Patent ID: 7852758

Claim:
A path control method for route-controlling a label switch path generated in a network having a plurality of nodes, the network including a routing area 0 where a path originating node is present, and another routing area 1 , the path control method comprising operations of: at the path originating node, computing a route within the routing area 0 , attaching the computed route to the label allocation request message as explicit route information, attaching restricted link information to the label allocation request message and sending the information-attached said label allocation request message on the explicit route in the network; at a transit node which has received the label allocation request message, selecting a link different from a restricted link indicated by the restricted link information attached to the label allocation request message; and sending the label allocation request message from the transmit node to the selected link, at a boundary node, which has received the label allocation request message and connects the routing area 0 and the routing area 1 , computing a further route including a link different from the restricted link indicated by the restricted link information; sending out an updated label allocation request message to which the computed further route information defining the further route is attached as new explicit route information; at the path originating node and the boundary node, using route information of the switch path as the restricted link information; and wherein either an absolute inhibit level which prohibits passage or an extreme inhibit level which restricts passage according to a prescribed rule determined in advance, is set for the restricted link; the transit node selects the link according to either of the inhibit levels the restricted link information has a restricted link list which indicates an inhibit level of the restricted link; and the transit node: selects a link which configures a route with the least number of times of passing through the link indicating an extreme inhibit level when all the restricted link lists indicate an extreme inhibit level; selects a link which configures a route with a less number of hops when there are plural routes which do not pass through the extreme inhibit link; and selects a link which configures a route with the least number of times of passing through the link indicating the extreme inhibit level among routes which do not pass through a link indicating an absolute inhibit level when there is a link indicating one or more absolute inhibit levels in the restricted link list.