virtual connection

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}?]

(2000-01-25)