Wide-Area Networking Overview

Cisco IOS software provides a range of wide-area networking capabilities to fit almost every network
environment need. Cisco offers cell relay via the Switched Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS), circuit
switching via Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), packet switching via Frame Relay, and the
benefits of both circuit and packet switching via Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). LAN emulation
(LANE) provides connectivity between ATM and other LAN types.

Cisco's dial backup capability provides continuous network access during WAN downtime. Dial-on-
demand routing (DDR) provides access flexibility, using modems or ISDN to connect to a WAN. Dial-
up connections can use Link Access Procedure, Balanced (LAPB), PPP, X.25, or can use Frame
Relay encapsulation over X.25 or Frame Relay packet-switched networks.

The Wide-Area Networking Configuration Guide discusses the following software components:

• ATM

• DDR

• Frame Relay

• ISDN

• LAN Emulation (LANE)

• PPP for Wide-Area Networking

• SMDS

• LAPB and X.25

This overview chapter gives a high-level description of each technology. For specific configuration
information, refer to the appropriate chapter in this module.

ATM

ATM is a cell-switching and multiplexing technology designed to combine the benefits of circuit
switching (constant transmission delay and guaranteed capacity) with those of packet switching
(flexibility and efficiency for intermittent traffic).

Cisco provides ATM access in several ways, depending on the hardware available in the router:

• Serial interface, in devices that lack an ATM Interface Processor (AIP) or network processor
module (NPM)

• AIP, in supported routers

• NPM, in supported routers

In routers outside the Cisco 4500 series and the Cisco 7000 family, a serial interface can be
configured for multiprotocol encapsulation over the Asynchronous Transfer Mode-Data Exchange
Interface (ATM-DXI), as specified by RFC 1483. This standard describes two methods for transporting
multiprotocol connectionless network interconnect traffic over an ATM network. One method allows
multiplexing of multiple protocols over a single permanent virtual circuit (PVC). The other method uses
different virtual circuits to carry different protocols. Our implementation supports transport of
AppleTalk, Banyan VINES, Internet Protocol (IP), and Novell Internetwork Packet Exchange protocol
(IPX) traffic.

In routers outside the Cisco 4500 series and the Cisco 7000 family, an ATM data service unit (ADSU)
is required to do the following:

• Provide the ATM interface to the network

• Compute the DXI Frame Address (DFA) from the virtual path identifier (VPI) and virtual channel
identifier (VCI) values defined for the protocol or protocols carried on the PVC

• Convert outgoing packets into ATM cells

• Reassemble incoming ATM cells into packets

On the Cisco 7000 family routers, network interfaces reside on modular interface processors, which
provide a direct connection between the high-speed Cisco Extended Bus (CxBus) and the external
networks. Each AIP provides a single ATM network interface; the maximum number of AIPs that the
Cisco 7000 supports depends on the bandwidth configured. The total bandwidth through all the AIPs in
the system should be limited to 200 Mbps full duplex (two TAXI interfaces, or one SONET and one E3,
or one SONET and one lightly used SONET, five E3s, or four T3s).

Cisco 4500 series routers support one OC-3c network processor module (NPM) or up to two slower
E3/DS3 NPMs. Physical Layer Interface Modules (PLIMs) that support Synchronous Optical
Network/Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SONET/SDH) 155 Mbps are available for both single-mode
and multimode fiber.

For a complete description of the 7000 family router and AIP, refer to the Hardware Installation and
Maintenance publication for your specific router. For a complete description of the Cisco 4500 series
router and the NPM, refer to the Cisco 4000 Series Hardware Installation and Maintenance manual.
For information about installing the NPM, see the document called "Installing Network Processing
Modules in the Cisco 4000 Series" (online, it is in the Cisco 4000 Series Configuration Notes).

ATM Environment

ATM is a connection-oriented environment. All traffic to or from an ATM network is prefaced with a
virtual path identifier (VPI) and virtual channel identifier (VCI). A VPI-VCI pair is considered a single
virtual circuit. Each virtual circuit is a private connection to another node on the ATM network. Each
virtual circuit is treated as a point-to-point mechanism to another router or host and is capable of
supporting bidirectional traffic.

Each ATM node is required to establish a separate connection to every other node in the ATM network
that it needs to communicate with. All such connections are established by means of a PVC or a
switched virtual circuit (SVC) with an ATM signaling mechanism. This signaling is based on the ATM
Forum User-Network Interface (UNI) Specification V3.0.

Each virtual circuit is considered a complete and separate link to a destination node. Users can
encapsulate data as needed across the connection. The ATM network disregards the contents of the
data. The only requirement is that data be sent to the router's ATM processor card in a manner that
follows the specific ATM adaptation layer (AAL) format.
An AAL defines the conversion of user information into cells. An AAL segments upper-layer
information into cells at the transmitter and reassembles the cells at the receiver. AAL1 and AAL2
handle isochronous traffic, such as voice and video, and are not relevant to the router. AAL3/4 and
AAL5 support data communications; that is, they segment and reassemble packets. Cisco supports
both AAL3/4 and AAL5 on the Cisco 7000 family and the Cisco 4500 series. However, on the
Cisco 4500 series, AAL3/4 is not supported at OC-3 rates; if AAL3/4 is configured on an OC-3c
interface, you must limit the interface to E3 or DS3 rates by configuring a rate queue. See the
"Configure the Rate Queue (Cisco 4500)" section for more information.

An ATM connection is simply used to transfer raw bits of information to a destination router or host.
The ATM router takes the common part convergence sublayer (CPCS) frame, carves it up into 53-byte
cells, and sends these cells to the destination router or host for reassembly. In AAL5 format, 48 bytes
of each cell are used for the CPCS data; the remaining 5 bytes are used for cell routing. The 5-byte
cell header contains the destination VPI-VCI pair, payload type, cell loss priority (CLP), and header
error control.

The ATM network is considered a LAN with high bandwidth availability. Each end node in the ATM
network is a host on a specific subnet. All end nodes needing to communicate with one another must
be within the same subnet in the network.

Unlike a LAN, which is connectionless, ATM requires certain features to provide a LAN environment to
the users. One such feature is broadcast capability. Protocols wishing to broadcast packets to all
stations in a subnet must be allowed to do so with a single call to Layer 2. To support broadcasting,
the router allows the user to specify particular virtual circuits as broadcast virtual circuits. When the
protocol passes a packet with a broadcast address to the drivers, the packet is duplicated and sent to
each virtual circuit marked as a broadcast virtual circuit. This method is known as pseudobroadcasting.

Effective with Release 11.0, point-to-multipoint signaling allows pseudobroadcasting to be eliminated.

On routers with point-to-multipoint signaling, the router can set up calls between itself and multiple
destinations; drivers no longer need to duplicate broadcast packets. A single packet can be sent to the
ATM switch, which replicates it to multiple ATM hosts.

