Patent ID: 9565087
Date: 2017-02-07
CPC Classifications: H04L

Claim:
1. A Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network node, which is operable to be part of a label-switched path to be monitored, the MPLS network node also being an input node of a tandem connection to also be monitored, the tandem connection being part of the label-switched path, the tandem connection comprising: a sequence of successive nodes, the network node being operable to receive a first packet having a label including a first switching header and to calculate the first switching header which can be read by a second node along the label-switched path, the network node being operable to receive the first packet, and to recalculate the first switching header thereof and to forward the first packet on the label-switched path, the network node being operable, upon receipt of the first packet to be sent towards an output node of the tandem connection to be monitored, to replace the first switching header with a recalculated first switching header and, in addition, to insert into the first packet a tandem connection header, the network node being operable to generate a second packet having a second switching header, wherein the second packet is a duplicate version of the first packet that includes within it the recalculated first switching header, and to forward the second packet and processed first packet towards the output node.