Multiple PVC's on SMC router

[gkm]

My SMC 7904WBRA router says in the one configuration screen:

"ADSL router uses ATM as its layer 2 protocol. ATM PVC is a virtual connection which acts as a WAN interface. The Gateway supports up to 8 ATM PVCs."

And then I have a list of eight of these VC's (Virtual Circuits) after than on the screen for which I can each enter a full set of PPPoE details.

I have only filled in the first one. Anybody maybe please know why 8 VC's are provided and what they can be used for?

 

[thisgeek]

ATM is similar to frame relay. It's basically a physical link to a single cloud (ie, Telkom's network), where they can then map private virtual circuits from one link to another.

For eg, we have a single link to frame relay here, and each of our branches has a single link to frame relay. Then we have 2 virtual circuits mapped at each branch, one coming to our head office here, and another to our DR site.

That way, there is only 1 physical link, but 2 logical links between the sites.
So our router here at headoffice has a huge amount of pvc's, 1 for each branch, each treated as a virtual serial interface.

We do the same thing for our 3rd party clients.

I assume they're there so you can have links to different places, not necessarily ADSL providers, since it's an ATM router.

 

[gkm]

Thanks. Makes sense.