Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam

Which term refers to the dedicated and predefined logical communication path established by the ISP between two devices in a Frame Relay network for a specific customer?

1. Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC)

2. Switched Virtual Circuit (SVC)

3. Virtual Private Network (VPN)

4. Direct Access Line (DAL)

The correct answer is: Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC)

The term that refers to the dedicated and predefined logical communication path established by the ISP between two devices in a Frame Relay network for a specific customer is known as a Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC). A PVC is a connection that remains established, providing a continuous and reliable path for data transmission between two endpoints. It is configured by the service provider and does not change unless manually modified. This makes it particularly suitable for consistent data traffic between fixed locations, as it avoids the overhead of creating and tearing down connections frequently, which is common in other types of circuits. This is contrasted with a Switched Virtual Circuit (SVC), which is temporary and established on demand for the duration of a session, after which it is torn down. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) refers to a secure connection over the internet, often used to provide remote access, rather than a dedicated circuit. A Direct Access Line (DAL) is a more general term that does not specifically pertain to Frame Relay networks or the concept of logical communication paths defined for specific clients in that context. Thus, PVC is the appropriate choice for describing this kind of communication path in a Frame Relay network.