System and method for detecting a network failure

A method comprising:

• detecting a failed communication transmission that fails to reach a recipient after attempting to be transmitted from a sender to said recipient over a communication path comprising a plurality of nodes of at least one computerized network;
• initiating a first inquiry process from said sender upon detection of said failed communication, said first inquiry process comprising testing how far a first test communication transmission can travel from said sender to said recipient along said communication path;
• outputting results of said first inquiry process to a third party, said third party being different than said sender and said recipient;
• initiating a second inquiry process from said recipient upon said detection of said failed communication, said second inquiry process comprising testing how far a second test communication transmission can travel from said recipient to said sender along said communication path;
• outputting results of said second inquiry process to said third party;
• using, by said third party, said results of said first inquiry process and said results of said second inquiry process to determine which of said nodes in said communication path are not successfully forwarding test communications to identify at least one possibly faulty node;
• and
• outputting an identification of said possibly faulty node from said third party.

A system comprising:

• a monitor operatively connected to a communication path, said communication path comprising a plurality of nodes of at least one computerized network, said monitor detecting a failed communication transmission that fails to reach a recipient after attempting to be transmitted from a sender to said recipient over said communication path;
• a first tester operatively connected to said monitor, said first tester initiating a first inquiry process from said sender upon detection of said failed communication, said first inquiry process comprising testing how far a first test communication transmission can travel from said sender to said recipient along said communication path;
• a second tester operatively connected to said monitor, said second tester initiating a second inquiry process from said recipient upon said detection of said failed communication, said second inquiry process comprising testing how far a second test communication transmission can travel from said recipient to said sender along said communication path;
• and
• a processor operatively connected to said first tester and said second tester, said first tester outputting results of said first inquiry process to said processor and said second tester outputting results of said second inquiry process to said processor,
• said processor using said results of said first inquiry process and said results of said second inquiry process to determine which of said nodes in said communication path are not successfully forwarding test communications to identify at least one possibly faulty node, and
• said processor outputting an identification of said possibly faulty node.

A program storage device comprising a computer storage medium storing instructions executable by a computer to perform a method comprising:

• detecting a failed communication transmission that fails to reach a recipient after attempting to be transmitted from a sender to said recipient over a communication path comprising a plurality of nodes of at least one computerized network;
• initiating a first inquiry process from said sender upon detection of said failed communication, said first inquiry process comprising testing how far a first test communication transmission can travel from said sender to said recipient along said communication path;
• initiating a second inquiry process from said recipient upon said detection of said failed communication, said second inquiry process comprising testing how far a second test communication transmission can travel from said recipient to said sender along said communication path;
• using results of said first inquiry process and said second inquiry process to determine which of said nodes in said communication path are not successfully forwarding test communications to identify at least one possibly faulty node;
• and
• outputting an identification of said possibly faulty node.