Systems and methods for intelligent probe testing

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for testing a processor having at least a first interface. In one embodiment, the method includes configuring, at the processor, a second interface, such that the configured second interface has one or more quality of service parameters representative of the first interface; sending one or more packets through the configured second interface, the one or more packets being representative of another packet received at the first interface; and determining, based on the one or more packets, one or more performance parameters corresponding to the first interface under test.

1 . A method of testing a first interface of a node in a network based on simulating the first interface at a second interface, said method comprising:
 determining a set of service parameters representative of the first interface;   emulating the first interface based on configuring a second interface of the node in accordance with the determined set of service parameters representative of the first interface;   sending, through the second interface, traffic that is representative of traffic received at the first interface; and   determining one or more performance parameters for the first interface based on the traffic sent through the second interface.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the set of service parameters of the first interface comprises determining at least one of the following: a latency, a jitter, and a packet loss. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the set of service parameters of the first interface comprises querying the node. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the set of service parameters of the first interface comprises determining the one or more service parameters of the first interface based on inferred services. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein sending traffic representative of traffic received at the first interface comprises determining one or more rules based on the one or more service parameters, the one or more rules serving to route a packet from the node to a tunnel, when the packet satisfies at least one of the one or more rules. 
     
     
         6 . A method of testing a first interface of a first node in a network by a second node, said method comprising:
 receiving, at the second node, a set of service parameters representative of the first interface of the node;   receiving, at the second node, information indicating traffic that is received at the first interface;   sending, from the second node to the first node, a set of configuration commands for configuring a second interface of the node as a simulated version of the first interface; and   sending, from the second node to the configured second interface at the first node, traffic that is representative of traffic received at the first interface.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising generating, at the second node, one or more tunneling packets and sending the generated one or more tunneling packets from the second node to the second interface of the first node, wherein the generated one or more tunneling packets are routed by the first node from the second interface to the tunnel as if the generated packets had been received at the first interface. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein generating the one or more tunneling packets includes generating at least one of the one or more tunneling packets with a packet header that is based on a packet header of another packet received at the first interface of the first node. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein generating the one or more tunneling packets includes generating at least one of the one or more tunneling packets with a payload type similar to another packet received at the first interface of the first node. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6  further comprising generating a virtual path through the network to a third node that is different from the first and second node. 
     
     
         11 . A method for testing a first interface of a first node in a network without sending traffic through the first interface, said method comprising:
 receiving, from the node, traffic that has been simulated through the first interface based on traffic sent through a second interface of the node, wherein the second interface is configured to simulate the first interface; and   determining one or more parameters for the first interface based on the received traffic that has been simulated.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein determining the set of service parameters of the first interface comprises determining at least one of the following: a latency, a jitter, and a packet loss. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein determining the set of service parameters of the first interface comprises determining the one or more service parameters of the first interface based on inferred services. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein sending that is traffic representative of traffic received at the first interface comprises determining one or more rules based on the one or more service parameters, the one or more rules serving to route a packet from the node to a tunnel, when the packet satisfies at least one of the one or more rules. 
     
     
         15 . A network element in a network configured to test a second element in the network, wherein the second element carries traffic via a first interface, said network element comprising:
 an interface communicably coupled to a second interface of the second element; and   a processor configured to receive a set of service parameters, configure the second interface as a simulated version of the first interface based on the service parameters, and send, to the second interface, traffic representative of traffic received at the first interface.   
     
     
         16 . The network element of  claim 15 , wherein the network element is configured to receive the set of service parameters responsive to a query of the second element. 
     
     
         17 . The network element of  claim 15 , wherein the network element is configured to receive the set of service parameters responsive to a query of a network management system monitoring the second element. 
     
     
         18 . The network element of  claim 15 , wherein the interface is communicably coupled to the second interface of the second element via a virtual path through the network. 
     
     
         19 . The network element of  claim 15 , wherein the interface is communicably coupled to the second interface of the second element via tunnel through the network. 
     
     
         20 . The network element of  claim 19 , wherein the processor is configured to determine performance parameters at the first interface based on calculating a latency contribution of the tunnel through the network.