Service OAM packets or OAM packets within the context of a shortcut (for example, ICMP Ping or traceroute packets), also include an EL and ELI if ELC is signaled for the corresponding tunnel and the entropy-label command is enabled for the service. The EL and ELI is inserted at the same level in the label stack as it is in user data packets, which is under the innermost LSP label closest to the service payload that has advertised ELC. The EL and ELI therefore always reside at a different level in the label stack than the special-purpose labels related to the service payload (such as the Router Alert label). OAM packets at the LSP level, such as LSP ping and LSP trace, do not have the EL and ELI inserted.