Patent ID: 9426070
Filing Date: 2016-08-23
CPC Classification: H04L

Claim Text:
1. A system comprising: an upper-level device; and a plurality of lower-level devices configured to communicate with the upper-level device, wherein the upper-level device is connected to a Layer 3 network through a gateway and includes: a first storage unit that stores information on a port connected to each of the plurality of lower-level devices, in association with a group identifier identifying a terminal group including a plurality of terminals under control of the each lower-level device, a searcher configured to identify, upon receiving a first frame whose destination information includes information specific to the gateway, based on a first terminal identifier identifying a first terminal that is a destination of a packet within the first frame, a first group identifier identifying a first terminal group to which the first terminal belongs, and to search the first storage unit for the identified first group identifier, and a first transfer controller configured to transfer, when the first group identifier is found in the first storage unit, the first frame from a port that is associated with the first group identifier in the first storage unit; and the plurality of lower-level devices each include: a second storage unit that stores information on a port connected to each terminal belonging to a terminal group, a terminal identifier identifying the each terminal, and information specific to the each terminal, in association with each other, an updating unit configured to update the destination information of the first frame received from the upper-level device, by using information that is specific to the first terminal and stored in the second storage unit in association with the first terminal identifier, and a second transfer controller configured to transfer the first frame having the destination information updated by the updating unit from a port whose information is stored in the second storage unit in association with the first terminal identifier.