Problems are proactively analyzed and responded to as they are detected in
a virtual private network (VPN) access path rather than waiting for a
user to manually report the problem. When a problem is automatically
detected, such as a failure causing degraded performance, an alarm may be
generated. The alarm proactively triggers rules-based analysis procedures
and isolation testing to diagnose problem in a VPN access path. Based on
the testing and analysis, a comprehensive trouble ticket may be generated
that is customized with specific alarm information allowing for increased
efficiency in problem isolation and saving significant time and resources
in resolving the problem.