Classical IP and ARP

Cisco implements classical IP and Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) over ATM as described in RFC
1577. RFC 1577 defines an application of classical IP and ARP in an ATM environment configured as
a logical IP subnetwork (LIS). It also describes the functions of an ATM ARP server and ATM ARP
clients in requesting and providing destination IP addresses and ATM addresses in situations when
one or both are unknown. Our routers can be configured to act as an ARP client, or to act as a
combined ARP client and ARP server.

The ATM ARP server functionality allows classical IP networks to be constructed with ATM as the
connection medium. Without this functionality, you must configure both the IP network address and the
ATM address of each end device with which the router needs to communicate. This static configuration
task takes administrative time and makes moves and changes more difficult.

Cisco's implementation of the ATM ARP server functionality provides a robust environment in which
network changes can be made more easily and more quickly than in a pure ATM environment. Cisco's
ATM ARP client works with any ARP server that is fully compliant with RFC 1577.

The Cisco AIP

This section provides an overview of the ATM features, interfaces, microcode, and virtual circuits
available on the AIP, currently supported on the Cisco 7000 family routers.

AIP Features
The AIP supports the following features:

• Multiple rate queues.

• Reassembly of up to 512 buffers simultaneously. Each buffer represents a packet.

• Per-virtual-circuit counters, which improve the accuracy of the statistics shown in the output of
show commands by ensuring that autonomously switched packets are counted, as well as fast-
switched and process-switched packets.

• Support for up to 2048 virtual circuits.

• Support for both AAL3/4 and AAL5.

• Support for both process-switched transparent bridging and fast-switched transparent bridging
over ATM.

Process-switched bridging over ATM supports AAL3/4-SMDS encapsulated packets only. All frames
that originate at or are forwarded by the Cisco IOS software are sent as 802.3 bridge frames without
frame check sequence (FCS)—that is, in RFC 1483 bridge frame formats with 0x0007 in the Protocol
Identification (PID) field of the Subnetwork Access Protocol (SNAP) header. You can enable process-
switched bridging for SMDS as described later in this chapter.

Fast-switched transparent bridging over ATM supports AAL5-SNAP encapsulated packets only. All
bridged AAL5-SNAP encapsulated packets are fast switched. Fast-switched transparent bridging
supports Ethernet, Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), and Token Ring packets sent in AAL5-
SNAP encapsulation over ATM. You can enable fast-switched bridging for AAL5-SNAP as described
later in this chapter.

• Exception queue, which is used for event reporting. Events such as cyclic redundancy check
(CRC) errors are reported to the exception queue.

• Support for transmitting Operation, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) F5 loopback cells.
OAM F5 cells must be echoed back on receipt by the remote host, thus demonstrating connectivity on
the PVC between the router and the remote host.

• Raw queue, which is used for all raw traffic over the ATM network. Raw traffic includes OAM cells
and Interim Local Management Interface (ILMI) cells. (ATM signaling cells are not considered raw.)

AIP ATM Interface Types

All ATM interfaces are full duplex. You must use the appropriate ATM interface cable to connect the
AIP with an external ATM network. Refer to the Asynchronous Transfer Mode Interface Processor
(AIP) Installation and Configuration publication for descriptions of ATM connectors.

The AIP provides an interface to ATM switching fabrics for transmitting and receiving data at rates of
up to 155 Mbps bidirectionally; the actual rate is determined by the physical layer interface module
(PLIM). The PLIM contains the interface to the ATM cable. The AIP can support PLIMs that connect to
the following physical layers:

• Transparent Asynchronous Transmitter/Receiver Interface (TAXI) 4B/5B 100-Mbps multimode

fiber optic cable

• SONET/SDH 155-Mbps multimode fiber optic cable—STS-3C or STM-1

• SONET/SDH 155-Mbps single-mode fiber optic cable—STS-3C or STM-1

• E3 34-Mbps coaxial cable

For wide-area networking, ATM is currently being standardized for use in Broadband Integrated
Services Digital Networks (BISDNs) by the International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication
Standardization Sector (ITU-T) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). BISDN supports
rates from E3 (34 Mbps) to multiple gigabits per second (Gbps).

Note The ITU-T carries out the functions of the former Consultative Committee for International
Telegraph and Telephone (CCITT).

AIP Microcode

The AIP microcode is a software image that provides card-specific software instructions. An onboard
read-only memory (ROM) component contains the default AIP microcode. The Cisco 7000 supports
downloadable microcode, which enables you to upgrade microcode versions by loading new
microcode images onto the Route Processor (RP), storing them in Flash memory, and instructing the
AIP to load an image from Flash memory instead of the default ROM image. You can store multiple
images for an interface type and instruct the system to load any one of them or the default ROM image
with a configuration command. All processor modules of the same type will load the same microcode
image from either the default ROM image or from a single image stored in Flash memory.

Although multiple microcode versions for a specific interface type can be stored concurrently in Flash
memory, only one image can load at startup. The show controller cxbus command displays the
currently loaded and running microcode version for the Switch Processor (SP) and for each IP. The
show running-config command shows the current system instructions for loading microcode at
startup.

For a complete description of microcode and downloading procedures, refer to the Asynchronous
Transfer Mode Interface Processor (AIP) Installation and Configuration publication and the
Configuration Fundamentals Configuration Guide.

AIP Virtual Circuits

A virtual circuit is a connection between remote hosts and routers. A virtual circuit is established for
each ATM end node with which the router communicates. The characteristics of the virtual circuit that
are established for the AIP when the virtual circuit is created include the following:

• Quality of service (QOS)

• AAL mode—AAL3/4 and AAL5

• Encapsulation type—Logical Link Control (LLC)/SNAP, MUX (one protocol per PVC), NLPID
(multiprotocol encapsulation consistent with RFC 1294 and RFC 1490), QSAAL (encapsulation used
on a signaling PVC that is used for setting up or tearing down SVCs), and SMDS

• Protocol traffic to be carried—multiprotocol or single-protocol traffic

• Peak and average transmission rates

• Point-to-point or point-to-multipoint

Each virtual circuit supports the following router functions:

• Multiprotocol—AppleTalk, Connectionless Network Service (CLNS), DECnet, IP, IPX, Banyan

VINES, and Xerox Network Systems (XNS)

• On routers with a serial interface configured for ATM, fast switching of IP, IPX, AppleTalk, and
VINES packets; on the Cisco 7000 series, fast switching of AppleTalk, CLNS, IP, IPX and VINES

• Autonomous switching of IP packets

• Pseudobroadcast support for multicast packets

By default, fast switching is enabled on all AIP interfaces. These switching features can be turned off
with interface configuration commands. Autonomous switching must be explicitly enabled per interface.

The Cisco NPM

This section provides an overview of the ATM features, interfaces, and virtual circuits available on the
NPM, currently supported on the Cisco 4500 series routers.

NPM Features

The NPM supports the following features:

• Up to four rate queues.

• Reassembly of up to 192 buffers simultaneously. Each buffer represents a packet.

• Support for up to 1023 virtual circuits.

• Fast switching of IP and IPX.

