LAN emulation client (ATM) (LEC)

The specifications for LAN-LAN connections defined by the ATM Forum are called LAN Emulation.

The LAN Emulation Client( LEC) defines the implementation of this function set in a LAN end device and thereby forms an interface for LAN emulation towards the ATM network.

Every terminal device that wants to communicate via an emulated LAN must have a LAN Emulation Client. This is usually a program that runs on the end device and maps the LAN adapter card to the ATM end system in software. Since each adapter card in a LAN has a MAC address, the emulated LAN adapter card must be assigned a MAC address in the ATM end system. This means that an ATM end system has both an ATM address and a MAC address.