of your
question. Here is a basic way I differentiate FR and T1's with
clients.

Think of Frame Relay as a Service, just like Internet Access or a VPN
etc. Think of a T1 as a means to an end. Its a leased line, a
transport mechanism. It could connect to just about anything.

Frame relay is an efficient way to manage variable rate Internet
Access. It is a proven technology, easily deployed and cost effective,
eh. In essence it has some inherent flexibility and scalability.

A Point to Point T1 circuit to your service provider does not have the
flexibility of a Frame Circuit, even though they physically use the
same physical medium to achieve access. The port speed on a T1 might
be altered to provide various grades of serve, 128, 512 etc. But
doesn't have the ability to throttle up at peak periods. By purchasing
a FR circuit you are getting all the benefits of a T1 with the added
value of a FR network, bursting, etc.

Qualifying statements:
If your contract on the FR service is about up, do a  traffic analysis
(call your carrier), make sure you are utilizing the service properly.
I would guess from the sounds of it that you think 512K isn't enough
and want the full 1.54M,  that should be possible with the Frame
service, but make sure you renegotiate the contract and don't sign any
longer than 12-24 months MAX! A full T1 PTP is not necessarily going
to solve bandwidth problems for you if that is the issue, eh. Do a
traffic analysis study, check current FR and T1 costs with a few
different suppliers and then draw your conclusions.

After all that's done. Go out and order a xDSL connection at a
fraction of the cost of either T1 or FR.  heh heh. Just kidding, but
the point is you should also look at other options, AND IN PARTICULAR
options that allow you to consolidate services, for example how many
PRI's does the organization use, and are they maxed out? If not you
could possible bundle Internet Access on unused channels of an already
provisioned circuit. Think about it.  Hope this helped. Cheers.


"rockchalk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> I'm trying to find information about how a 512K Frame Relay circuit
is
> different with regard to performance, reliability, etc. compared to
a
> T1.  This connection would be from our location to the internet (not
a
> point-to-point to another of our locations).  Specifically I am
hoping
> to find ways to prove that a T1 internet connection is better for
our
> school district than the 512K Frame Relay that we presently have.
In
> the future, we will be looking into things such as VPNs, video
> conferencing, distance learning, etc. if that information is
helpful.
> This is definitely not my area of expertise so I appreciate the
help.