Patent ID: 7835297

Claim:
An element manager operating method comprising: the element manager retrieving information from a first packet switch, the first packet switch having acquired the information from layer-two (data link layer) control packets relayed from a second packet switch to the first packet switch via a tunnel prior to the element manager retrieving the information, the layer-two control packets conforming to a layer-two control protocol; the element manager accessing data describing a desired tunnel configuration that is known to the element manager but is not implemented by the tunnel, the desired tunnel configuration specifying that the tunnel should not relay layer-two control packets conforming to the layer-two control protocol; the element manager identifying a discrepancy between the desired tunnel configuration and actual behavior of the tunnel by determining, based at least in part on the retrieved information, that the tunnel is actually relaying layer-two control packets conforming to the layer-two control protocol despite the desired tunnel configuration; and the element manager communicating the discrepancy.