GRE Tunnel interface

[saishreevj]

Hello team,

Can we also say GRE tunnel interface as virtual interface?

[Richard Burts · Accepted solution]

I do not understand the context of your question and so am not clear what you really are trying to get at. So let me offer a very general comment and if you can clarify what you are really trying to get then perhaps I will have a better response.

Since a GRE tunnel is not a physical interface then it would be appropriate to describe a GRE tunnel as a virtual interface.

[Joseph W. Doherty]

Like @Richard Burts, I too would say a GRE tunnel interface is virtual.

However, as an additional footnote, later Cisco device might also VTIs, virtual tunnel interfaces.  By their name, they are virtual interfaces, but they do differ from GRE tunnels in that they don't use GRE encapsulation (saving GRE overhead).