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 for improving isolation of faults in a communication network using an Operations Administration and Maintenance (OAM) framework, the method comprising:
establishing a service operations administration and maintenance session between an actuator and a plurality of reflectors along a test path for collecting one or more performance metrics, wherein said actuator is coupled to a first of said plurality of reflectors;
transmitting by the actuator a single test packet to the first reflector;
transmitting by the first reflector the single test packet to a next reflector in the sequence;
transmitting by the next reflector, the single test packet to another next reflector in the sequence until a last reflector is reached;
transmitting, by each reflector in the test path, a test reply to the actuator, each of the test replies incorporating a unique reflector identifier, defined automatically via a Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol (TWAMP) control plane exchange, and performance metrics; and
sectionalizing the communication network using said performance metrics specific to each reflector;
wherein said unique reflector identifier is created and encoded by repurposing one or more bits of an uplink sequence number.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: assigning a test reply from a reflector to the appropriate reflector, wherein a sequence number is redefined to include the unique reflector identifier.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique reflector identifier is either assigned statically for each reflector or is dynamically determined.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of reflectors do not require unique layer-3 addressing information.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of reflectors borrow an IP address of another device downstream to the last reflector along the test path.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the performance metrics comprise one-way packet delay, two-way packet delay, packet loss metrics, or a combination thereof.
7. A system for improving isolation of faults in a communication network using an Operations Administration and Maintenance (OAM) framework, the system comprising:
a processor;
a plurality of reflectors in a sequence along a path for collecting one or more performance metrics specific to each reflector along a path;
an actuator, coupled with a first reflector, establishing a service operations administration and maintenance session with the plurality of reflectors;
a single test packet transmitted by the actuator to the first reflector; wherein the first reflector transmits the single test packet to a next reflector in the sequence and said next reflector transmits the single test packet to another next reflector in the sequence until a last reflector is reached;
a test reply packet transmitted by each reflector to the actuator wherein said test reply comprises a unique reflector identifier, defined automatically via a Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol (TWAMP) control plane exchange, along with said performance metrics specific to each reflector, wherein said unique reflector identifier is created and encoded by repurposing one or more bits of an uplink sequence number and the communication network is sectionalized using said performance metrics.