Patent ID: 7715322

Claim:
A system for the implementation of a remote test access feature in a transport network using virtual connection points and sub-network connections, the system comprising: a first network element representing a remote test node; a second network element representing a local node to be tested, the second network element comprising a circuit to be tested; a digital test set comprising diagnostic equipment coupled to the first network element; one or more software-based virtual test access links coupling the first network element and the second network element via one or more local test access ports associated with the local node to be tested and the circuit to be tested, the one or more software-based virtual test access links each comprising one or more software-based virtual connection points, the one or more software-based virtual connection points each defining a connection point for a unidirectional traffic path originating/terminating on the same or a different network element; and one or more sub-network connections coupling the first network element and the second network element, the one or more sub-network connections each comprising one or more cross-connects defining an end-to-end path through the transport network.