Layer-3 performance monitoring sectionalization
A method is disclosed for the collection of performance metrics by establishing service operations administration and maintenance (OAM) sessions between an actuator and a plurality of reflectors in a communication network. Test packets from an actuator simultaneously reach a plurality of reflectors along a test path. Each single test packet results into a plurality of test results, one per reflector, with quasi-synchronous performance metrics to sectionalize a network and more efficiently isolate fault or performance problems without the need for additional test packets to isolate the issue. Another method is disclosed wherein an actuator generates and transmits a plurality of simultaneous test packets, one per NID device, resulting into a plurality of test results, one per reflector, with quasi-synchronous performance metrics to sectionalize a network and more efficiently isolate fault or performance problems without the need for additional test packets to isolate the issue.
1. A method of establishing service operations administration and maintenance (OAM) sessions in a communication network, the method comprising:
monitoring, by a first reflector and a second reflector, any test packets transmitted by an actuator which contain a predetermined identifier;
transmitting by the actuator a test packet configured with the predetermined identifier to the first reflector, the predetermined identifier comprising a layer 2 actuator address;
forwarding, by the first reflector, the test packet the second reflector downstream along a test path with respect to the first reflector;
generating, by the first and second reflectors, a test reply to the actuator, each of the test replies generated back to the actuator incorporating a unique reflector identifier, the unique reflector identifier comprising a layer 2 reflector address and a repurposed uplink sequence number and using bits of an uplink sequence number to encode a unique reflector identifier,
the unique reflector identifier defined by the first reflector and the second reflector via a signaling exchange including a Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol (TWAMP) control plane or via a configuration method, including at least one of
Command Line Interface (CLI),
web-based configuration, and
Extensible Markup Language (XML);
the actuator generating a plurality of TWAMP requests, the plurality of TWAMP requests encapsulated as UDP packets, each UDP packet having a port number, the port number of each of the plurality of TWAMP requests being set to a unique pre-agreed value for the first reflector and the second reflector, the actuator transmitting the plurality of TWAMP requests in order to minimize the delay between the plurality of TWAMP requests; and
using the test replies to sectionalize the communication network to isolate faults and performance problems.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said predetermined identifier further comprises a port number and a same address; wherein said address is borrowed from a node located downstream from the last reflector in the test path.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sectionalize of the communication network is further enhanced by adding one or more additional actuator devices between a first actuator device and one or more reflector devices.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein one or more additional actuator device can also act as a reflector device.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined identifier further comprises a layer 3 address.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first reflector, when forwarding the test packet to a second reflector, generates a second predetermined identifier with a second layer 2 address corresponding to the second reflector.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the predetermined identifier and the second predetermined identifier each comprise a common layer 3 address.
8. A system for establishing service operations administration and maintenance (OAM) sessions in a communication network, the system comprising:
a processor;
a plurality of reflectors; and
an actuator configured to transmit a test packet to the reflectors with a predetermined identifier,
wherein a first reflector is programmed to receive the test packet, said first reflector to forward the test packet to a second reflectors along a test path with respect to the first reflector,
wherein, in response to receiving the test packet, each of the first and second reflectors is configured to generate and transmit a test reply to the actuator,
wherein each test reply transmitted back to the actuator incorporates a unique reflector identifier, the unique reflector identifier comprising a layer 2 actuator address, and a repurposed uplink sequence number and using bits of an uplink sequence number to encode a unique reflector identifier,
the unique reflector identifier defined by the first reflector and the second reflector via a signaling exchange including a Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol (TWAMP), control plane or via a configuration method, including at least one of,
Command Line Interface (CLI),
web-based configuration, and
Extensible Markup Language (XML)
the actuator generating a plurality of TWAMP requests, the plurality of TWAMP requests encapsulated as UDP packets, each UDP packet having a port number, the port number of each of the plurality of TWAMP requests being set to a unique pre-agreed value for the first reflector and the second reflector, the actuator transmitting the plurality of TWAMP requests in order to minimize the delay between the plurality of TWAMP requests, and
wherein the processor is configured to use the plurality of test replies to the test packet to sectionalize the communication network to isolate faults and performance problems.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the test packet comprises a layer 3 address and a layer 2 address, and the first reflector modifying the layer 2 address prior to forwarding the test packet to the second reflector.