The key is really that it could mean different things for different providers, although I would agree that the gist is that the location is enabled to look and feel like a POP without the provider installing the full complement of requisite hardware. A provider I worked at in the past, for example, defined a virtual POP as a non-POP location at which POP pricing was offered - the actual method of delivery there being both irrelevant to it being defined that way and unimportant to the concept as a whole. It let the company be price-competitive with others that may have made more extensive investments in hardware at higher-demand locations, and it was purely based on a business justification. There was no specific technical definition (although in reality we were transparent with our customers about methodology anyway) - this contrasts with other providers that are clearly using it in a way that does define a technical approach. It's just an approach specific to that provider.
> On Aug 23, 2016, at 6:51 PM, Rod Beck <[email protected]> wrote: > > Yes, except it is done via Switched Ethernet and VLANs. The idea behind > virtual peering. Your gear is in Amsterdam and someone gives you VLANs to > LINX. > > > - R. > > > ________________________________ > From: NANOG <[email protected]> on behalf of William Herrin > <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2016 12:46 AM > To: Yucong Sun > Cc: NANOG > Subject: Re: What's the meaning of virtual POP ? > >> On Tue, Aug 23, 2016 at 6:31 PM, Yucong Sun <[email protected]> wrote: >> I came across the idea of the virtual POP , but the website for them have >> way too much jargon to me[1][2][3], can someone explain it like i'm five >> (:-D)? > > A virtual Point Of Presence means that you provide services at a > location via someone else's facilities. > > The classic example was extending a PRI for dialup modems inside a > particular local calling area via a point-to-point T1 back to your > modem bank somewhere else that would have been a long distance call > for those customers. If you put a modem bank in their local calling > area, it's a POP. If you extend the circuit from their local calling > area back to your modem bank elsewhere, it's a virtual POP. > > Modern examples of virtual POPs are much fancier but it's the same basic idea. > > >> 1. Is virtual POP basically a L2VPN? > > It can be. Depends on what service you're extending from the "virtual" > location. > > >> 2. Do such vPOP have guaranteed latency/bandwidth? > > Depends on what you're extending and how. > > >> 3. Is that really useful? > > It can be. It can let you dip your toes in a market without a large > up-front investment in equipment and backhaul. > > Regards, > Bill Herrin > > > -- > William Herrin ................ [email protected] [email protected] > Owner, Dirtside Systems ......... Web: <http://www.dirtside.com/> > Dirtside Systems<http://www.dirtside.com/> > www.dirtside.com > Welcome! You are our 370,765 th guest. Dirtside builds ground systems and > ground system software for the satellite and mobile communications industries. > >
