Virtual circuit

<networking> A connection-oriented network service which is implemented on top of a network which may be either connection-oriented or connectionless (packet switching).

The term "switched virtual circuit" was coined needlessly to distinguish an ordinary virtual circuit from a permanent virtual circuit.

(One of the perpetrators of this confusion appears to be ["Networking Essentials", 1996, Microsoft Press, ISBN 1-55615-806-8], a book aimed at people preparing for the MCSE exam on LANs and WANs).

Not to be confused with switched virtual connection.

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Viron virtual virtual 86 mode virtual address virtual cache	connection-oriented DS1 Inverse Address Resolution Protocol packet switching Permanent Virtual Circuit	Virtual Circuit Identifier virtual connection Virtual Control Program Interface Virtual Device Driver Virtual Device Location