A
circuit or
path between
points in a
network that appears to be a
discrete,
physical path but is actually a managed
pool of circuit resources from which specific circuits are allocated as needed to meet
traffic requirements.
A permanent virtual circuit (
PVC) is a
virtual circuit that is permanently available to the
user just as though it were a dedicated or leased line continuously reserved for that
user. A switched virtual circuit (
SVC) is a
virtual circuit in which a
connection session is set up for a
user only for the duration of a connection.
PVCs are an
important feature of
frame relay networks and
SVCs are
proposed for later inclusion.