Abstract: A router stands by in a power saving state when there is no multicast joining message received. The router increases transfer performance with granularity such as the bandwidth of each multicast channel or the maximum bandwidth of each receiving line when a multicast joining message is received. On the other hand, the router decreases transfer performance with granularity such as the bandwidth of each multicast channel or the maximum bandwidth of each receiving line when a multicast disjoining message is received. The aforementioned processing permits achievement of power saving in the router connected to a multicast network.

Abstract: A router stands by in a power saving state when there is no multicast joining message received. The router increases transfer performance with granularity such as the bandwidth of each multicast channel or the maximum bandwidth of each receiving line when a multicast joining message is received. On the other hand, the router decreases transfer performance with granularity such as the bandwidth of each multicast channel or the maximum bandwidth of each receiving line when a multicast disjoining message is received. The aforementioned processing permits achievement of power saving in the router connected to a multicast network.

Abstract: A packet forwarding apparatus is provided which can minimize traffic detoured to a backup path liable to be degraded in communication quality in the event of a link failure to thereby improve the communication quality. To this end, a technique is provided in which an output label decision unit and an output physical port ordinal number search unit which are included in a destination decision unit decide, from a header of an input packet, an output label of the packet, a first logical link to which the packet is to be outputted and a first physical link constituting the first logical link. When a failure takes place in the first physical link, the detour decision unit changes the output label to a backup label and the first physical link to a second physical link constituting a second logical link.

Abstract: When are multiplexed to a line for connecting a router and a LAN switch, another VLAN is set between the router and the LAN switch. The router receives affiliation requests containing the identifiers of desired groups from a client terminal belonging to VLAN and a client terminal belonging to VLAN. The router outputs a multicast frame of the group received from a distributing server is output through the logical interface corresponding to VLAN to the LAN switch. The LAN switch copies and transmits the received multicast frame to the client terminals.

Abstract: A packet forwarding apparatus is provided which can minimize traffic detoured to a backup path liable to be degraded in communication quality in the event of a link failure to thereby improve the communication quality. To this end, a technique is provided in which an output label decision unit and an output physical port ordinal number search unit which are included in a destination decision unit decide, from a header of an input packet, an output label of the packet, a first logical link to which the packet is to be outputted and a first physical link constituting the first logical link. When a failure takes place in the first physical link, the detour decision unit changes the output label to a backup label and the first physical link to a second physical link constituting a second logical link.