Communications link health monitoring

A method, comprising:

• receiving a reference signal of reference pulses occurring at a uniform reference pulse rate;
• receiving an error event signal of error event pulses occurring at a variable error event pulse rate corresponding to a rate of detected error event occurrences;
• producing from the reference signal and the error event signal an integrator output signal with a value that approaches a first boundary threshold when the reference pulse rate exceeds the error event pulse rate and approaches a second boundary threshold when the error event pulse rate exceeds the reference pulse rate;
• and
• setting a decision signal to a first value in response to a determination that the value of the received integrator output signal meets a first decision threshold and setting the decision signal to a second value in response to a determination that the value of the received integrator output signal meets a second decision threshold.

Apparatus, comprising:

• means for receiving a reference signal of reference pulses occurring at a uniform reference pulse rate;
• means for receiving an error event signal of error event pulses occurring at a variable error event pulse rate corresponding to a rate of detected error event occurrences;
• means for producing from the reference signal and the error event signal an integrator output signal with a value that approaches a first boundary threshold when the reference pulse rate exceeds the error event pulse rate and approaches a second boundary threshold when the error event pulse rate exceeds the reference pulse rate;
• and
• means for setting a decision signal to a first value in response to a determination that the value of the received integrator output signal meets a first decision threshold and setting the decision signal to a second value in response to a determination that the value of the received integrator output signal meets a second decision threshold.