Patent ID: 8036123

Claim:
An integrated circuit of a first network device comprising: a plurality of ports to transmit and receive packets of data, and to receive one or more packet definitions that specify characteristics of a packet; a forwarding engine to transfer the packets of data between the ports; and a medium access controller (MAC) to receive the one or more packet definitions, wherein at least one of the ports comprises a packet generator to originate one or more test packets of data according to one or more of the packet definitions received from the MAC, wherein the integrated circuit receives the one or more packet definitions from a second network device in a network, wherein the first network device communicates with the second network device in the network, wherein a first port of the plurality of ports receives the packets of data and the one or more packet definitions, wherein the MAC separates the one or more packet definitions from the packets of data and forwards the packets of data to the forwarding engine and the packet definitions to the packet generator, wherein a second port of the plurality of ports of the integrated circuit transmits the packets of data to the network, and wherein the first port of the plurality of ports of the integrated circuit tests the network by transmitting the one or more test packets to the network.