RELIABLE ISP ACCESS CLOUD STATE DETECTION METHOD AND APPARATUS

A Multi-Homing System is equipped with an Adaptive JSP Access Cloud State Detection apparatus (ACSD) that improves the reliability of digital connections, such as a Computer Premises Network and the Internet, in which such connections are made by connecting through a multiplicity of ISP Access Clouds (links). Reliability is improved by using data elements of Internet Protocol datagrams that are exchanged between the ISP Access Clouds and the CPN without creating additional data traffic. Data Elements from each ISP Access Cloud are used by processing functions of the by the ACSD to test for conditions that indicate that it may be in a DOWN status, when a DOWN status is suspected, other functions in the ACSD initiate transmission of a set of PROBE packets that can determine if the suspect link is actually DOWN or merely giving a response that would be interpreted as DOWN by prior art methods.