Determining the operations performed along a service path/service chain

An apparatus comprising:

• a network interface unit configured to enable communications over a network, the network comprising a plurality of network nodes each configured to apply one or more service functions to traffic that passes through the respective network nodes in a service path;
• a memory;
• and
• a processor coupled to the network interface unit and the memory, wherein the processor is configured to:
• receive at a network node an indication of a failure or degradation of a service function or application applied to traffic at the network node;
• generate data descriptive of the failure or degradation;
• determine a previous service hop network node at which a service function or application was applied to traffic in the service path;
• communicate the data descriptive of the failure or degradation to the previous service hop network node;
• examine a service header of a received packet in which the packet is encapsulated to detect a state of one or more particular bits in the service header allocated to command the collection of debugging information associated with the service function or application applied to traffic at the network node;
• generate debugging or troubleshooting information in response to detecting a particular state of the one or more particular bits in the service header;
• and
• send the debugging or troubleshooting information to a destination for processing.

One or more non-transitory computer readable storage media encoded with software comprising computer executable instructions and when the software is executed operable to:

• receive at a network node configured to apply one or more service functions to traffic that passes the network node in a service path, an indication of a failure or degradation of a service function or application applied to traffic at the network node;
• generate data descriptive of the failure or degradation;
• determine a previous service hop network node at which a service function or application was applied to traffic in the service path;
• communicate the data descriptive of the failure or degradation to the previous service hop network node;
• examine a service header of a received packet in which the packet is encapsulated to detect a state of one or more particular bits in the service header allocated to command the collection of debugging information associated with the service function or application applied to traffic at the network node;
• generate debugging or troubleshooting information in response to detecting a particular state of the one or more particular bits in the service header;
• and
• send the debugging or troubleshooting information to a destination for processing.