IPX Over Frame Relay: Example Configuration

Part 1: Linking Two Sites With IPX Over Frame Relay

In the following example, SITE A and SITE B have Novell NetWare servers on their Local Area Network (LAN) segments. Synchronous Wide Area Network (WAN) ports will be used to link the two sites together via a leased line provisioned for Frame Relay. 

Lucent PortMaster (TM) ComOS uses a proprietary implementation for IPX over Frame Relay, both sites must have a PortMaster router such as an OR-LS/HS, PM-2ER, PortMaster 3, PortMaster 4 or IRX series. IP over Frame Relay is fully inter operable with IPX over Frame Relay on a PortMaster. 

The layout looks something like the following: 

Site Characteristics: 

SITE A: 
Novell NetWare server 
External Network Number: 00000001 
Frame Type: Ethernet_802.3 
PortMaster with WAN interface configured for TCP/IP connected to SITE B. 
IPX has not been configured yet. 

SITE B: 
Novell NetWare server 
External Network Number: 00000002 
Frame Type: Ethernet_802.3 
PortMaster with WAN interface configured for TCP/IP connected to SITE A. 
IPX has not been configured yet. 

Step A: To prepare the PortMaster configuration you will need to define the Internet Packet eXchange (IPX ) Network Number and Frame Type for Your Novell Network 

You two parameters are required for PortMaster configurations: 

  • The IPXNET number is the Novell IPX external network number 
  • The ETHERNET FRAME TYPE is the Ethernet frame type for your Novell network 

You need the EXTERNAL  network number from the NetWare server to configure the PortMaster to communicate with the NetWare server on its Ethernet segment. Be aware that a NetWare server has two IPX network numbers, internal and external. 

NOTE: The commands in the following procedure are for a NetWare 3.x server and might vary for a NetWare 4.x server. 

  1. If you have multiple NetWare servers on your LAN, select the one that is nearest to the PortMaster. It must be on the same Ethernet segment as this PortMaster. 
  2. At the prompt on your NetWare server at SITE A, enter: 
    3. Command> load install

    The Loadable Module screen appears displaying a small window that contains Installation Options. 
     

  3. From this window, select: 

    4. System Options 
    A window titled Available System Options appears. 
     

  4. From this window, select: 

    5. Edit AUTOEXEC.NCF File  

    CAUTION: If you are not the NetWare Administrator, be very careful about opening this file. You are in EDIT mode. 

    The AUTOEXEC Network Configuration File (NCF) opens, looking like the following: 
    File server name NOVELL 
    IPX internal net 12345678 
    Load TCP/IP forward = yes rip = yes 
    Load NE2000 port=300 int=3 frame=ETHERNET_802.3 
    (This is where the frame type is located.) 
    Bind IPX to NE2000 net=00000001 
    (This is where the external IPX network number is located. The external IPX network number is required by Lucent PortMaster products) 

  5. Record this information, and press ESC to exit the installation program. 
  6. Repeat this procedure for SITE B. 

Step 1: Enter the IPX Network Number and Frame Type on the PortMaster 

  1. At the command prompt, enter the following for SITE A: 
    2. SITEA> set ether0 ipxnet 00000001
Ether0 IPX network changed from 00000000 to 00000001

SITEA> set ether0 ipxframe ethernet_802.3 
Ethernet IPX frame type set to ethernet_802.3

SITEA> save all

    You do not need to reboot. 
     

  2. Confirm that the PortMaster can receive the Service Access Point (SAP) broadcasts coming from the NetWare server by entering the following at the command prompt: 
    3. SITEA> show sap

    A SAP list appears showing the devices and services available to you on your Ethernet segment. 
     

  3. Repeat this procedure for SITE B. 

Step 2: Configure your Frame Relay Interface for IPX 

To configure IPX over Frame, you need the following: 

  • Ethernet Media Access Control (MAC) addresses from each PortMaster that is connected to the Frame Relay cloud 
  • The Internet Protocol Data Link Connection Identifier (IP DLCI) numbers from each PortMaster 
  • An IPX network number to configure both WAN ports (SITE A and SITE B) within the same IPX network 
  1. To get the MAC address from the PortMaster, enter the following command at the command prompt: 
    2. Command> show ether0

