In wide area network computing, Link Access Procedure for Frame Relay (or LAPF) is part of the

network's communications protocol which ensures that frames are error free and executed in the right sequence.
LAPF is formally defined in the International Telecommunication Union standard Q.922. It was derived
from IBM's Synchronous Data Link Control protocol, which is the layer 2 protocol for IBM's Systems Network
Architecture developed around 1975. ITU used SDLC as a basis to develop LAPF for the frame relay environment,
along with other equivalents: LAPB for the X.25 protocol stack, LAPM for the V.42 protocol, and LAPD for
the ISDN protocol stack.
In Frame Relay Local Management Interface (LMI) messages are carried in a variant of LAPF frames.

Frame Relay Protocols

The Frame Relay protocols are designed to reflect the concept of the second layer of the OSI model, based on services
from the physical layer and providing services for the higher-layer protocols. At the same time these protocols are not
simplistic. They provide a mechanism to maintain PVCs to establish SVCs, and to encapsulate higher-layer protocols.

LAPF
Frame Relay technology provides second layer functions such as framing, error control, and sequence control, and support
for third layer functionality such as addressing and multiplexing. This is the core functionality of LAPF, which is defined in
Recommendation Q.922. The protocol allows statistical multiplexing of one or more frame connections over a single
channel. LAPF can be used over Frame Relay to provide end-to-end error and flow control. LAPF defines core functions and
full functionality. The core LAPF is used for Frame Relay, and full LAPF (core LAPF and control LAPF) is used for frame
switching.

LAPF Core Protocol and the T1.618 (Q.922 Annex A) Frame Format
LAPF core functions are organized around five elementary procedures:

Frame Relay must provide services to delimit and align frames and provide transparency of the frame flags with
zero-bit stuffing and unstuffing.

Frame Relay must support virtual circuit multiplexing and demultiplexing through the use of the data-link
connection identifier (DLCI) field in the frame.

The system must inspect the frame to ensure that it aligns itself on an integer number of octets, prior to zero bit
insertion and following the unstuffing of the zero bit.

The system must inspect the frame to ensure that it does not exceed the maximum and minimum frame size (the
frame sizes are established by the service provider).

The systems must be able to detect transmission errors through the use of the Frame Check Sequence (FCS)
field.

The core LAPF protocol uses simple logic. The first check of the incoming frame is for a valid/not valid frame. If the frame is
valid, the LAPF core checks the known/unknown DLCI. If it is OK, the frame proceeds further. However, a Frame Relay
network drops erroneous and non-erroneous frames. The first group of erroneous frames is dropped regardless of the

condition of the network and includes packets without opening and closing flag fields, frames with the wrong DLCI, larger
and smaller than expected frames, and frames with a FCS error. The second group of drops are frames with DE = 1, if there
is network congestion. A third group of non-erroneous frames can be discarded randomly during periods of congestion.

LAPF Control Protocol

For frame switching services, the LAPF control protocol is used along side the LAPF core protocol. This protocol is the full
Q.922, and it is implemented both in the user's system and in the network (called the frame handler). Figure 14-4 shows one
of the common formats, where the information field carries a higher-layer PDU and represents Frame Relay with other endto-end protocols above LAPF, thus providing error and flow control. Here again, the Flag and Address fields and FCS are the
same as in the LAPF core format. The specific fields for this protocol, the control field and information (data) field are
discussed in the following sections.

Control Field
In Figure 14-7 and Figure 14-8, two formats of Q.922 are shown. The only difference between the core format and the
control protocol format is the control field. The control field has the same format and identical functionality as the Link Access
Procedure on the D channel (LAPD) field. The control protocol provides the functions of error and flow control that are
missing from the LAPF core protocol.

Figure 14-7 LAPF Frame Formats; Frame Relay with End-to-End LAPF Control

Figure 14-8 LAPF Frame-Switching Format

Figure 14-7 represents one possible option for end-to-end flow control and error control, based on the full LAPF protocol
frame. The Frame Relay control field is part of the information field of the frame, and because Frame Relay does not monitor
the information field, this feature is significant for end-to-end connections. At the same time, the information field can contain
network and transport layer PDUs.
Figure 14-8 represents the frame switching bearer service. The control field is visible to the network because it is not part of
the information field. Therefore, error control is performed in the user-to-network part of the structure. Regardless of this
second layer control feature, the error and flow control functions can still be exercised by the higher-layer protocols.
The different LAPF control formats are shown in Figure 14-9.

Figure 14-9 LAPF Control Formats

The control field in LAPF is used between the user and the network; it is not an end-to-end function. End-to-end functions
are based on PDUs for the higher-layer protocols, which provide end-to-end flow and error control.