Packet distributor for distributing IP frangment pakets to protocol processors without IP reassembly

PURPOSE: An apparatus and a method for distributing a fragmented packet to protocol processors without re-combination of an IP of the fragmented packet are provided to effectively classify a packet without waste of resources and time and distribute it to plural protocol processors. CONSTITUTION: When a packet distributing unit receives a packet from a network(S500), it determines whether the received packet is a fragmented packet(S503). If the received packet is a fragmented packet, the packet distributing unit determines whether the packet is the first fragment(S505). If the packet is the first fragment, the packet distributing unit performs a tunnel ID look-up on the packet(S507) and then performs a fragment ID look-up(S509). The packet distributing unit compares the result of performing of the fragment ID look-up with each list of a fragment look-up table and determines whether there is the same list(S511). If there is no same list, the packet distributing unit makes the result of performing of the fragment look-up of the packet as a new list, and searches an index corresponding to a tunnel ID of the packet(S513). The packet distributing unit attaches the searched index to the first fragment of the packet and then forwards it(S529).