  Ether0 info for SITE A:
  Interface Addr: 192.168.20.1
  Netmask: 255.255.255.0
  Broadcast Address: 192.168.20.255
  IPX Network: 00000001
  IPX Frame Type: ETHERNET_802.3
  Ethernet Address: 00:c0:05:01:02:03  
  (This is the MAC address that you need to configure
  SITE B's WAN port.)
  Routing: RIP (Broadcast, Listen)
  2. To find your IP DLCI (or just DLCI) number, enter the following command at the command prompt: 
    3. SITEA> show W1 

 WAN port information for SITE A:
 IP address: 192.168.1.1
 DLCI 16: 192.168.1.2 
 (Your DLCI number. This value is used for IPX also.)
  3. Repeat this procedure for SITE B: 
    4. Command> show ether0

  Ether0 information for SITE B:
  Interface Addr: 192.168.140.1
  Netmask: 255.255.255.0
  Broadcast Address: 192.168.140.255
  IPX Network: 00000002
  IPX Frame Type: ETHERNET_802.3
  Ethernet Address: 00:c0:05:0a:0b:0c  
  (AKA - MAC address, record this number to configure
  SITE A's WAN  port)
  Routing: RIP(Broadcast, Listen)

SITEB> show W1 

 WAN port information for SITE B
 IP address: 192.168.1.2
 DLCI 17: 192.168.1.1 
 (Your DLCI number. This value is used for IPX also.)

Step 3: Configure the WAN Port with IPX Network Numbers and Enable RIP 

Follow these rules: 

  • Both WAN ports must be in the same IPX network. 
  • This IPX network number cannot duplicate any other IPX network number anywhere on either site. 

You must configure these WAN ports for the same IPX network number.  For example: 12345678. You can use any alphanumeric character you want (up to 8), as long as you comply with the two rules. 

  1. At SITE A, enter the following command to set the network number: 
    2. SITEA> set W1 ipxnet 12345678
  2. Similarly, set the network number for SITE B: 
    3. SITEB> set W1 ipxnet 12345678
  3. Turn RIP by entering the following command at the command prompt at both sites. 

    4. This command allows the PortMaster to broadcast IPX SAP and IPX RIP updates across the Frame Relay link.  

    SITEA> set W1 routing on

SITEB> set W1 routing on

Step 4: Enter the DLCIs and MAC Addresses for IPX at Both Sites.  The examples below show 
MAC addresses for sites A and B:  

SITE A: Ethernet MAC address=00:c0:05:01:02:03; DLCI=16
SITE B: Ethernet MAC address=00:c0:05:0a:0b:0c; DLCI=17

Use the same DLCIs that you have currently configured for IP. 

Use the MAC address from the remote PortMaster. You must also reverse the bits on the MAC address so that each PortMaster can access the remote PortMaster IPX network. 

For example, if SITE A's Ethernet MAC address is 00:c0:05:01:02:03, you must reverse the bits as follows: 03:02:01:05:c0:00 

You must also remove the colons so it looks like the following: 03020105c000 

You use the IPXDLCI command to enter these values. You must enter the command in the following order: 

add ipxdlci [port | location name] [DLCI number] [MAC address] <enter> 

  1. To configure the W1 port on SITE A, enter the following: 
    2. SITEA> add ipxdlci W1 16 0c0b0a05c000

    Notice that the MAC address entered here is from SITE B. Also notice that the bits are swapped and the colons are removed. 

  2. To configure the W1 port on SITE B, enter the following: 
    3. SITEB> add ipxdlci W1 17 030201050c000
  3. Save the configurations on both sites and reset your WAN ports. 
  4. When your Frame Relay link is established, confirm that the PortMaster can receive the SAP broadcasts coming from the NetWare server by typing "show sap" at the command prompt: 

Part 2: Configuring Subinterfaces For IPX Over Frame Relay

The previous example set up SITE A and SITE B. This example adds SITE C. 

SITE C has a Novell network and has a Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC) into the same Frame Relay cloud as SITES A and B. Over IP, SITE C can communicate directly with SITE A, but needs to go through SITE A to communicate with SITE B. The layout looks something like the following: 

SITE C: 
Novell NetWare server 
External Network Number: 00000003 
Frame Type: Ethernet_802.3  

  Ether0 information for SITE C:
  Interface Addr: 192.168.27.1
  Netmask: 255.255.255.0
  Broadcast Address: 192.168.27.255
  IPX Network: 00000003
  IPX Frame Type: ETHERNET_802.3
  Ethernet Address: 00:c0:05:04:05:06
  (This is the MAC address you need to configure
  SITE A's WAN port.)
  Routing: RIP(Broadcast, Listen)

  WAN port information for SITE A:
  IP address: 192.168.3.2
  DLCI 19: 192.168.3.1 
  (Your DLCI number is used for IPX also.)

