Patent ID: 8621283

Claim:
A system comprising: a network interface communicatively coupled to a plurality of virtual service nodes via a communication network; and a processor that performs operations comprising: instantiating a cloned network that includes a second set of virtual service nodes that includes a cloned virtual service node that is a clone of a corresponding virtual service node in a first set of virtual service nodes of the plurality of virtual services nodes, wherein the cloned virtual service node has access to a history of events that occurred at the corresponding virtual service node in the first set of virtual service nodes; and initiating an interactive debugging session that includes step by step processing by the cloned network of the events of the history of events, wherein the step by step processing of the events starts at a first event of the history of events, wherein the step by step processing of the events includes sending a transmit command to each virtual service node in the second set of virtual service nodes, wherein the transmit command identifies a transmit phase, and wherein, during the transmit phase, each virtual service node in the second set of virtual service nodes transmits one or more packets associated with the first event.