A network management apparatus is previously registered with a physical connection relationship and positional information of a plurality of network relay apparatuses which form part of a network, as well as a configuration definition corresponding to the positional information, such that the network management apparatus can initially detect network relay apparatuses connected to the network management apparatus, and distribute a configuration definition, which takes into account a connection relationship, to the network relay apparatuses connected thereto to set the configuration definition in the network relay apparatuses in order. In this way, even if wiring is freely made, the configuration definition which should be set in each network relay apparatus can be appropriately distributed to and set in one adjacent network relay apparatus to another. Upon occurrence of a fault, the network can be appropriately recovered by a previously set recovering scheme.