Virtual connection
<networking> 1. (VC) A connection or a path through an
ATM network.
The word "
virtual" indicates that the connection is
logical rather than
physical.
Nothing to do with a
virtual circuit on a
packet switching network.
[Fred Halsall, "Data Communications, Computer Networks and Open Systems", 1996, Addison Wesley].
2. A communications link that appears to be a direct connection between sender and receiver, although physically the link can be routed through a more circuitous path, running over virtual circuits instead of a private network built primarily with dedicated lines.
A virtual connection can provide full-time connection among many sites, including those configured for
SNA/
SDLC protocol.
A virtual connection can handle any transmission protocol and is supported worldwide.
It can provide high throughput and low delay for
LAN and
Internet applications, peer-to-peer connectivity, client-server computing, and other distributed processing applications.
[Same as
virtual circuit?]
