Patent ID: 8369229

Claim:
A method comprising: using one or more packet delivery monitoring packets (“PDM packets”) to monitor packet delivery between a first reference node and a second reference node communicatively coupled to one another by at least one network path, each of said PDM packets comprising an Internet Control Message Protocol (“ICMP”) packet modified to include at least one packet delivery monitoring extension (“PDM extension”), said monitoring including cumulatively counting received packets associated with a packet flow being received at said first reference node and said second reference node; latching a first count value upon receiving a PDM packet including a received packet count latch (“RPCL”) extension acting as a count latch message at said first reference node, said first count value indicating the number of data packets associated with the packet flow that have been received by said first reference node; and latching a second count value upon receiving said PDM packet including an RPCL extension at said second reference node, said second count value indicating the number of data packets associated with the packet flow that have been received by said second reference node.