OSPF running in NBMA and in Hub-and-Spoke network topology (partially meshed networks) used to be a never land for me. I found it hard to commit the details of every possible changes in this topology into my long term memory. Before I found this book, I used to "memorize" gotcha as many as I can, and I always had hard time to answer my own why. Don't mention configure it with confidence. A variety of Frame Relay interface types such as p2p, p2m, p2m non-broadcast, and multipoint just did not make sense. Do they come solely to mess up with us? Why can't people make things simple and straight? Why is the correct configuration this way, not that way? Chapter 4 in this book answers all my questions about Frame Relay.

Besides different verdor's Lab Workbooks, it is really hard to find a good material like this book which explains Frame Relay and presents scenarios so well. I feel well worth the $40.

Jonathan Chin?s Cisco Frame Relay Solutions Guide (ISBN: 1587051168, Cisco Press) is a new book on an older WAN technology widely deployed in small companies, the enterprise, and service provider networks: Frame Relay. Although one might think that many Cisco Press Frame Relay books exist, there really are none that cover the technology comprehensively, including newer advancements in Frame Relay technology. The closest document would be the Cisco IOS Wide Area Networking Configuration Guide found online or on the Cisco Documentation CD. Jonathan Chin takes many technical aspects and explains them in friendlier terms with IOS command examples and case studies to reinforce the theory. His book includes twenty-two chapters broken out into five major categories:

? Frame Relay ? Technology
? Frame Relay ? Policing & Shaping
? Frame Relay ? Traffic Management
? Frame Relay ? Congestion Management
? Frame Relay ? Congestion Avoidance & Signaling

Just by looking at the major section headers, it is obvious that the book focuses on QoS strategies in a Frame Relay environment, and this is the real value and uniqueness of the book as it discusses updated modular QoS CLI (MQC) best practices in a Frame network. Frame Relay traffic shaping (FRTS) with low latency queuing (LLQ) and class based weighted fair queuing (CBWFQ) is a great example of a real world Frame/QoS strategy that is well documented in this book. FRF.12 fragmentation, compression, and FRF.16 multilink Frame Relay are other topics that Chin covers and helps to clarify their context and possible uses. Aside from QoS techniques, Chin also covers lesser known Frame Relay technologies such as PPP over Frame, Frame SVC?s, and X.25 over Frame. Lastly, Chin spends some time going through different ways to configure a Cisco router to act as a Frame Relay switch, and what types of QoS can be used in those scenarios.

Again, the QoS sections of the book are good and helpful, although at times it seems that too many different topics are covered leaving less in-depth details for any one topic. Readers familiar with MQC will have a much easier time with the book than those who haven?t spent anytime working with or investigating QoS strategy. The major drawback to the book is that it includes some sections that could either be reduced or not included at all. The first 90 pages are devoted to basic Frame Relay technology which in one sense is to be expected in a ?Frame Relay Solutions Guide,? but on the other is unnecessary given that the basics are well documented elsewhere. Chin works in the ?Fancy Queuing? techniques of Priority and Custom queuing on different occasions in the book, which at some level is more a topic of historical knowledge than real world practical. The MQC configs are much more valuable and applicable; more time should have been spent in those areas instead of priority queuing. The X.25 over Frame was a perplexing chapter as Chin states that ?the use of X.25 protocol on network backbones is fast becoming obsolete? (p.332). Again, interesting from a posterity perspective, but the reality is that X.25 is obsolete. Chin would have better served his reading audience by providing just two major categories: Advanced Frame Relay technologies (PPP, Frame/ATM, ELMI Switching, etc) and Frame Relay QoS technologies (FRTS, fragmentation, compression, RSVP, WRED, etc.).

The Cisco Frame Relay Solutions Guide has good information for the small company up to the enterprise and even at the service provider level, especially as it pertains to QoS. Some of the other advanced Frame technologies may be useful at the enterprise level, but the coverage depth is too shallow for the service provider. This is a good book to see what Frame Relay can do outside of configuring your standard PVC?s and when you need to deploy QoS. It is not comprehensive or deep enough, however, to stand as an authoritative source for Frame Relay.

The title is accurate because the Jonathan Chin begins each chapter with certain problems that are encountered with Frame Relay. Then he spends that chapter demonstrating how Cisco has addressed these obstacles with new features in their Internetwork Operating System (IOS). Chin deals with the problems of multi-access Frame Relay, but dedicates more time to hub-and-spoke networks, since this is the most common type seen in the industry. There are so many options for shaping and managing traffic across the Frame Relay links with the newer versions of the Cisco IOS. And Chin explains them all showing how they solve existing limitations and what new limitations they bring, if any. When a new feature is presented, he usually charts out the advantages and disadvantages of the new versus the old configurations.
The reader should have some basic knowledge of wide area networking to find the information in the Cisco Frame Relay Solutions Guide useful. The service provider offering complete end-to-end solutions for customers will get the most from the book. However, network administrators throughout the industry will find it useful for managing their leased Frame Relay network. There are some examples of what can be done on only the end DTE routers, without the help of the service provider.
The chapters have excellent references with review questions. Nine of the chapters include case studies where real life problems are problems are described and solutions are shown with configurations. The author obviously has an excellent lab where the solutions were tested and documented. Chin also presents solutions that would be helpful in countries where the infrastructure is out-dated. One nice trick is multi-plexing multiple DLCIs to increase bandwidth where a full T1 is not possible. I give this book a five star rating for layout, accuracy, and usefulness.