Performance measurement system for a telecommunication path and device used therein

摘要

A device (PMD) and a method for measuring the performances characteristics of a communication path of a telecommunication packet switching network (ATM) by transmitting test packets through this path while other live traffic is operating. The test packets are live data communication packets of the live traffic and of which the communication data has been replaced by performance measurement data. No traffic of test packets is thereby added to the existing live traffic and the latter is not disturbed by the measurements.