An Ethernet ring protection switching, ERPS, method, comprising: when a first ERPS port becomes faulty, clearing, by a first node, Media Access Control, MAC, address forwarding tables of the first ERPS port and a second ERPS port, and simultaneously changing multiple ports of the first node that comprise the first ERPS port and the second ERPS port to a broadcasting state, wherein the second ERPS port is another ERPS port except the first ERPS port; when the first node receives a MAC packet, sending, by the first node, the MAC packet to a target node in a broadcasting manner by using a port in the multiple ports, wherein the target node is a node of multiple nodes connected to the first node, except a node connected to the first ERPS port and a node that sends the MAC packet; and when the MAC address forwarding tables of the first ERPS port and the second ERPS port are cleared, changing, by the first node, the multiple ports from the broadcasting state to a forwarding state, learning a MAC address according to a broadcasting path of the MAC packet to obtain a target MAC address forwarding table of the second ERPS port, and using the target MAC address forwarding table as a MAC address forwarding table that is used by the second ERPS port to forward a MAC packet; wherein when the first ERPS port becomes faulty, and before the clearing, by the first node, MAC address forwarding tables of the first ERPS port and the second ERPS port, the method further comprises: blocking, by the first node, the first ERPS port, and sending a signal failure message to a second node connected to the second ERPS port, so as to trigger the second node to clear the MAC address forwarding tables of the two ERPS ports and simultaneously change the multiple ports that comprise the two ERPS ports to the broadcasting state. when a first ERPS port becomes faulty, clearing, by a first node, Media Access Control, MAC, address forwarding tables of the first ERPS port and a second ERPS port, and simultaneously changing multiple ports of the first node that comprise the first ERPS port and the second ERPS port to a broadcasting state, wherein the second ERPS port is another ERPS port except the first ERPS port; when the first node receives a MAC packet, sending, by the first node, the MAC packet to a target node in a broadcasting manner by using a port in the multiple ports, wherein the target node is a node of multiple nodes connected to the first node, except a node connected to the first ERPS port and a node that sends the MAC packet; and when the MAC address forwarding tables of the first ERPS port and the second ERPS port are cleared, changing, by the first node, the multiple ports from the broadcasting state to a forwarding state, learning a MAC address according to a broadcasting path of the MAC packet to obtain a target MAC address forwarding table of the second ERPS port, and using the target MAC address forwarding table as a MAC address forwarding table that is used by the second ERPS port to forward a MAC packet; wherein when the first ERPS port becomes faulty, and before the clearing, by the first node, MAC address forwarding tables of the first ERPS port and the second ERPS port, the method further comprises: blocking, by the first node, the first ERPS port, and sending a signal failure message to a second node connected to the second ERPS port, so as to trigger the second node to clear the MAC address forwarding tables of the two ERPS ports and simultaneously change the multiple ports that comprise the two ERPS ports to the broadcasting state.