Patent ID: 8891385

Claim:
A network element in an Ethernet network, comprising: circuitry configured for providing traffic generator functionality to generate test frames at any combination of packet size and frame generation rate, uniquely identify said test frames and non-test frames through use of a respective signature thereof, associate a hardware timestamp with each one of said test frames and maintain a count of said test frames transmitted from the network element; circuitry configured for providing traffic analyzer functionality to maintain a count of test frames received at the network element, filter said test frames dependent upon the respective signature thereof, associate a hardware timestamp with each one of said test frames and calculate a frame delay for each one of said test frames; and circuitry configured for providing traffic loop-back functionality to uniquely identify each one of said test frames dependent upon the respective signature thereof, selectively activate a network element loop-back mode for re-injecting test frames egressing an interface of the network element back into the interface and swap test frame source and destination MAC addresses during said re-injection; wherein said circuitries are configured for selectively enabling the network element to support a unidirectional test mode and a bi-directional test mode and for enabling the network element to be selectively operated as a local network element and a remote network element; wherein said circuitries are further configured for selectively enabling the network element to support an in-service test mode and an out-of-service test mode such that all non-test frames are discarded in the out-of-service test mode.