System and method for latency measurement at each network element participating as an RTP relay in a telecommunication network

1. A real-time transport packet creating device for use with a source terminal, a destination terminal and a real-time transport packet, the real-time transport packet creating device comprising:

a receiver operable to receive a real-time transport packet from the source terminal at a first time;

a latency generation logic is operable to generate an output real-time transport packet including a length data field having length data stored therein; and

a transmitter operable to transmit the output real-time transport packet to the destination terminal at a second time,

wherein the output real-time transport packet is based on the received real-time transport packet, the first time and the second time, and

wherein the length data is based on a difference between a length of the output real-time transport packet and a length of the received real-time transport packet.

2. The real-time transport packet creating device of claim 1 ,

wherein the latency generation logic is operable to generate the output real-time transport packet to include a value data field having value data stored therein, and

wherein the value data is based on a difference between the second time and the first time.

3. The real-time transport packet creating device of claim 2 , wherein the latency generation logic is operable to generate the output real-time transport packet to further include an originating time data field having originating time data stored therein, and

wherein the originating time data is based on the first time.

4. The real-time transport packet creating device of claim 1 , wherein the latency generation logic is operable to generate the output real-time transport packet to include an originating time data field having originating time data stored therein, and

wherein the originating time data is based on the first time.

5. A method of communicating with a source terminal and a destination terminal by way of a real-time transport packet, the method comprising:

receiving, via a receiver, the real-time transport packet from the source terminal at a first time;

generating, via a latency generator, an output real-time transport packet including a length data field having length data stored therein; and

transmitting, via a transmitter, the output real-time transport packet to the destination terminal at a second time,

wherein generating, via the latency generator, an output real-time transport packet comprising generating the output real-time transport packet based on the received real-time transport packet, the first time and the second time, and

wherein the length data is based on a difference between a length of the output real-time transport packet and a length of the received real-time transport packet.

6. The method of claim 5 ,

wherein the generating, via a latency generator, an output real-time transport packet comprises generating the output real-time transport packet to include a value data field having value data stored therein, and

wherein the value data is based on a difference between the second time and the first time.

7. The method of claim 6 ,

wherein generating the output real-time transport packet to include a value data field having value data stored therein comprises generating the output real-time transport packet to further include an originating time data field having originating time data stored therein, and

wherein the originating time data is based on the first time.

8. The method of claim 5 ,

wherein the generating, via a latency generator, an output real-time transport packet comprises generating the output real-time transport packet to include an originating time data field having originating time data stored therein, and

wherein the originating time data is based on the first time.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions stored thereon, the computer-readable instructions being capable of being read by a computer to be used with a source terminal and a destination terminal by way of a real-time transport packet, the tangible computer-readable instructions being capable of instructing the computer to perform the method comprising:

receiving, vi a receiver, the real-time transport packet from the source terminal at a first time;

generating, via a latency generator, an output real-time transport packet including a length data field having length data stored therein; and

transmitting; via a transmitter, the output real-time transport packet to the destination terminal at a second time,

wherein the generating, via a latency generator, an output real-time transport packet comprises generating the output real-time transport packet based on the received real-time transport packet, the first time and the second time, and

wherein the length data is based on a difference between a length of the output real-time transport packet and a length of the received real-time transport packet.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9 , the computer-readable instructions being capable of instructing the computer to perform the method,

wherein the generating, via a latency generator, an output real-time transport packet comprises generating the output real-time transport packet to include a value data field having value data stored therein, and

wherein the value data is based on a difference between the second time and the first time.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , the computer-readable instructions being capable of instructing the computer to perform the method,

wherein generating the output real-time transport packet to include a value data field having value data stored therein comprises generating the output real-time transport packet to further include an originating time data field having originating time data stored therein, and

wherein the original time data is based on the first time.

12. A real-time transport packet creating device for use with a source terminal, a destination terminal and a real-time transport packet, the real-time transport packet creating device comprising:

a plurality of network nodes coupled to participate in a data relay between the source terminal and the destination terminal,

each of the network nodes generating latency information corresponding to a latency introduced by the network node, and appending the latency information to a received real-time transport packet to generate an output real-time transport packet based on the received real-time transport packet and the latency information, a final one of the output real-time transport packets including a plurality of the latency information respectively corresponding to the plurality of network nodes, such that upon receipt of the final one of the output real-time transport packets, the destination terminal can identify the latency introduced by each of the network nodes,

wherein each of the output real-time transport packets includes a latency length field including a length value; and wherein each of the plurality of network nodes has incremented the length value, appended a data field, and stored the latency information from the corresponding network node to the appended data field, the length value indicating the number of appended data fields in the respective output real-time transport packet.

13. The real-time transport packet creating device of claim 12 , wherein the final one of the real-time transport packets further includes an index to the latency information in the appended data fields.

14. A method of communicating with a source terminal and a destination terminal by way of a real-time transport packet, the method comprising:

receiving the real-time transport packet;

generating, by a plurality of network elements coupled to participate in a data relay between the source terminal and the destination terminal, latency information corresponding to latencies introduced by each of the network elements; and

appending, by each of the network elements, the latency information to the real-time transport packet to generate an output real-time transport packet including a plurality of latency information corresponding to the plurality of network elements, respectively, such that upon receipt of the output real-time transport packet, the destination terminal can identify the latencies introduced by each of the network elements,

wherein the real-time transport packet includes a latency length field including a length value, further comprising, by each of the network elements, incrementing the length value, appending a data field, and storing the latency information from the corresponding network element in the appended data field, the length value indicating the number of appended data fields in the real-time transport packet.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the real-time transport packet further includes an index to the latency information in the appended data fields.