Patent ID: 7620535

Claim:
A method for simulating a live computer network via a network entity simulator, the network entity simulator operative via a computer and responsive to network messages, the method comprising: discovering a topology of the live computer network, wherein the discovered topology includes a plurality of network entities and at least one connection between at least two of the plurality of network entities; simulating the live computer network, the simulated computer network having a topology that includes simulations of the plurality of network entities and a simulation of the at least one connection between the at least two connected network entities, wherein simulating the live computer network includes: simulating each of the plurality of network entities, simulating the at least one connection between the at least two connected network entities, wherein the simulated connection includes a status, applying a network management algorithm to the simulated computer network, wherein the network management algorithm is configured to analyze one or more faults in the simulated computer network, and injecting one or more simulated conditions into the simulated computer network, wherein the simulated conditions test whether the network management algorithm correctly analyzes one or more faults in the simulated computer network that are caused by the simulated conditions; automatically updating the topology of the simulated computer network in response to discovering one or more changes to the topology of the live computer network; and testing the network management algorithm applied to the simulated computer network, wherein testing the management algorithm includes: providing at least one network message to the simulated computer network via the network entity simulator, and receiving a response to the at least one network message from the simulated computer network, wherein the response depends on the status of the simulated connection in the updated topology with the one or more simulated conditions injected into the simulated computer network and with the network management algorithm applied to the simulated computer network.