Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam

Which Frame Relay protocol is responsible for defining the Frame Relay keepalive and other control messages?

1. Frame Relay Local Management Interface (LMI)

2. Frame Relay Access Protocol (FRAP)

3. Frame Relay Endpoint Protocol (FREP)

4. Frame Relay Connection Protocol (FRCP)

The correct answer is: Frame Relay Local Management Interface (LMI)

The correct choice is the Frame Relay Local Management Interface (LMI). This protocol plays a crucial role in maintaining the link between the end devices in a Frame Relay network. Specifically, LMI is responsible for defining the standards for keepalive messages, which help ensure the continuance of the connection by facilitating periodic status checks between devices, indicating whether they are still operational. LMI also carries other control messages that are essential for network management, such as status information and configuration updates. By supporting these functionalities, LMI enhances the robustness and reliability of frame-based communication over Frame Relay networks. The other options do not pertain to widely accepted protocols relevant to Frame Relay networks; they may not even exist within the standard framework of networking protocols. Thus, LMI is uniquely positioned as the key protocol for the tasks outlined in the question.