Patent ID: 8085674

Claim:
A method for forming a priority trace data packet, comprising: determining an origination address identifying an originating node within a data network that originated the priority trace data packet; determining a destination address identifying a terminating node for the priority trace data packet within the data network; determining a current priority previously assigned to the priority trace data packet, the current priority including a separate layer priority value for each network layer of the priority trace data packet; determining a new priority for the priority trace data packet, the new priority including a new separate layer priority value for each network layer of the priority trace data packet; populating the origination address, the destination address and the new priority value within the priority trace data packet; and providing a payload for collecting and maintaining priority information that indicates respective actual priority values assigned to each network layer of the priority trace data packet by each priority trace enabled network node within the data network that is in a data path between the originating node and the terminating node, the priority information including the current priority.