• Support for AAL3/4 and AAL5.

An ATM adaptation layer (AAL) defines the conversion of user information into cells by segmenting
upper-layer information into cells at the transmitter and reassembling them at the receiver. AAL1 and
AAL2 handle isochronous traffic, such as voice and video, and are not relevant to the router. AAL3/4
and AAL5 support data communications by segmenting and reassembling packets. On the Cisco 4500
series, Cisco supports both AAL3/4 (except at OC-3 rates) and AAL5.

NPM ATM Interface Types

All ATM interfaces are full duplex. You must use the appropriate ATM interface cable to connect the
NPM with an external ATM network. Refer to the Cisco 4000 Series Hardware Installation and
Maintenance manual and the Installing NPMs in the Cisco 4000 Series manual for descriptions of ATM
connectors.

The NPM provides an interface to ATM switching fabrics for transmitting and receiving data at rates of
up to 155 Mbps bidirectionally; the actual rate is determined by the physical layer interface module
(PLIM). The PLIM contains the interface to the ATM cable. The NPM can support PLIMs that connect
to the following physical layers:
• SDH/SONET 155-Mbps multimode fiber optic cable—STS-3C or STM-1

• SDH/SONET 155-Mbps single-mode fiber optic cable—STS-3C or STM-1

NPM Virtual Circuits

A virtual circuit is a point-to-point connection between remote hosts and routers. A virtual circuit is
established for each ATM end node with which the router communicates. The characteristics of the
virtual circuit that are established for the NPM when the virtual circuit is created include the following:

• Quality of service—QOS

• AAL mode—AAL5 or AAL3/4

• Encapsulation type—LLC/SNAP, MUX, NLPID, NLPID/SNAP, and RFC 1483

• Protocol traffic to be carried—multiprotocol or single-protocol traffic

• Peak and average transmission rates

Each virtual circuit supports the following router functions:

• Multiprotocol—AppleTalk, CLNS, DECnet, IP, IPX, Banyan VINES, and XNS

• Fast switching of IP, IPX, AppleTalk, and CLNS

DDR

Dial-on-demand routing (DDR) provides network connections across the Public Switched Telephone
Network (PSTN). Traditionally, networks have been interconnected using dedicated lines for wide-area
network (WAN) connections. With DDR, you can use modems, external channel service units (CSUs),
Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN) terminal adapters (TAs) or integrated ISDN interfaces, to
establish low-volume, periodic network connections over public circuit-switched networks. You can
also establish dial-up connections over X.25 or Frame Relay packet-switched networks by using
LAPB, X.25, or Frame Relay encapsulations.

The following protocols can be routed over DDR: AppleTalk, Banyan VINES, CLNS, DECnet, IP, IPX,
and XNS. For more information about IP, see Network Protocols Configuration Guide, Part 1; for more
information about AppleTalk and IPX, see Network Protocols Configuration Guide, Part 2, and for more
information about all other protocols, see Network Protocols Configuration Guide, Part 3.

Synchronous serial, asynchronous serial, and ISDN interfaces can be configured for DDR connections
to one or more destination networks. On serial interfaces, when a packet is received for a remote
network, the Cisco IOS software uses dialing commands to send the phone number of the destination
network to a modem. The modem—a data communications equipment (DCE) device—then dials the
destination DCE device and establishes a connection. On ISDN interfaces, DDR dialup connections
are made through NT1 or CSU devices, for BRI and PRI respectively.

illustrates a typical DDR interconnection configuration.

Figure 2 DDR Interconnection

Beginning with Cisco IOS Release 11.2, our software includes two implementations of DDR:

• Dialer profiles— New, simplified, and very flexible, dialer profiles are based on a separation
between logical and physical configuration.

In this release, most routed protocols are supported; however, Frame Relay, ISO CLNS, LAPB, and
snapshot routing are not supported. The dialer profiles implementation supports dial backup, as
described in the new "Configure Dialer Profiles" section of the "Configuring DDR" chapter of this
publication.

• Legacy DDR—Powerful and comprehensive, its limitations affect scaling and extensibility. Cisco
supports legacy DDR but has not modified it for this release.

The following sections describe important aspects of DDR:

• Dialer Profiles

• Legacy DDR Features

• Controlling Access for DDR

• Placing Calls Using DDR

Dialer Profiles

Dialer profiles allow the configuration of physical interfaces to be separated from the logical
configuration required for a call, and also allow the logical and physical configurations to be bound
together dynamically on a per-call basis. This release supports PPP and HIgh-Level Data Link Control
(HDLC) encapsulation on the physical interface. All other settings are part of a logical configuration
used and applied to the physical interface as needed for specific calls. Configuration of dial backup is
also simplified if you use dialer profiles.

A dialer profile consists of the following elements:

• A dialer interface (a logical entity) configuration including one or more dial strings (each of which is
used to reach one destination subnetwork)

• A dialer map class that defines all the characteristics for any call to the specified dial string

• An ordered dialer pool of physical interfaces to be used by the dialer interface

All calls going to from the same destination subnetwork use the same dialer profile.
A dialer interface configuration includes all settings needed to reach a specific destination subnetwork
(and any networks reached through it). Multiple dial strings can be specified for the same dialer
interface, each dial string being associated with a different dialer map-class. The dialer map-class
defines all the characteristics for any call to the specified dial string. For example, the map-class for
one destination might specify ISDN speed 56 kbps; the map-class for a different destination might
specify ISDN speed 64 kbps.

Each dialer interface uses a dialer pool, a pool of physical interfaces ordered on the basis of the
priority assigned to each physical interface. A physical interface can belong to multiple dialer pools,
contention being resolved by priority. ISDN BRI and PRI interfaces can set a limit on the minimum and
maximum number of B channels reserved by any dialer pools. A channel reserved by a dialer pool
remains idle until traffic is directed to the pool.

When dialer profiles are used to configure DDR, a physical interface has no configuration settings
except encapsulation and the dialer pools the interface belongs to.

Legacy DDR Features

Legacy DDR provides options designed to enable specific applications and provide enhanced WAN
optimization. The options are described in the following sections:

• Dial Backup

• Bandwidth on Demand

• Snapshot Routing

In addition, DDR provides the following default features to enhance calling and switching:

• Fast Call Rerouting for ISDN

• DDR Fast Switching

Dial Backup

Dial backup provides protection against WAN downtime by allowing you to configure a backup serial
line circuit-switched connection. Dial backup software keeps the secondary line inactive— data
terminal ready (DTR) inactive—until one of the following conditions is met:

• The primary line goes down.

• The transmitted traffic load on the primary line exceeds a defined limit.

When the software detects a lost Carrier Detect signal from the primary line device or finds that the line
protocol is down, it activates DTR on the secondary line. At that time, the data communications
equipment (DCE) must be set to dial the remote site. When the connection is made, the routing
protocol defined for the serial line takes over the task of transmitting traffic over the dialup line.

