Abstract: Digital communications receive signals from the network tap represent “tapped” data. The tapped data is forwarded to a time stamp module. The time stamp module generates a time stamp and inserts the time stamp in each packet body. The time stamp represents a “time” when data packet content is considered to be generated at a sending node from which the tapped data originates. A packet time-stamped in this manner is then forwarded to one or more receivers, such as the recorder for additional processing. One such processing may be a performance measurement based at least in part on the time stamp that, as described, represents the time at which data packet content is considered to have been generated by the sending node. The network tap may be filterable, and either copper-based or a fiber tap.