Patent ID: 8000337
Filing Date: 2011-08-16
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. An apparatus comprising: a plurality of packet processing hardware logic blocks included in a network device, with each packet processing hardware logic block including internal interfaces coupled to internal interfaces of another hardware logic block or to a user visible interface of the network device, with the network device configured so that packets ingressing at a first user visible interface and egressing from a second user visible interface always traverse a particular path of internal user interfaces and packet processing hardware logic blocks; a memory storing a plurality of count values, each count value indicating a total number of packets that have traversed an associated internal interface, storing path data indicating the internal interfaces and packet processing hardware logic blocks traversed by packets ingressing at a user-selected first user visible interface and egressing from a user-selected second user visible interface of the network device and storing computer executable program code; and a processing apparatus, coupled to the memory, configured to execute program code to receive identities of user-selected first and second user visible interface, to access first stored path data identifying the particular internal interfaces and packet processing hardware logic blocks that form a first path traversed by packets ingressing at the user-selected first user visible interface and egressing from the user-selected second user visible interface, to access a first set of count values associated with internal interfaces of the packet processing hardware logic blocks included in the first path, to wait a selected time interval, to access a second set of count values associated with the user visible interfaces in the first data when the time interval expires, and to display the count values in the first and second sets for each internal interface of the packet processing hardware logic blocks included in the first path.