A network controller (212, 314, 414, 514, 614, 914, 1014, 1114, 1214, 1314) comprising: a processor and associated memory; a network interface coupled to the processor and associated memory, the network interface configured to receive a warning message from a network analytics engine (316, 416, 516, 616, 1216, 1316), the warning message indicating a predicted impairment of one or more suspect communication links included in a current data path used to transmit data through a network, wherein the warning message includes information specifying a waiting period; the processor and associated memory configured to: identify, in response to the warning message, one or more potential alternative data paths to be used to transmit the data through the network, the one or more potential alternative data paths excluding the one or more suspect communication links; determine whether a fault notification is received from a device associated with the one or more suspect communication links before expiration of the waiting period, the fault notification confirming the predicted impairment of the one or more suspect communications link; and in response to receiving the fault notification before expiration of the waiting period, set up a particular data path to be used to transmit the data through the network in place of the current data path, wherein the particular data path is selected from among the one or more potential alternative data paths. a processor and associated memory; a network interface coupled to the processor and associated memory, the network interface configured to receive a warning message from a network analytics engine (316, 416, 516, 616, 1216, 1316), the warning message indicating a predicted impairment of one or more suspect communication links included in a current data path used to transmit data through a network, wherein the warning message includes information specifying a waiting period; the processor and associated memory configured to: identify, in response to the warning message, one or more potential alternative data paths to be used to transmit the data through the network, the one or more potential alternative data paths excluding the one or more suspect communication links; determine whether a fault notification is received from a device associated with the one or more suspect communication links before expiration of the waiting period, the fault notification confirming the predicted impairment of the one or more suspect communications link; and in response to receiving the fault notification before expiration of the waiting period, set up a particular data path to be used to transmit the data through the network in place of the current data path, wherein the particular data path is selected from among the one or more potential alternative data paths. identify, in response to the warning message, one or more potential alternative data paths to be used to transmit the data through the network, the one or more potential alternative data paths excluding the one or more suspect communication links; determine whether a fault notification is received from a device associated with the one or more suspect communication links before expiration of the waiting period, the fault notification confirming the predicted impairment of the one or more suspect communications link; and in response to receiving the fault notification before expiration of the waiting period, set up a particular data path to be used to transmit the data through the network in place of the current data path, wherein the particular data path is selected from among the one or more potential alternative data paths.