Patent ID: 8681785

Claim:
A communication apparatus operable to set a path based on path setting information used to set a communication path over a communication network formed by a plurality of the communication apparatuses, the communication apparatus comprising: a first storage medium operable to store first path setting information manually set by a network administrator and formatted with a first format; a second storage medium operable to store second path setting information formatted with a second format; and a controller configured to replace the first path setting information with the second path setting information, wherein the controller comprises: a receiving section operable to inquire the path setting information of an adjacent communication apparatus so as to receive the first path setting information; a generation section operable to generate the second path setting information including a parameter related to path setting and assigned by communication between communication apparatuses, the second path setting information being generated based on the first path setting information received at the receiving section; and a transmission section operable to transmit the second path setting information generated by the generation section to the adjacent communication apparatus, wherein the controller monitors whether a completion notice, indicating that second path setting information in the adjacent node has been replaced with the second path setting information transmitted by the transmission section, is received within a predetermined time, when the completion notice is not received from the adjacent apparatus within the predetermined time, the second path setting information generated by the generation section is transmitted by the transmission section to the adjacent apparatus again, and when the completion notice is received from the adjacent apparatus within the predetermined time, the controller replaces the first path setting information with the generated second path setting information and transmits a second completion notice to the adjacent node indicating that the replacement has been completed.