Apparatus and method for transmitting packets in a packet switched network

Apparatus for transmitting a packet in a packet switched network, comprising:

• packet transmitting means for transmitting a packet, through one of a plurality of pseudo wires, from a PW ingress node thereof to a PW egress node thereof, each of the plurality of pseudo wires being defined as a communication path for transmitting a packet between a pair of end nodes included in three or more nodes communicably connected via a tunnel, wherein the PW ingress node is one of the pair of end nodes from which the packet comes into the one of the plurality of pseudo wires and the PW egress node is the other one of the pair of end nodes from which the packet goes out of the one of the plurality of pseudo wires;
• and
• packet receiving means for extracting a packet transmitted through the one of the plurality of pseudo wires from among packets being transmitted through the tunnel.

A method for transmitting a packet in a packet switched network, comprising:

• setting, to a tunnel connecting three or more nodes in the packet switched network, a plurality of pseudo wires each defined as a communication path for transmitting a packet between a pair of end nodes included in the three or more nodes communicably connected via the tunnel.