Communication system, control apparatus, communication method, control method and program

1. A communication system, comprising:

a plurality of control apparatuses configured to determine a packet handling operation;

a plurality of packet processing apparatuses configured to process a packet based on the packet handling operation notified by at least one of the control apparatuses;

an assignment apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to:

determine a control apparatus from the plurality of control apparatuses having a load lower than other of the plurality of the control apparatuses, when a new packet processing apparatus is connected to the assignment apparatus;

assign the new packet processing apparatus to the determined control apparatus for controlling the assigned packet processing apparatus; and

a database that is shared by the plurality of control apparatuses and that stores information related to the packet handling operation, wherein each of the control apparatuses refers to the database to

determine the packet handling operation by referring to the database.

2. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein each of the control apparatuses retrieves information corresponding to at least one of the packet processing apparatuses that is a target for control, from the database, and determines the packet handling operation to be transmitted to the at least one of the packet processing apparatuses being the target for control, based on the retrieved information.

3. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein each of the control apparatuses changes a reference region of the database, based on at least one of the packet processing apparatuses that is a target for control, being changed.

4. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the database stores the information by division into regions respectively corresponding to the plurality of packet processing apparatuses.

5. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein each of the control apparatuses refers to the database at prescribed periods, and confirms whether or not there is a packet handling operation to be notified to the assigned packet processing apparatus.

6. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of control apparatuses refers to the database in response to receiving a notification indicating that content of the database has been changed.

7. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the assignment apparatus is further configured to assign each of the plurality of packet processing apparatuses a control apparatus of the plurality of control apparatuses, wherein the assigned control apparatus controls the packet processing apparatus based on information related to a position of the placket processing apparatuses.

8. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the assignment apparatus is further configured to assign a function for changing at least one of the control apparatuses assigned to respective packet processing apparatuses to at least one of another of the control apparatuses.

9. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the assignment apparatus is further configured to:

determine a control apparatus from the plurality of control apparatuses when the control apparatus is added to the communication system; and

assign at least one of the plurality of packet processing apparatuses the determined control apparatus, wherein the determined control apparatus controls the assigned packet processing apparatus.

10. A first control apparatus that controls packet processing, wherein the first control apparatus is one of a plurality of control apparatuses, the first control apparatus comprising:

one of more processors configured to:

refer to a database shared by the first control apparatus and a second control apparatus of the plurality of control apparatuses;

determine a packet handling operation performed by a plurality of packet processing apparatuses to process a packet;

determine a third control apparatus of the plurality of control apparatuses having a load lower than other of the plurality of the control apparatuses, when a new packet processing apparatus is added to the plurality of packet processing apparatuses;

notify the determined packet handling operation to, among the plurality of packet processing apparatuses, at least one packet processing apparatus assigned to the third control apparatus.

11. The first control apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the one of more processors are further configured to:

retrieve information corresponding to at least one of the plurality of packet processing apparatuses assigned to the third control apparatus, from the database; and

determine the packet handling operation to be transmitted to the packet processing apparatus, based on the retrieved information.

12. The first control apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to change a reference region of the database based on the at least one of the plurality of packet processing apparatuses that is the target for control, being changed.

13. The first control apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the database stores the information in regions respectively corresponding to at least one of the plurality of packet processing apparatuses.

14. The first control apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the one of more processors are further configured to:

refer to the database at prescribed periods; and

confirm whether the packet handling operation is available to be notified to at least one of the plurality of packet processing apparatuses assigned to the third control apparatus.

15. The first control apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the one of more processors are further configured to refer to the database in response to receiving a notification indicating that content of the database has been changed.

16. The first control apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the third control apparatus is assigned to at least one of the plurality of packet processing apparatuses when the third control apparatus is added to the communication system.

17. A communication method by which a plurality of control apparatuses controls packet processing, comprising:

determining a control apparatus of the plurality of control apparatuses having a load lower than other of the plurality of the control apparatuses when a new packet processing apparatus is added to a plurality of packet processing apparatuses;

assigning the new packet processing apparatus to the determined control apparatus for controlling the assigned packet processing apparatus;

determining, by the determined control apparatus, a packet handling operation for processing a packet, by referring to a database shared by the plurality of control apparatuses;

notifying, by the determined control apparatus, the determined packet handling operation to the assigned packet processing apparatus.

18. The communication method of claim 17 , further comprising:

determining a control apparatus from the plurality of control apparatuses when the control apparatus is added to the communication system; and

assigning at least one of the plurality of packet processing apparatuses the determined control apparatus, wherein the determined control apparatus controls the assigned packet processing apparatus.

19. A control method for a first control apparatus that controls processing of a packet, wherein the first contras apparatus is one of a plurality of control apparatuses, the control method comprising:

determining a packet handling operation performed by a plurality of packet processing apparatuses to process the packet, by referring to a database shared by the first control apparatus and a second control apparatus of the plurality of control apparatuses;

determining a control apparatus of the plurality of control apparatuses having a load lower than other of the plurality of the control apparatuses, when a new packet processing apparatus is added to the plurality of packet processing apparatuses;

notifying the determined packet handling operation to, among the plurality of packet processing apparatuses, at least one of the packet processing apparatuses assigned to the control apparatus determined to have the lower load.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, the computer program comprising a set instructions that, when executed by a computer in a first control apparatus of a plurality of control apparatuses, cause the computer to perform a method that controls the processing of a packet, the method comprising:

determining a packet handling operation performed by a plurality of packet processing apparatuses to process the packet, by referring to a database shared by the first control apparatus and a second control apparatus of the plurality of the control apparatuses;

determining a control apparatus of the plurality of control apparatuses having a load lower than other of the plurality of the control apparatuses, when a new packet processing apparatus is added to the plurality of packet processing apparatuses;

notifying the determined packet handling operation to, among the plurality of packet processing apparatuses, at least one of the packet processing apparatuses assigned to the control apparatus determined to have the lower load.