from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
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}?]
(2001-10-26)