Patent ID: 7609704

Claim:
A packet routing apparatus for relaying a packet, received from one of a plurality of ports to which the packet routing apparatus is connected, to another port, the packet routing apparatus comprising: a first coupling mechanism; a plurality of routing units, connected to the first coupling mechanism, each of the plurality of routing units transmitting and receiving packets to/from each other via the first coupling mechanism; a plurality of second coupling mechanisms, each connected to one of the routing units; a plurality of port controllers, each connected to at least one port and one of the second coupling mechanisms, each port controller receiving a packet from one of the ports and transmitting the packet to the second coupling mechanism, and receiving a packet from the second coupling mechanism and transmitting the packet to one of the ports, wherein at least one extended function processing unit, connected to one of the second coupling mechanisms, the extended function processing unit receiving the packet from the connected second coupling mechanism, executing a predetermined append function to the packet, and transmitting the packet to the connected second coupling mechanism, wherein at least one of the plurality of routing units is connected to one of the port controllers and the extended function processing unit through one of the second coupling mechanism connected to the routing units, and wherein, when each of the routing units has received a packet from the connected second coupling mechanism, the routing unit transmits the packet to the first coupling mechanism with another routing unit as a destination, and, when the routing unit has received a packet from the first coupling mechanism, the routing unit transmits the packet to the second coupling mechanism.