Network packet tracking

Apparatus for testing of a communication network having a plurality of endpoints and nodes connected by links, comprising:

• one or more network agents, adapted to be coupled to the network at respective locations intermediate the end-points and to intercept data packets transmitted from one of the end-points to another that meet a predetermined packet filtering criterion and traverse the respective locations, and to record times of arrival of the intercepted data packets;
• and
• a testing center, configured to convey the criterion to the network agents and to cause one or more data packets meeting the criterion to be transmitted through the network from one of the end-points to another, and to process the information recorded by the network agents in order to analyze a route of the at least one intercepted packet through the network,
• wherein the testing center is operative to determine, responsive to the recorded times of arrival, transit times of the at least one intercepted packet over the network links connected to the respective locations and traversed by the at least one intercepted packet, and
• wherein the determined transit times comprise round-trip transit times, determined by transmitting original packets from a source end-point to a destination end-point, and receiving corresponding echo packets returned from the destination end-point responsive to the original packets, both the original and the echo packets meeting the criterion, and
• wherein both the original packets and the corresponding echo packets are intercepted by the one or more network agents.

A computer software product for testing of a communication network having a plurality of end-points, using one or more network agents coupled to the network at respective locations, the product comprising a computer-readable medium in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to specify a packet filtering criterion and to engender transmission of one or more data packets meeting the criterion through the network from one of the end-points to another, such that at least one of the data packets meeting the criterion is intercepted using the network agents at the respective locations in the network, intermediate the end-points, traversed by the packets, which agents record a time of arrival of the at least one intercepted packet at the respective locations, and which instructions further cause the computer to receive and process the recorded information so as to analyze a route of the at least one intercepted packet through the network,

• wherein the instructions cause the computer to determine, responsive to the recorded times of arrival, transit times of the at least one intercepted packet over the network links connected to the respective locations and traversed by the at least one intercepted packet, and
• wherein the determined transit times comprise round-trip transit times, determined by transmitting original packets from a source end-point to a destination end-point, and receiving corresponding echo packets returned from the destination end-point responsive to the original packets, both the original and the echo packets meeting the criterion, and
• wherein both the original packets and the corresponding echo packets are intercepted by the one or more network agents.