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Cell Relay Retreat>List Archive>month:1998-Feb> msg00092



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Re: Why does it called "VIRTUAL" in ATM basicaaaaaaly ...

  • From: Mike Vogeleer <Mike.Vogeleer@intec.rug.ac.be>
  • Date: Tue, 24 Feb 1998 11:30:41 +0100

Young-Yuk, Kim wrote:
> 
> Hi..
> 
> while I'm going over ATM many times I face a word "VIRTUAL"(e.g. virtual
> channel, virtual path,  etc)..
> 
> what is that mean basically ....???

It has to do with the difference between perception and reality:

If you can see it and it is there, then it's REAL.
If you cannot see it but nevertheless it is there, it's TRANSPARENT.
If you can see it even though it's  not there, it's VIRTUAL.
If you cannot see it and it isn't there, it's GONE.

A virtual channel/path/etc is perceived as real (you have a connection
on which you can send whenever you like) even though it isn't really
there (it exists only in the mind of the switches along the way). Hence
it's virtual.