Bandwidth on Demand

The bandwidth on demand option provides additional bandwidth by placing additional calls to a single
destination if the load for the interface exceeds a specified weighted value. Parallel communication
links are established based on traffic load. The number of parallel links that can be established to one
location is not limited. Dialer rotary groups can be configured to support this option.
Snapshot Routing

Snapshot routing, which is available on serial and ISDN lines, is a method whereby the Cisco IOS
software can learn remote routes dynamically and then keep the routes available for a period of time
while regular routing updates are not being exchanged. Such a period might occur when a remote site
is not dialed into the local site or when a remote site has a dedicated connection to the local site but
cannot afford the overhead of exchanging routing updates. Snapshot routing allows you to avoid
configuring static routes when using dial-on-demand routing (DDR). It also eliminates the overhead
required for sending periodic updates over dedicated serial lines.

Fast Call Rerouting for ISDN

When DDR calls using an ISDN interface are not accepted, the dialer is able to place the call again or
proceed to other calls almost immediately, and does not have to wait for the dialer wait-for-carrier timer
to expire. The ISDN software learns within a few seconds that a call was not accepted and always
informs the dialer software, thus greatly reducing delays.

This feature is automatically enabled for all ISDN interfaces when the Cisco IOS software begins to
run.

You can still modify the dialer wait-for-carrier timer for DDR interfaces, and the show dialer command
still shows the destination number, if connected.

DDR Fast Switching

In the past, only process switching was available on interfaces configured for DDR. Process switching
provided an acceptable level of performance because DDR was used on low-speed lines. Now,
however, fast switching is required to take advantage of ISDN Primary Rate Interface (PRI) and
multiple Basic Rate Interface (BRI) platforms.

Fast switching is enabled by default on all interfaces configured for DDR. It is enabled for two routed
protocols, IP and IPX, and for two encapsulations, High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC) and Point-to-
Point Protocol (PPP).

Fast switching can be disabled and reenabled on a protocol-by-protocol basic on a DDR interface. For
information about disabling and reenabling fast switching of protocols, see the "Disable and Reenable
DDR Fast Switching" section in the "Configuring DDR" chapter.

Controlling Access for DDR

DDR supports a variety of security and access control methods including the following:

• Dialer access lists and dialer access groups—Based on the access lists configured, access
groups control access for DDR.

Packets that are permitted entry according to the access list are identified as interesting or packets of
interest. Packets that are not permitted entry or are denied entry by an access list are deemed
uninteresting.

A router or access server activates the dial-on-demand feature when it receives an interesting packet
destined for a location that can be reached over a dialed connection through a Public Switched
Telephone Network (PSTN). After the Cisco IOS software routine dials the destination phone number
and establishes a connection, packets can be transmitted. When the transmission is complete and a
configured period of line time has elapsed during which no interesting traffic exists on the line, the line
is automatically disconnected.
Note The Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) routing protocols Intermediate
System-to-Intermediate System (IS-IS), Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), and Open Shortest Path First
(OSPF) are not recommended for use with DDR because they require an acknowledgment for routing
updates. Because DDR lines are brought up as needed, DDR might not be active and available to
send responses at the times the updates are sent.

• Address mapping—Interfaces can be configured to map a next hop address to a phone number.
Address mapping allows the router or access server to forward packets to the correct destinations and
to determine if a connection is already established to that destination.

• CHAP—Access control using Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) can be

configured on serial interfaces that have PPP encapsulation enabled. CHAP reduces the risk of
security violations on your router or access server. CHAP also serves as a method to identify incoming
calls.

Note Access lists must be defined before you can use DDR. If no access lists are defined, access is
implicitly denied. See the Network Protocols Configuration Guide, Part 1 for information about the IP
access lists with the tcp keyword specified. See the "Configuring AppleTalk" chapter for information
about AppleTalk static routes defined, and the "Configuring Novell IPX" chapter for information about
the IPX access lists; these chapters appear in the Network Protocols Configuration Guide, Part 2.

Placing Calls Using DDR

DDR can use following methods to make outbound calls:

• Dialer interfaces— dialer profiles configured for any supported interface.

• V.25bis dialing for synchronous interfaces

• DTR dialing for synchronous interfaces

• Chat scripts the auxiliary port configured as an asynchronous interface

Dialer Interfaces

Dialer profiles provide a way to configure logical dialer interfaces separately from the physical
interfaces which use the logical configuration. Dialer interfaces can support both inbound and
outbound calls. See the Dialer Profiles section of the "Configuring DDR" chapter for information.

V.25bis for Synchronous Interfaces

Cisco IOS software supports connections from the synchronous serial interface to any DCE device that
supports V.25bis. These devices include ISDN TAs for ISDN B channel connections. V.25bis is an
International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T)
recommendation for initiating calls using in-band signaling. Depending on the type of modem or
CSU/DSU you are using, ITU-T V.25bis options might be supported.
The V.25bis specification describes two modes for establishing or receiving calls: the direct call mode
and the addressed call mode. The Cisco IOS software supports connections using the addressed call
mode and synchronous, bit-oriented operation. The addressed call mode allows control signals and
commands to be sent over the DCE data interface to establish and terminate calls. These commands
are packaged in High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC) synchronous data frames.

Devices used by the router or access server for dialing out must support certain hardware signals in
addition to V.25bis. When the router or access server drops DTR, the device must disconnect any
calls that are currently connected. When the device connects to the remote end, Data Carrier Detect
(DCD) must be automatically asserted.

Note For many V.25bis devices, raised DCD requires a special cable to cross over DCD and Data
Set Ready (DSR) signals, because the V.25bis specification requires DSR to be raised when a
connection is established.

Our routers and access servers support connections over serial lines connected by non-V.25bis
modems, using data terminal ready (DTR) Electronic Industries Association (EIA) signaling only.

DTR Dialing for Synchronous Interfaces

Routers and access servers also support connections from synchronous serial lines through non-
V.25bis modems. Cisco devices connected by non-V.25bis modems must use data terminal ready
(DTR) EIA signaling only.

Chat Scripts on Asynchronous Interfaces

A chat script is a string of text that defines the login "conversation" that occurs between two systems. It
consists of expect-send pairs that define the string that the local system expects to receive from the
remote system and what the local system should send as a reply.

On asynchronous lines, our software supports chat scripts that send commands for modem dialing and
logging on to remote systems. To dial a call on an asynchronous line, a chat script must be defined. If
multiple chat scripts are defined, regular expressions are used for powerful pattern matching to select
between many scripts. See the "Regular Expressions" appendix in the Access Services Command
Reference for information about regular expressions.

Note On Cisco routers, only the auxiliary port supports asynchronous lines.

Frame Relay

Cisco's Frame Relay implementation currently supports routing on IP, DECnet, AppleTalk, Xerox
Network Service (XNS), Novell IPX, International Organization for Standards (ISO) Connectionless
Network Service (CLNS), Banyan VINES, and transparent bridging.
Although Frame Relay access was originally restricted to leased lines, dial-up access is now
supported. For more information, see the "Configure DDR over Frame Relay" section for dialer profiles
or for legacy DDR in the "Configuring DDR" chapter.

