A relay method includes transmitting, by a first apparatus in a ring network, a first control frame in which information of the first apparatus is stored, through a first port different from a second port where a communication failure is detected; receiving, by a second apparatus in the ring network, the first control frame through a third port, when the communication failure does not occur at a side of a fourth port different from the third port: storing information of the second apparatus in the first control frame; and transmitting the first control frame through the fourth port; and when the communication failure occurs at the side of the fourth port, determining whether a data frame flowing into the ring network is affected by the communication failure for every VLAN (virtual local area network) based on the first control frame; and switching a communication path set in an affected VLAN.