Patent ID: 8072891

Claim:
A method for testing a network communication device having a plurality of ports, comprising: generating, by a receiver, a plurality of test packets expected to be received by the network communication device, wherein the receiver is included in the network communication device and is associated with one of the ports of the network communication device; receiving, by the receiver, a plurality of test packets generated and transmitted by a transmitter; wherein the receiver and the transmitter each comprises first and second packet register sets on respective first and second parallel channels, the transmitter including a first payload generator coupled to the first and second packet register sets of the transmitter and the receiver including first and second payload generators coupled to the first and the second packet register sets of the receiver, the first and the second payload generators included on respective third and fourth parallel channels in the receiver; comparing, by the receiver, the plurality of test packets expected to be received with the plurality of test packets received from the transmitter, wherein the comparing includes comparing a plurality of test packets representative of control packets expected to be received with a plurality of test packets representative of control packets received, wherein each of the plurality of test packets representative of control packets is interspersed among a plurality of test packets representative of data packets in a pattern configured to simulate internet traffic; and reporting, by the receiver, occurrence of one or more errors based at least in part on a result of said comparing of the plurality of test packets; wherein the transmitter and the receiver are synchronized with each other.