Patent ID: 7995574

Claim:
A network element comprising: a network connection unit configured to provide communications over a network; a processor coupled to the network connection unit, wherein the processor is configured to: in response to a selection command by a service provider entity, generate a traceroute message arranged to be sent to test a path between a source provider edge router and an ending provider edge router that serves as an exit point from an autonomous system that is controlled by the service provider entity, wherein the traceroute message is configured to test the path based on information stored in an Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) routing table and to include a counter that is arranged to indicate a number of hops remaining before the ending provider edge router is reached so that the traceroute message is forwarded to the ending provider edge router by intervening node hops in the path between the source provider edge router and the ending provider edge router as long as the counter has not expired; store information that contains a BGP next hop address to which the traceroute message will be sent to verify that the path has no forwarding problems; store an indicator in the traceroute message that is configured to identify the number of hops between a node at the source provider edge router and a node at the ending provider edge router in the path and to be altered by a node in a provider core between the source provider edge node and the ending provider edge node in the path; send the traceroute message to a next Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) hop that is accessible from the source provider edge router along the path to the ending provider edge router; and receive a return message from the ending provider edge router, the return message indicating that the traceroute message has reached the ending provider edge router before the counter has expired and whether to remove the traceroute message from the path.