Patent ID: 7424005

Claim:
A layer 2 link handler provided in a network-side device, the network-side device being connected to each of a plurality of user-side devices by a respective user-side layer 1 permanent virtual connection (PVC) path and connected to each of a plurality of network service providers (NSPs) via one of a NSP-side layer 1 PVC path and a layer 1 switched virtual connection (SVC) path, the layer 2 link handler comprising: a path specification means that specifies one path between the network-side device and one of the plurality of NSPs based on layer 2 link information that is emitted from one of the plurality of user-side devices at a time of a layer 2 link connection request; and a path connection means that causes said respective user-side layer 1 PVC path between said network-side device and the one of the plurality of user-side devices to connect to the one specified path, wherein said path connection means includes a labeling means that, based on the layer 2 link information emitted from the one of the plurality of user-side devices at the time of the layer 2 link connection request, assigns a label to each layer 2 packet, where the label is one of one or more available label numbers when a label is newly assigned to each layer 2 packet or a different label number when a layer 2 packet is rejected by the one of the plurality of NSPs and is returned to the network-side device because the layer 2 packet is labeled with a same label number as another labeled layer 2 packet, and said path connection means further includes a transfer means that transfers the labeled layer 2 packet to the one specified path.