<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.