To install software on a new router or access server by downloading software from a central server
over an interface that supports Frame Relay, see the "Loading Images and Configuration Files"
chapter in the Configuration Fundamentals Configuration Guide.

To configure access between Systems Network Architecture (SNA) devices over a Frame Relay
network, see the "Configuring SNA Frame Relay Access Support" chapter in the Bridging and IBM
Networking Configuration Guide.

The Frame Relay software provides the following capabilities:

• Support for the three generally implemented specifications of Frame Relay Local Management
Interfaces (LMIs):

• The Frame Relay Interface joint specification produced by Northern Telecom, Digital Equipment
Corporation, StrataCom, and Cisco Systems

• The ANSI-adopted Frame Relay signal specification, T1.617 Annex D

• The International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T)-

adopted Frame Relay signal specification, Q.933 Annex A

• Conformity to ITU-T I-series (ISDN) recommendation as I122, "Framework for Additional Packet
Mode Bearer Services."

• The ANSI-adopted Frame Relay encapsulation specification, T1.618

• The ITU-T-adopted Frame Relay encapsulation specification, Q.922 Annex A

• Conformity to Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) encapsulation in accordance with

RFC 1294, except bridging.

• Support for a keepalive mechanism, a multicast group, and a status message, as follows:

• The keepalive mechanism provides an exchange of information between the network server and
the switch to verify that data is flowing.

• The multicast mechanism provides the network server with a local data link connection identifier
(DLCI) and a multicast DLCI. This feature is specific to our implementation of the Frame Relay joint
specification.

• The status mechanism provides an ongoing status report on the DLCIs known by the switch.

• Support for both PVCs and SVCs in the same sites and routers.

Switched virtual circuits (SVCs) allow access through a Frame Relay network by setting up a path to
the destination endpoints only when the need arises and tearing down the path when it is no longer
needed.

• Support for Frame Relay traffic shaping beginning with Cisco IOS Release 11.2. Traffic shaping
provides the following:
• Rate enforcement on a per-virtual circuit basis—The peak rate for outbound traffic can be set to
the committed information rate (CIR) or some other user-configurable rate.

• Dynamic traffic throttling on a per-virtual circuit basis—When Backward Explicit Congestion

Notification (BECN) packets indicate congestion on the network, the outbound traffic rate is
automatically stepped down; when congestion eases, the outbound traffic rate is stepped up again.

• Enhanced queuing support on a per-virtual circuit basis—Custom queuing, priority queuing, and
weighted fair queuing can be configured for individual virtual circuits.

• Transmission of congestion information from Frame Relay to DECnet Phase IV and CLNS. This
mechanism promotes Forward Explicit Congestion Notification (FECN) bits from the Frame Relay layer
to upper-layer protocols after checking for the FECN bit on the incoming DLCI. Use this Frame Relay
congestion information to adjust the sending rates of end hosts. FECN-bit promotion is enabled by
default on any interface using Frame Relay encapsulation. No configuration is required.

• Support for Frame Relay Inverse Address Resolution Protocol (Inverse ARP) as described in
RFC 1293 for the AppleTalk, Banyan VINES, DECnet, IP, and IPX protocols, as well as native hello
packets for DECnet, CLNP, and Banyan VINES. It allows a router running Frame Relay to discover the
protocol address of a device associated with the virtual circuit.

• Support for Frame Relay switching, whereby packets are switched based on the DLCI—a Frame
Relay equivalent of a media access control (MAC)-level address. Routers are configured as a hybrid
DTE switch or pure Frame Relay DCE access node in the Frame Relay network. Cisco's
implementation of Frame Relay switching allows the following configurations:

• Switching over an IP tunnel

• Network-to-Network Interface (NNI) to other Frame Relay switches

• Local serial-to-serial switching

Frame Relay switching is used when all traffic arriving on one DLCI can be sent out on another DLCI
to the same next hop address. In such cases, the Cisco IOS software does not have to examine the
frames individually to discover the destination address, and as a result, the processing load on the
router decreases.

• Support for subinterfaces associated with a physical interface. The software groups one or more
permanent virtual circuits (PVCs) under separate subinterfaces, which in turn are located under a
single physical interface. See the "Configure Frame Relay Subinterfaces" and the "Subinterface
Examples" sections in the "Configuring Frame Relay" chapter.

• Support for fast-path transparent bridging, as described in RFC 1490, for Frame Relay
encapsulated serial and High-Speed Serial Interfaces) (HSSI) on all platforms.

• Support of the Frame Relay DTE Management Information Base (MIB) specified in RFC 1315.
However, the error table is not implemented. To use the Frame Relay MIB, refer to your MIB
publications.

ISDN

Cisco implements the physical layer protocols for the ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI) and the ISDN
Primary Rate Interface (PRI) on the following routers:
• Native ISDN Basic Rate Interfaces (BRIs) are available on the Cisco 2500, Cisco 3000,
Cisco 4000 series routers.

• The Cisco 2500 and Cisco 3000 series routers support a single BRI.

• The Cisco 4000 series routers support a multiport BRI network interface module (NIM). Two
multiport BRI NIMs are available. One supports four separate BRIs, and the other supports eight
separate BRIs.

The BRI interface includes one ISDN Basic Rate connection.The Basic Rate connection consists of a
D channel and two B channels, both of which are full-duplex, 64-kbps channels.

• The ISDN PRI is supported on the Cisco 7000 and Cisco 4000 series using T1 or E1 versions of
the MultiChannel Interface Processor (MIP) card in conjunction with PRI signaling software. ISDN PRI
over T1 offers 23 B channels and 1 D channel. The E1 support provides 30 B channels and 1
D channel.

For detailed technical information about Cisco's implementation, see the description of the Cisco ISDN
MIB in the Cisco Management Information Base (MIB) User Quick Reference.

represents the general relationships between circuit-switched access methods (asynchronous,

synchronous, and ISDN) and DDR and dial backup. It also summarizes the steps you use to get the
appropriate line up and working. However, this module describes only ISDN.

Figure 3 Configuring ISDN Access

The ISDN specifications describe a planned digital network that will provide a wide and evolving
variety of services and use digital transmission and switching technologies to provide worldwide,
integrated access. ISDN is an effort to standardize user services, user-network interfaces, and network
and internetwork capabilities. Among the services ISDN is planned to support are integrated text,
voice, graphics, music, video, and data communications.

ISDN standards define services, common procedures, and a single set of interface rules so that any
device can gain access to an ISDN network. ISDN standards describe a three-layer protocol
architecture, similar but not identical to the OSI reference model's physical, data link, and network
layers.

ISDN Channels

The data or D channel is used for call setup control and network connection teardown. Call setup
involves the data link and network connection. D channel communication is from the router to the ISDN
switch.
The bearer or B channels contain user data. The B channels are treated as 64-kbps serial lines and
support HDLC and PPP encapsulation. The interface configuration is propagated to each of the
B channels. Although each channel is treated as a separate line, the B channels cannot be configured
separately. (However, if you use the new DDR dialer profiles, you can specify the number of B
channels reserved for a specific dialer pool. See the "Configuring DDR" chapter for more information.)

