Patent attributes
A network device includes processing circuitry and a plurality of ports. The ports connect to a communication network. The processing circuitry is configured to receive, via an input port, data packets and probe packets that are addressed to a common output port, to store the data packets in a first queue and the probe packets in a second queue, both the first queue and the second queue are served by the output port, to produce telemetry data indicative of a state of the network device, based on a processing path that the data packets traverse within the network device, to schedule transmission of the data packets from the first queue at a first priority, and schedule transmission of the probe packets from the second queue at a second priority higher than the first priority, and to modify the scheduled probe packets so as to carry the telemetry data.