Patent ID: 7898963

Claim:
A method for graphically displaying a packet progression within a network device, said method comprising: identifying a plurality of phases that correspond to a plurality of operations performed on a packet as the packet progresses within the network device; displaying the plurality of phases on a display device; indicating, on the display device, progression of the packet through the plurality of phases and the corresponding plurality of operations performed on the packet during the progression, and wherein the display device indicates that the network device applied a first rule to the packet during at least one of the phases and dropped the packet based on the application of the first rule to the packet; and presenting, on the display device, a packet report for the packet that was dropped by the network device, wherein the packet report to textually identifies the phase the packet was dropped and include a first selectable button and a second selectable button both corresponding to the phase the packet was dropped and both associated with the first rule the network device implemented to drop the packet, wherein the first selectable button, when activated, prompts the display device to present a description of the first rule, wherein the second selectable button, when activated, directs the network device to automatically create a second rule opposite of the first rule, wherein the network device, applying the second rule, would not have dropped the packet in the phase associated with the dropped packet, and wherein the network device applies the second rule, instead of the first rule, to one or more future packets as the one or more future packets progress through the phase associated with the dropped packet.