A communication system includes: a plurality of communication nodes; and a control apparatus that controls packet processing of the plurality of communication nodes. The control apparatus further includes: a virtualization unit that configures a virtual node(s) from a plurality of communication nodes among the plurality of communication nodes; a control unit that sets a processing rule for a packet in at least one communication node of the plurality of communication nodes included in the virtual node(s), so that the at least one communication node executes packet processing corresponding to an operation of the virtual node(s); and a path calculation unit that calculates a forwarding path of a packet, based on a virtual network topology including the virtual node(s). The plurality of communication nodes process a packet corresponding to the forwarding path, in accordance with the processing rule.