<networking> Most computers on the Internet have a single
Internet address; however, often via special kernel
patches, a given computer can be made to respond to several
IP addresses and provide different services (typically
different Web services) on each. Each of these different IP
addresess (which generally each have their own hostname) act
as if they were distinct hosts on distinct machines, even
though they are actually all one host. Hence, they are
virtual hosts. A common use is when an Internet Service
Provider "hosts" World-Wide Web or other services for
several of their customers on one computer but giving the
appearence that they are separate servers.
(1997-09-11)
Nearby terms:
Virtual Device Location « virtual disk « Virtual Home Environment « virtual host » Virtual LAN » Virtual Loadable Module » Virtual Local Area Network
