Patent ID: 8027267

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving, by a first network element, first measurement data and second measurement data from a first endpoint device and a second endpoint device in a network, respectively, wherein: (i) the first measurement data is generated based on departure timestamps and arrival timestamps of a first plurality of packets received at an ingress and an egress of the first endpoint device, and (ii) the second measurement data is generated based on departure timestamps and arrival timestamps of a second plurality of packets received at an egress and an ingress of the second endpoint device; processing, by the first network element, the first measurement data and the second measurement data to form one-way transit times d 1 , d 2 , . . . , d n that characterizes network conditions at a given time between the first endpoint device and the second endpoint device; storing, in a first variable delay buffer of the first network element, a first ordered sequence of packets received from the first endpoint device, wherein each packet of the first ordered sequence of packets is to be transmitted by the first network element based on respective one-way transit times d 1 , d 2 , . . . , d n ; adjusting, by the first network element, the one-way transit times d 1 , d 2 , . . . , d n to offset additional delays, Δ, that are attributable to reproducing the network conditions, wherein the one-way transit times d 1 , d 2 , . . . , d n are adjusted by the first network element to produce an adjusted one-way transit times d 1 −Δ, d 2 −Δ, . . . , d n −Δ; and transmitting, by the first network element, each packet of the first ordered sequence of packets stored in the first variable delay buffer based on the adjusted one-way transit times d 1 −Δ, d 2 −Δ, . . . , d n −Δ to the second endpoint device.