Properties of Virtual Circuits Properties Virtual circuits guarantee these properties: • All inbound messages come only from the opposite terminal. Senders outside of a virtual circuit cannot insert data into its message stream. • All outbound messages go only to the opposite terminal. Listeners outside of a virtual circuit cannot receive its message stream. • Terminals receive explicit feedback if the connection is interrupted. Programs can promptly detect failure of mission-critical components or communications, and act to restore or replace them. Application Ideas The first and second properties suggest virtual circuits for applications that must insulate its message streams against subject name interference. The third property suggests virtual circuits for applications that require continuous communication, such as monitoring and control of manufacturing processes, no-loss data transmission, or data replication. Migration Path Rendezvous implements virtual circuit terminals as transport objects. When appropriate, you can easily convert most existing programs to use virtual circuits (instead of ordinary network transports) with only minor code changes.
