Patent ID: 7009986

Claim:
A network apparatus that interconnects two or more (=N) basic elements each having the capability to function as one computer, comprising: N switch device groups that each has N switch devices, each of said N switch device groups being electrically configured such that only one of said N switch devices therein is directly connected to one of said basic elements without selecting the same basic element twice, and first to Nth of the N switch devices are connected in series in the order that a first switch device is connected directly to a basic element, a second switch device is connected to said first switch device, a third switch device is connected to said second switch device and so on up to a final Nth switch device, said Nth switch device being connected to a (N- 1 )th switch device, and N loop lines, each being connected to said N switch device groups, wherein each of said N loop lines is directly connected to only one of said N switch devices that is directly connected to one of said basic elements.