In-service throughput testing in distributed router/switch architectures

摘要

Various embodiments relate to a system and related method of measuring at least one transport link's performance in a communications network. An originating device controlled by a customer may generate testing frames that are transported to a receiving device also controlled by the customer through the at least one transport link that connects the two devices. In some embodiments, the transport links may transfer the testing frames while the transport links are transporting other data traffic. The receiving device may parse incoming frames and, upon identifying the testing frames, may generate echoing response frames. In some embodiments, the echoing response frames may be placed in one of a series of priority-based service queues. The originating device may then receive the response frames through the transport links and may measure the stream of incoming frames to measure and analyze the transport links' performance.

主权项

1. A method performed by a network device for handling testing frames, the method comprising:
receiving, by the network device, a received frame sent by a sending device; identifying, by a layer 2 protocol implementation of the network device, the received frame as a testing frame; generating, by the layer 2 protocol implementation, a response frame based on the testing frame; identifying, by the layer 2 protocol implementation, a configurable priority level associated with the response frame; placing the response frame in a priority queue of a plurality of layer 2 priority queues, wherein the priority queue is associated with the configurable priority level; and transmitting, from the priority queue, the response frame toward the sending device.