Patent ID: 7310346

Claim:
A node apparatus which stores a received packet in one of a plurality of queues, determines on the basis of a state variable of each of the queues whether each of the plurality of queues is in a ready state for packet transmission, and transmits the packet from the queue in a ready state for packet transmission, the node apparatus comprising: list means in which numbers identifying which of the plurality of queues in a ready state for packet transmission are written and which manages an order in which the numbers were written; state variable storing means for holding state variables associated with all of the plurality of queues; state variable temporary storing means which temporarily stores only state variables associated with queues having identifying numbers within a predetermined range from a start of said list means and is smaller in data amount than said state variable storing means; and control means for transmitting a packet from a queue having a number extracted from the start of said list means and updating a state variable of the queue in said state variable temporary storing means, wherein said control means adds the number of the queue to said list means if it is determined on the basis of the state variable updated when the packet was transmitted from the queue extracted from the start of said list means that the queue is still in a ready state for packet transmission, and said state variable temporary storing means, when said control means extracts a number from said list means, newly stores a state variable associated with a queue falling in the predetermined range from the start of said list means, and when a queue number is added to said list means, stores a state variable associated with the queue if the number of numbers in said list means falls within the predetermined range.