Network services testing with pluggable transceivers

A system for performing network measurements in an Ethernet network comprising a plurality of network elements (NE), the system comprising:

• a plurality of pluggable transceivers (PT) installed at the plurality of NEs for receiving and transmitting network traffic;
• a central test server for generating a network test request and for collecting test results;
• and,
• a mediation sub-system in communication with the central test server and the plurality of the pluggable transceivers for receiving the network test request from the central test server, for translating said request into a plurality of subtests, including adjusting a frame rate generation of the PT, for generating a sequence of transceiver-executable commands to execute the plurality of subtests, and for communicating said commands to the pluggable transceivers for executing the plurality of sub-tests;
• wherein each pluggable transceiver comprises a programmable logic array containing a test logic for executing the transceiver-executable test commands.

A pluggable transceiver for use in a network element of an Ethernet network for performing network measurements and for receiving and transmitting network data, the transceiver comprising:

• a downstream datapath for relaying frames downstream through the transceiver;
• an upstream datapath for relaying frames upstream through the transceiver;
• a host controller interface;
• a programmable logic array disposed in the upstream and downstream datapaths and comprising:
• a filter logic for detecting management frames received by the transceiver in at least one of the upstream and downstream datapaths;
• a management protocol logic (MPL) operatively connected to the filter logic and the host controller interface and configured for receiving and parsing test control commands instructing the pluggable transceiver to perform a plurality of subtests including adjusting a frame rate generation of the pluggable transceiver, wherein the commands are contained in the management frames or received over the host controller interface;
• a network service memory for storing the one or more network service parameters;
• and,
• programmable test logic (PTL) operatively connected to the management protocol logic for communicating therewith and comprising at least one of a test frame generation logic and a service statistics generation logic to perform the plurality of subtests.