Note A single switch type must be configured for the router as a whole.

In North America and Japan, the PRI is a rotary group of 23 B channels (T1) at the combined rate of
1.544 Mbps. Elsewhere, PRI is a rotary group of 30 B channels (E1) at a combined rate of
2.048 Mbps. On the MBRI and PRI, you can create a rotary group from a number of BRI or PRI
interfaces.

Network-Customer Premises Boundary

In North America, the boundary between the ISDN network and the BRI on routers in the Cisco 4500
series and below is represented by customer premises equipment known as network termination type
1 equipment (NT1). In North America, an NT1 is required for each BRI. Outside North America, the
NT1 is supplied as part of the telecommunications services.

In North America, the boundary between the ISDN network and the PRI on Cisco 7000 family routers
is represented by customer premises equipment known as a channel service unit (CSU). In North
America, a CSU is required for each PRI. Outside North America, the CSU is supplied as part of the
telecommunications services. illustrates the boundary between customer premises and the ISDN
network in North America and in other locations.

Figure 4 Customer Premises and ISDN Network Boundary

The ISDN data link layer interface (used for call setup) that is provided by the Cisco IOS software
conforms to the specification defined by the ITU-T recommendation Q.921. The ISDN network layer
interface (used for call control) provided by the software conforms to the specifications for specific
switch types defined by the ITU-T recommendation Q.931.

For a list of ISDN switch types that the ISDN interface supports, see the section "Select the ISDN
Switch Type" in the chapter "Configuring ISDN".

LAN Emulation (LANE)

Cisco's implementation of LANE makes an ATM interface look like one or more Ethernet interfaces.

LANE is an ATM service defined by the ATM Forum specification LAN Emulation over ATM,
ATM_FORUM 94-0035. This service emulates the following LAN-specific characteristics:

• Connectionless services

• Multicast services

• LAN media access control (MAC) driver services

LANE service provides connectivity between ATM-attached devices and connectivity with LAN-
attached devices. This includes connectivity between ATM-attached stations and LAN-attached
stations and also connectivity between LAN-attached stations across an ATM network.

Because LANE connectivity is defined at the MAC layer, upper protocol layer functions of LAN
applications can continue unchanged when the devices join emulated LANs. This feature protects
corporate investments in legacy LAN applications.

An ATM network can support multiple independent emulated LAN networks. Membership of an end
system in any of the emulated LANs is independent of the physical location of the end system. This
characteristic enables easy hardware moves and location changes. In addition, the end systems can
also move easily from one emulated LAN to another, whether or not the hardware moves.

LAN emulation in an ATM environment provides routing between emulated LANs for supported routing
protocols and high-speed, scalable switching of local traffic.

The ATM LANE system has three servers that are single points of failure. These are the LECS
(Configuration Server), the LES (emulated LAN server), and the BUS (the broadcast and unknown
server). Beginning with Release 11.2, LANE fault tolerance or Simple LANE Service Replication on the
emulated LAN provides backup servers to prevent problems if these servers fail.

The fault tolerance mechanism that eliminates these single points of failure is described in the
"Configuring LANE" chapter. Although this scheme is proprietary, no new protocol additions have been
made to the LANE subsystems.

LANE Components

Any number of emulated LANs can be set up in an ATM switch cloud. A router can participate in any
number of these emulated LANs.

LANE is defined on a LAN client-server model. The following components are implemented in this
release:

• LANE client

A LANE client emulates a LAN interface to higher layer protocols and applications. It forwards data to
other LANE components and performs LANE address resolution functions.

Each LANE client is a member of only one emulated LAN. However, a router can include LANE clients
for multiple emulated LANs: one LANE client for each emulated LAN of which it is a member.

If a router has clients for multiple emulated LANs, the Cisco IOS software can route traffic between the
emulated LANs.
• LANE server

The LANE server for an emulated LAN is the control center. It provides joining, address resolution, and
address registration services to the LANE clients in that emulated LAN. Clients can register destination
unicast and multicast MAC addresses with the LANE server. The LANE server also handles LANE
ARP (LE ARP) requests and responses.

Our implementation has a limit of one LANE server per emulated LAN.

• LANE broadcast-and-unknown server

The LANE broadcast-and-unknown server sequences and distributes multicast and broadcast packets
and handles unicast flooding.

In this release, the LANE server and the LANE broadcast-and-unknown server are combined and
located in the same Cisco 7000 family or Cisco 4500 series router; one combined LANE server and
broadcast-and-unknown server is required per emulated LAN.

• LANE configuration server

The LANE configuration server contains the database that determines which emulated LAN a device
belongs to (each configuration server can have a different named database). Each LANE client
consults the LANE configuration server just once, when it joins an emulated LAN, to determine which
emulated LAN it should join. The LANE configuration server returns the ATM address of the LANE
server for that emulated LAN.

One LANE configuration server is required per LANE ATM switch cloud.

The LANE configuration server's database can have the following four types of entries:

• Emulated LAN name-ATM address of LANE server pairs

• LANE client MAC address-emulated LAN name pairs

• LANE client ATM template-emulated LAN name pairs

• Default emulated LAN name

Note Emulated LAN names must be unique on an interface. If two interfaces participate in LANE, the
second interface may be in a different switch cloud.

LANE Operation and Communication

Communication among LANE components is ordinarily handled by several types of switched virtual
circuits (SVCs). Some SVCs are unidirectional; others are bidirectional. Some are point-to-point and
others are point-to-multipoint. Figure 5 illustrates the various virtual channel connections (VCCs)—also
known as virtual circuit connections—that are used in LANE configuration. In this figure, LE server
stands for the LANE server, LECS stands for the LANE configuration server, and BUS stands for the
LANE broadcast-and-unknown server.
Figure 5 LANE VCC Types

The following section describes various processes that occur, starting with a client requesting to join
an emulated LAN after the component routers have been configured.

Client Joining a Emulated LAN

The following process normally occurs after a LANE client has been enabled:

• Client requests to join an emulated LAN

The client sets up a connection to the LANE configuration server—a bidirectional point-to-point
Configure Direct virtual channel connection (VCC)—to find the ATM address of the LANE server for its
emulated LAN.

LANE clients find the LANE configuration server by using the following methods in the listed order:

• Locally configured ATM address

• Interim Local Management Interface (ILMI)

• Fixed address defined by the ATM Forum

• PVC 0/17

• Configuration server identifies the LANE server

Using the same VCC, the LANE configuration server returns the ATM address and the name of the
LANE server for the client's emulated LAN.

• Client contacts the server for its LAN

The client sets up a connection to the LANE server for its emulated LAN (a bidirectional point-to-point
Control Direct VCC) to exchange control traffic.

