Patent ID: 7031307

Claim:
A packet routing apparatus for receiving a packet, and routing the received packet in accordance with packet information included in the packet, comprising: an interface portion connected to a plurality of networks for sending/receiving a packet to/from the respective networks; and a relay portion connected to said interface portion for receiving a packet from said interface portion, deciding a destination apparatus according to packet information included in the packet, and sending the packet to said interface portion, wherein said relay portion comprises: a storage portion for storing at the least one policy condition, and at the least one label corresponding to the respective policy condition; a determining portion which determines whether any layer information included in the packet information matches any policy condition stored in said storage portion, and when at the least one layer information matches any policy condition, reads out a label corresponding to this policy condition from said storage portion; and an attaching portion for receiving a label read out by said determining portion, and transmitting a packet to which this label has been attached; and wherein said interface portion sends the packet in accordance with said label.