Patent ID: 8531987

Claim:
A method for performing a time measurement on a data flow to be transmitted from a transmitting node to a receiving node of a communication network, said method comprising: a) at said transmitting node: dividing said data flow in first blocks, each of said first blocks comprising a number of data units, and in second blocks, each of said second blocks comprising a number of further data units, said first blocks alternating in time with said second blocks, said dividing being performed by setting a feature of said data units to a first value and by setting said feature of said further data units to a second value; and transmitting said first blocks and said second blocks, said transmitting comprising increasing a first transmission counter each time one of said data units of said first blocks is transmitted and setting a first transmission timestamp to a current time when a predetermined data unit of each of said first blocks is transmitted; b) at said receiving node, receiving said first blocks and said second blocks, said receiving comprising increasing a first reception counter each time one of said data units of said first blocks is received and setting a first reception timestamp to a further current time when said predetermined data unit of each of said first blocks is received; and c) at a management server cooperating with said communication network including the transmitting node and the receiving node, while said steps a) and b) are performed, periodically detecting with a detection period Td values of said first transmission counter, said first reception counter, said first transmission timestamp and said first reception timestamp, and performing a time measurement on said data flow based on detected values of said first transmission counter, said first reception counter, said first transmission timestamp and said first reception timestamp.