In this example, SITE A is the "hub" and SITE B and SITE C are the "spokes" on the Frame Relay network. On SITE A, you must create a sub interface to point to SITE C. This link contains IPX network number that matches the W1 port's IPX network number on SITE C. You create a location table on SITE A to make the Frame Relay sub interface. 

Step A: Create a Location Table on SITE A for Frame Relay Sub interfacing 

The following example shows how to create the SUB2 location table and configure it for a sub interface on SITE A for routing both IP and IPX: 

  1. From the command line prompt of SITE A, enter the following: 
    2. SITEA> add loc sub2

    The location entry called "sub2" is created. 

  2. To change the location from the default PPP to FRAME therefore changing the location to a sub interface enter following command: 
    3. SITEA> set loc sub2 protocol frame
  3. Enter the "show location" command to view the sub interface: 
    4. SITEA> show location sub2
Location: sub2            Type: Sub-Interface
IP Address: 0.0.0.0       Netmask: 0.0.0.0
Protocol: Frame Relay     Options: Routing
Group: 0
Mtu: 1500

Step B: Configure Additional Subinterface Settings on SITE A 

  • IP address is an address assigned to you by your ISP or a made up IP address. In either case, the IP address you assign to the location table must be in the same Class C as SITE C's W1 port. 
  • IPX network number is an 8 character alphanumeric setting that matches the IPX network number on SITE C's W1 port exactly, but does not duplicate any IPX network number on any other site on you entire network. 
  • IP DLCI is a value you get from your telephone service provider for this link. This example uses DLCI 18 for SITE A and DLCI 19 for SITE C. 
  • IPX DLCI is the same value as your IP DLCI number plus the MAC address of the remote PortMaster. 
  1. From the command prompt (SITE A), enter the following commands: 
    2. SITEA> set loc sub2 add 192.168.3.1

    This command sets the local IP address for your location.  

    SITEA> set loc sub2 netmask 255.255.255.0

    This command sets the local subnet mask for your location.  

    SITEA> set loc sub2 IPXNET 87654321

    This command puts the sub interface into its own IPX network. The W1 port on SITE C will be in the same network.  

    SITEA> set loc sub2 routing on

    This command turns on RIP to broadcast IPXSAP and IPXRIP updates across the sub interface.  

    SITEA> add IPDLCI sub2 18 192.168.3.2

    This command sets the DLCI for IP. The DLCI is 18. The IP address you see here will belong to SITE C's W1 port.  

    SITEA> add IPXDLCI sub2 18 06050405c000

    This command sets the IPX DLCI to the location sub2. The MAC address you see here is from SITE C's Ethernet interface. 

  2. Enter the "show location" command to view the sub interface: 
    3. SITEA> show location sub2
Location: sub2             Type: Sub-Interface
IP Address: 192.168.3.1    Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Protocol: Frame Relay   
IPXNET: 87654321      Options: Routing (broadcast, listen)
Group: 0
Mtu: 1500

IP DLCIs:  DLCI Address
--- ----------- 
16 192.168.1.2 (points to SITE B's IP address)
18 192.168.3.2 (points to SITE C's IP address)

IPX DLCIs:  DLCI Address
--- -----------
16 0c0b0a05c000 (points to SITE B's MAC address)
18 06050405c000 (points to SITE C's MAC address)

Step C: Configure the W1 Port on SITE C 

  1. From the command prompt on SITE C, enter the following commands: 
    2. SITEC> set W1 network hardwired 
SITEC> set W1 protocol frame
SITEC> set W1 address 192.168.3.2
SITEC> set W1 netmask 255.255.255.0 
SITEC> set W1 routing on
SITEC> set W1 dlci 19:192.168.3.1 
SITEC> add ipxdlci W1 19 03020105c000 
SITEC> set W1 ipxnet 87654321
  2. Save all configurations and reset W1: 
    3. SITEC> save all
SITEC> reset w1
  3. When the Frame Relay link comes up as established, enter the following command: 
    4. SITEC> show sap

    You should see SAP broadcasts coming from SITE B and SITE A.