Once a Control Direct VCC is established between a LANE client and a LANE server, it remains up.

• Server verifies that the client is allowed to join the emulated LAN

The server for the emulated LAN sets up a connection to the LANE configuration server to verify that
the client is allowed to join the emulated LAN—a bidirectional point-to-point Configure Direct (server)
VCC. The server's configuration request contains the client's MAC address, its ATM address, and the
name of the emulated LAN. The LANE configuration server checks its database to determine whether
the client can join that LAN; then it uses the same VCC to inform the server whether the client is or is
not allowed to join.

• LANE server allows or disallows the client to join the emulated LAN

If allowed, the LANE server adds the LANE client to the unidirectional point-to-multipoint Control
Distribute VCC and confirms the join over the bidirectional point-to-point Control Direct VCC. If
disallowed, the LANE server rejects the join over the bidirectional point-to-point Control Direct VCC.

• LANE client sends LE ARP packets for the broadcast address, which is all 1s

Sending LE ARP packets for the broadcast address sets up the VCCs to and from the broadcast-and-
unknown server.

Address Resolution

As communication occurs on the emulated LAN, each client dynamically builds a local LANE ARP (LE
ARP) table. A client's LE ARP table can also have static, preconfigured entries. The LE ARP table
maps MAC addresses to ATM addresses.

Note LE ARP is not the same as IP ARP. IP ARP maps IP addresses (Layer 3) to Ethernet MAC
addresses (Layer 2); LE ARP maps emulated LAN MAC addresses (Layer 2) to ATM addresses (also
Layer 2).

When a client first joins an emulated LAN, its LE ARP table has no dynamic entries and the client has
no information about destinations on or behind its emulated LAN. To learn about a destination when a
packet is to be sent, the client begins the following process to find the ATM address corresponding to
the known MAC address:

• The client sends an LE ARP request to the LANE server for this emulated LAN (point-to-point
Control Direct VCC).

• The LANE server forwards the LE ARP request to all clients on the emulated LAN (point-to-
multipoint Control Distribute VCC).

• Any client that recognizes the MAC address responds with its ATM address (point-to-point Control
Direct VCC).

• The LANE server forwards the response (point-to-multipoint Control Distribute VCC).
• The client adds the MAC address-ATM address pair to its LE ARP cache.

• Then the client can establish a VCC to the desired destination and transmit packets to that ATM
address (bidirectional point-to-point Data Direct VCC).

For unknown destinations, the client sends a packet to the broadcast-and-unknown server, which
forwards the packet to all clients via flooding. The broadcast-and-unknown server floods the packet
because the destination might be behind a bridge that has not yet learned this particular address.

Multicast Traffic

When a LANE client has broadcast or multicast traffic, or unicast traffic with an unknown address to
send, the following process occurs:

• The client sends the packet to the broadcast-and-unknown server (unidirectional point-to-point
Multicast Send VCC).

• The broadcast-and-unknown server forwards (floods) the packet to all clients (unidirectional point-
to-multipoint Multicast Forward VCC).

This VCC branches at each ATM switch. The switch forwards such packets to multiple outputs. (The
switch does not examine the MAC addresses; it simply forwards all packets it receives.)

Typical LANE Scenarios

In typical LANE cases, one or more Cisco 7000 family routers, or Cisco 4500 series routers are
attached to a Cisco LightStream ATM switch. The LightStream ATM switch provides connectivity to the
broader ATM network switch cloud. The routers are configured to support one or more emulated LANs.
One of the routers is configured to perform the LANE configuration server functions. A router is
configured to perform the server function and the broadcast-and-unknown server function for each
emulated LAN. (One router can perform the server function and the broadcast-and-unknown server
function for several emulated LANs.) In addition to these functions, each router also acts as a LANE
client for one or more emulated LANs.

This section presents two scenarios using the same four Cisco routers and the same Cisco
LightStream ATM switch. Figure 6 illustrates a scenario in which one emulated LAN is set up on the
switch and routers. Figure 7 illustrates a scenario in which several emulated LANs are set up on the
switch and routers.

The physical layout and the physical components of an emulated network might not differ for the single
and the multiple emulated LAN cases. The differences are in the software configuration for the number
of emulated LANs and the assignment of LANE components to the different physical components.

Single Emulated LAN Scenario

In a single emulated LAN scenario, the LANE components might be assigned as follows:

• Router 1 includes the following LANE components:

• The LANE configuration server (one per LANE switch cloud)

• The LANE server and broadcast-and-unknown server for the emulated LAN with the default name
man (for Manufacturing)
• The LANE client for the man emulated LAN.

• Router 2 includes a LANE client for the man emulated LAN.

• Router 3 includes a LANE client for the man emulated LAN.

• Router 4 includes a LANE client for the man emulated LAN.

illustrates this single emulated LAN configured across several routers.

Figure 6 Single Emulated LAN Configured on Several Routers

Multiple Emulated LAN Scenario

In the multiple LAN scenario, the same switch and routers are used, but multiple emulated LANs are
configured. See .

Figure 7 Multiple Emulated LANs Configured on Several Routers

In the following scenario, three emulated LANs are configured on four routers:
• Router 1 includes following LANE components:

• The LANE configuration server (one per LANE switch cloud)

• The LANE server and broadcast-and-unknown server for the emulated LAN called man (for
Manufacturing)

• The LANE server and broadcast-and-unknown server functions for the emulated LAN called eng
(for Engineering)

• A LANE client for the man emulated LAN

• A LANE client for the eng emulated LAN

• Router 2 includes only the LANE clients for the man and eng emulated LANs.

• Router 3 includes only the LANE clients for the man and mkt (for Marketing) emulated LANs.

• Router 4 includes the following LANE components:

• The LANE server and broadcast-and-unknown server for the mkt emulated LAN

• A LANE client for the man emulated LAN

• A LANE client for the mkt emulated LANs

In this scenario, once routing is enabled and network level addresses are assigned, Router 1 and
Router 2 can route between the man and the eng emulated LANs, and Router 3 and Router 4 can
route between the man and the mkt emulated LANs.

PPP for Wide-Area Networking

The Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), described in RFCs 1661 and 1332, encapsulates network layer
protocol information over point-to-point links. You can configure PPP on asynchronous serial, HSSI,
ISDN, and synchronous serial physical interfaces:

Cisco supports the following upper-layer protocols: AppleTalk, Bridging, CLNS, DECnet, IP, IPX,
VINES, and XNS.

The software provides PPP as an encapsulation method. It also provides the Challenge Handshake
Authentication Protocol (CHAP) and Password Authentication Protocol (PAP) on serial interfaces
running PPP encapsulation. The following sections describe the tasks to configure PPP routing
features.

