Patent ID: 8862944

Claim:
A computer implemented method for identifying transmission errors, the method comprising: receiving an atomic data unit, the receiving via a multi-link transmission medium, the multi-link transmission medium comprising a plurality of transmission links; monitoring continuously all transmission links in the multi-link transmission medium using an error detection code; detecting an error condition in response to the receiving and the monitoring, the detecting using the error detection code to determine an error condition location and the error condition; determining whether the error condition is isolated to a single transmission link; determining if the single transmission link has been isolated previously by the error detection code as a failing transmission link a specified number of times within an interval specified by a timer based on comparing a same lane error counter to a same lane error threshold before a pre-specified time period of the timer has elapsed; in response to determining that the single transmission link has been isolated previously as a failing transmission link a specified number of times within an interval specified by a timer: identifying the single transmission link as a faulty transmission link; resetting the timer; and outputting an identifier of the single transmission link; determining that a general error has occurred based on determining that the error condition cannot be isolated to one transmission link or that the error condition is isolated to a single transmission link that has not been isolated previously as a failing transmission link within a specified number of preceding error events; incrementing a general error counter and resetting the same lane error counter based on determining that the general error has occurred; determining if more than a specified number of general errors have occurred; and outputting a general error indicator in response to determining that more than a specified number of general errors have occurred.