# US 2018/0026864 A1 · Communication apparatus, communication system, and communication method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0026864 A1 - Document ID: US20180026864A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/549,225 - Filed: 2016-01-15 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2015-02-19 - Assignees: NEC Corporation - Applicants: NEC Corporation - Inventors: Yu AOKI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180026864A1 ## CPC - H04L 49/253: using establishment or release of connections between ports - H04L 41/06: Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications - H04L 41/0663: Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements - H04L 43/0852: Delays - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A communication apparatus (100) includes a plurality of transmitting ports (101-1 to 101-3) constituting a link aggregation, and an input port (102-1). The communication apparatus (100) transmits a specific packet input from the input port (102-1) from a specific transmitting port among the plurality of transmitting ports (101-1 to 101-3), and transmits a first non-specific packet input from the input port (102-1) from a transmitting port other than the specific transmitting port among the plurality of transmitting ports (101-1 to 101-3), the first non-specific packet being a packet other than the specific packet and having a predetermined packet length or longer. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A communication apparatus comprising: a plurality of transmitting ports constituting a link aggregation; and an input port, wherein the communication apparatus transmits a specific packet input from the input port from a specific transmitting port among the plurality of transmitting ports, and the communication apparatus transmits a first non-specific packet input from the input port from a transmitting port other than the specific transmitting port among the plurality of transmitting ports, the first non-specific packet being a packet other than the specific packet and having a predetermined packet length or longer. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus transmits a second non-specific packet input from the input port from the plurality of transmitting ports, the second non-specific packet being a packet other than the specific packet and having a packet length shorter than the predetermined packet length. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The communication apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising calculation units provided so as to correspond to the plurality of transmitting ports, respectively, each of the calculation units being configured to calculate an amount of data transmission per unit time in a corresponding transmitting port, wherein the communication apparatus calculates a distribution ratio at a time when the second non-specific packet is transmitted from the plurality of transmitting ports based on the amount of data transmission in each of the plurality of the transmitting ports, distributes the second non-specific packet to the plurality of transmitting ports based on the distribution ratio, and transmits the second non-specific packet. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the distribution ratio is determined in such a manner that the smaller the amount of data transmission in a transmitting port is, the greater the number of second non-specific packets transmitted from that transmitting port becomes. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a priority is defined in advance for each of the plurality of transmitting ports, the communication apparatus monitors a failure occurrence state in each of the plurality of transmitting ports, and the communication apparatus sets the specific transmitting port based on the failure occurrence state and the priority of each of the plurality of transmitting ports. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the communication apparatus defines a transmitting port having a highest priority among transmitting ports in which no failure has occurred among the plurality of transmitting ports as the specific transmitting port ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The communication apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the communication apparatus transmits the first non-specific packet from a transmitting port, the transmitting port being a transmitting port other than the specific transmitting port and in which no failure has occurred among the plurality of transmitting ports, and the communication apparatus transmits the second non-specific packet from a transmitting port, the transmitting port being a transmitting port in which no failure has occurred among the plurality of transmitting ports. ### Claim 8 A communication system comprising first and second communication apparatuses connected to each other by a link aggregation, wherein the first communication apparatus comprises: a plurality of transmitting ports constituting a link aggregation; and an input port, the second communication apparatus comprises a plurality of receiving ports constituting a link aggregation, the first communication apparatus transmits a specific packet input from the input port from a specific transmitting port among the plurality of transmitting ports, and the first communication apparatus transmits a first non-specific packet input from the input port from a transmitting port other than the specific transmitting port among the plurality of transmitting ports, the first non-specific packet being a packet other than the specific packet and having a predetermined packet length or longer. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The communication system according to claim 8, wherein the first communication apparatus transmits a second non-specific packet input from the input port from the plurality of transmitting ports, the second non-specific packet being a packet other than the specific packet and having a packet length shorter than the predetermined packet length. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The communication system according to claim 9, wherein the first communication apparatus comprises calculation units provided so as to correspond to the plurality of transmitting ports, respectively, each of the calculation units being configured to calculate an amount of data transmission per unit time in a corresponding transmitting port, the first communication apparatus calculates a distribution ratio at a time when the second non-specific packet is transmitted from the plurality of transmitting ports based on the amount of data transmission in each of the plurality of the transmitting ports, distributes the second non-specific packet to the plurality of transmitting ports based on the distribution ratio, and transmits the second non-specific packet. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The communication system according to claim 10, wherein the distribution ratio is determined in such a manner that the smaller the amount of data transmission in a transmitting port is, the greater the number of second non-specific packets transmitted from that transmitting port becomes. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The communication system according to claim 9, wherein a priority is defined in advance for each of the plurality of transmitting ports, the first communication apparatus monitors a failure occurrence state in each of the plurality of transmitting ports, and the first communication apparatus sets the specific transmitting port based on the failure occurrence state and the priority of each of the plurality of transmitting ports. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The communication system according to claim 12, wherein the first communication apparatus defines a transmitting port having a highest priority among transmitting ports in which no failure has occurred among the plurality of transmitting ports as the specific transmitting port ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The communication system according to claim 13, wherein the first communication apparatus transmits the first non-specific packet from a transmitting port, the transmitting port being a transmitting port other than the specific transmitting port and in which no failure has occurred among the plurality of transmitting ports, and the first communication apparatus transmits the second non-specific packet from a transmitting port, the transmitting port being a transmitting port in which no failure has occurred among the plurality of transmitting ports. ### Claim 15 A communication method performed by a communication apparatus, the communication apparatus comprising a plurality of transmitting ports constituting a link aggregation, and an input port, the communication method comprising: transmitting a specific packet input from the input port from a specific transmitting port among the plurality of transmitting ports; and transmitting a first non-specific packet input from the input port from a transmitting port other than the specific transmitting port among the plurality of transmitting ports, the first non-specific packet being a packet other than the specific packet and having a predetermined packet length or longer. ### Claim 16 A communication method performed by a communication system comprising first and second communication apparatuses connected to each other by a link aggregation, the first communication apparatus comprising a plurality of transmitting ports constituting a link aggregation, and an input port, the second communication apparatus comprising a plurality of receiving ports constituting a link aggregation, the communication method comprising: transmitting, by the first communication apparatus, a specific packet input from the input port from a specific transmitting port among the plurality of transmitting ports; and transmitting, by the first communication apparatus, a first non-specific packet input from the input port from a transmitting port other than the specific transmitting port among the plurality of transmitting ports, the first non-specific packet being a packet other than the specific packet and having a predetermined packet length or longer.