Our PPP implementation supports the following features:

• IP address pooling

• PPP callback

• PPP half-bridging

• Multilink PPP
• Multichassis multilink PPP

• Virtual private dial-up networks

SMDS

Cisco's implementation of the SMDS protocol is based on cell relay technology as defined in the
Bellcore Technical advisories, which are based on the IEEE 802.6 standard. We provide an interface
to an SMDS network using DS-1 or DS-3 high-speed transmission facilities. Connection to the network
is made through a device called an SDSU—an SMDS channel service unit/digital service unit
(CSU/DSU) developed jointly by Cisco Systems and Kentrox. The SDSU attaches to a Cisco router or
access server through a serial port. On the other side, the SDSU terminates the line.

Cisco's implementation of SMDS supports the IP, DECnet, AppleTalk, XNS, Novell IPX,
Banyan VINES, and OSI internetworking protocols, and transparent bridging.

Cisco's implementation of SMDS also supports SMDS encapsulation over an Asynchronous Transfer
Mode (ATM) interface. For more information and for configuration tasks, see the "Configuring ATM"
chapter.

Routing of AppleTalk, DECnet, IP, IPX, and ISO CLNS is fully dynamic; that is, the routing tables are
determined and updated dynamically. Routing of the other supported protocols requires that you
establish a static routing table of SMDS neighbors in a user group. Once this table is set up, all
interconnected routers and access servers provide dynamic routing.

Note When configuring IP routing over SMDS, you may need to make adjustments to accommodate
split horizon effects. Refer to the "Configuring IP Routing Protocols" chapter in the Network Protocols
Configuration Guide, Part 1 for information about how our software handles possible split horizon
conflicts. By default, split horizon is disabled for SMDS networks.

Cisco's SMDS implementation includes multiple logical IP subnetworks support as defined by

RFC 1209. This RFC describes routing IP over an SMDS cloud in which each connection is
considered a host on one specific private network, and points to cases where traffic must transit from
network to network.

Cisco's implementation of SMDS also provides the Data Exchange Interface (DXI) Version 3.2 with
heartbeat. The heartbeat mechanism periodically generates a heartbeat poll frame.

When a multicast address is not available to a destination, pseudobroadcasting can be enabled to

broadcast packets to those destinations using a unicast address.

LAPB and X.25

X.25 is one of a group of specifications published by the International Telecommunication Union

Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T); these specifications are international standards
that are formally called Recommendations. The ITU-T Recommendation X.25 defines how connections
between data terminal equipment (DTE) and data communications equipment (DCE) are maintained
for remote terminal access and computer communications. The X.25 specification defines protocols for
two layers of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model. The data link layer protocol
defined is Link Access Procedure, Balanced (LAPB). The network layer is sometimes called the packet
level protocol (PLP), but is commonly (although less correctly) referred to as the X.25 protocol.
The ITU-T updates its Recommendations periodically. The specifications dated 1980 and 1984 are the
most common versions currently in use. Additionally, the International Standards Organization (ISO)
has published ISO 7776:1986 as an equivalent to the LAPB standard, and ISO 8208:1989 as an
equivalent to the ITU-T 1984 X.25 Recommendation packet layer. Cisco's X.25 software follows the
ITU-T 1984 X.25 Recommendation, except for its Defense Data Network (DDN) and Blacker Front End
(BFE) operation, which follow the ITU-T 1980 X.25 Recommendation.

Note The ITU-T carries out the functions of the former Consultative Committee for International
Telegraph and Telephone (CCITT). The 1988 X.25 standard was the last published as a CCITT
Recommendation. The first ITU-T Recommendation is the 1993 revision.

In addition to providing remote terminal access, Cisco's X.25 software provides transport for LAN
protocols—IP, DECnet, XNS, ISO CLNS, AppleTalk, Novell IPX, Banyan VINES, and Apollo Domain—
and bridging. For information about these protocols, refer to the Network Protocols Configuration
Guide, Part 1, Network Protocols Configuration Guide, Part 2, and Network Protocols Configuration
Guide, Part 3.

Briefly, Cisco IOS X.25 software provides the following capabilities:

• LAPB datagram transport—LAPB is a protocol that operates at Level 2 (the data link layer) of the
OSI reference model. It offers a reliable connection service for exchanging data (in units called frames)
with one other host. The LAPB connection is configured to carry a single protocol or multiple protocols.
Protocol datagrams (IP, DECnet, AppleTalk, and so forth) are carried over a reliable LAPB connection,
or datagrams of several of these protocols are encapsulated in a proprietary protocol and carried over
a LAPB connection. Cisco also implements transparent bridging over multiprotocol LAPB
encapsulations on serial interfaces.

• X.25 datagram transport—X.25 can establish connections with multiple hosts; these connections
are called virtual circuits. Protocol datagrams (IP, DECnet, AppleTalk, and so forth) are encapsulated
inside packets on an X.25 virtual circuit. Mappings between a host's X.25 address and its datagram
protocol addresses allow these datagrams to be routed through an X.25 network, thereby allowing an
X.25 public data network (PDN) to transport LAN protocols.

• X.25 switch—X.25 calls can be routed based on their X.25 addresses either between serial
interfaces on the same router (local switching) or across an IP network to another router (X.25-over-
TCP or XOT, previously called remote switching or tunneling). XOT encapsulates the X.25 packet level
inside a TCP connection, allowing X.25 equipment to be connected via a TCP/IP-based network.
Cisco's X.25 switching features provide a convenient way to connect X.25 equipment, but do not
provide the specialized features and capabilities of an X.25 public data network (PDN).

• PAD—User sessions can be carried across an X.25 network using the packet
assembler/disassembler (PAD) protocols defined by the ITU-T Recommendations X.3 and X.29.

• QLLC—The Cisco IOS software can use the Qualified Logical Link Control (QLLC) protocol to
carry SNA traffic through an X.25 network.

• Connection-Mode Network Service (CMNS)—CMNS is a mechanism that uses OSI-based

network service access point (NSAP) addresses to extend local X.25 switching to nonserial media (for
example, Ethernet, FDDI, and Token Ring). This implementation provides the X.25 PLP over Logical
Link Control, type 2 (LLC2) to allow connections over nonserial interfaces. Cisco's CMNS
implementation supports services defined in ISO Standards 8208 (packet level) and 8802-2 (frame
level).
• DDN and BFE X.25—The DDN-specified Standard Service is supported. The DDN X.25 Standard
Service is the required protocol for use with DDN Packet-Switched Nodes (PSNs). The Defense
Communications Agency (DCA) has certified Cisco Systems' DDN X.25 Standard Service
implementation for attachment to the Defense Data Network. Cisco's DDN implementation also
includes Blacker Front End (BFE) and Blacker Emergency Mode operation.

• X.25 MIB—Subsets of the specifications in SNMP MIB Extension for X.25 LAPB (RFC 1381) and
SNMP MIB Extension for the X.25 Packet Layer (RFC 1382) are supported. The LAPB XID Table,
X.25 Cleared Circuit Table, and X.25 Call Parameter Table are not implemented. All values are read-
only. To use the X.25 MIB, refer to the Cisco Management Information Base (MIB) User Quick
Reference, or the RFCs.

Cisco's X.25 implementation does not support fast switching.