Using forward error correction coding to diagnose communication links

An apparatus for diagnosing a communication link carrying a bitstream that has been encoded using at least one forward error correction coding technique, the apparatus comprising:

• a memory operative to store:
• a bitstream error type database that stores at least one bitstream error type;
• and
• a bitstream position database comprising an association of at the least one bitstream error type with at least one bit position, wherein the association identifies at least one communication transmission cause;
• and
• a processor in communication with the memory, the processor being operative to execute computer-readable instructions, which, when executed, cause the processor to:
• receive an error type for an error detected in a bitstream of data based on information in the bitstream error type database, wherein the bitstream of data was encoded based on at least one forward error correction coding technique;
• receive a bit position for a bit where the error was detected in the bitstream of data;
• increase an error type count for the received bit position, wherein the error type count is associated with the received error type;
• and
• when the error type count exceeds a predetermined error type count threshold, determine a communication link diagnosis that comprises the at least one communication transmission cause based on the received error type.

A method for diagnosing a communication link carrying a bitstream that has been encoded using at least one forward error correction coding technique, the method comprising:

• establishing, in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, a bitstream error type database that stores at least one bitstream error type;
• establishing, in the non-transitory computer-readable medium, a bitstream position database comprising an association of the at least one bitstream error type with at least one bit position, wherein the association identifies at least one communication transmission cause;
• receiving, with a processor in communication with the computer-readable medium, a bitstream of data transmitted over a communication link, wherein the bitstream of data is encoded using at least one forward error correction coding technique;
• detecting an error in the bitstream of data based on the at least one forward error correction coding technique;
• classifying the error in the bitstream of data as the at least one bitstream error type based on information stored in the bitstream error type database;
• and
• determining a communication link diagnosis that comprises the at least one communication transmission cause based on the classified error.