JP2002055795A - Print managing apparatus and method for controlling the same and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently operate plural printers without requiring any special setting or change at a client terminal side when performing printing through a network. SOLUTION: Plural printers PRT-A (printer 201, PRT-B (printer 202), and PRT-C (printer 203) are integrated into one virtual printer V-Printer, and set as the shared resource of a network. Then, the function information (MIB) of each of the printers is obtained. When receiving print data, the print data are distributed to each printer according to the printing speed in the function information of each printer.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print management apparatus, a control method therefor, and a storage medium, and more particularly to a print management apparatus for printing via a network, a control method therefor, and a storage medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, networks have rapidly spread. This is because resources can be easily shared.
Resources to be shared include files, communication means such as a modem and TA, and printers.

[0003] Among these, even if the printer is shared,
As the scale of the network increases (the number of client terminals such as personal computers increases), users on the network have more opportunities to print, and the number of printers inevitably increases.

When viewed from each client terminal, a plurality of printers appear to exist on the network, so that any one can be selected as necessary and printing can be performed on the selected printer.

[0005]

However, it is a complicated task to switch the printer to be output, and usually, one printer is continuously used.

Therefore, in some cases, the number of printing operations (time) of a certain printer may naturally be larger than that of another printer. In addition, as the number of client terminals increases, new printers are purchased and shared on the network. However, for the reasons described above, the frequency of using printers This means that even if a new high-speed printer is purchased, the frequency of use will not increase.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and does not require any special setting / change on the client terminal side when printing via a network, and efficiently operates a plurality of printers. An object of the present invention is to provide a print management apparatus, a control method thereof, and a storage medium that can be realized.

[0008]

To solve this problem, for example, a print management apparatus according to the present invention has the following arrangement. In other words, when connected to multiple printers,
A print management apparatus that performs print processing in accordance with a request from a terminal on a network, creates one logical virtual printer by combining two or more desired printers among the plurality of printers, and creates a logical virtual printer on the network. Sharing means for sharing with the terminal, receiving means for receiving print data sent to the shared virtual printer, and print data received by the receiving means to each printer constituting the virtual printer. Control means for performing distributed printing.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a network connection mode applied to the embodiment.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a network, and reference numerals 201 to 203 denote printers. Reference numeral 301 denotes a print server that manages printers on the network 101, and reference numerals 401 to 403 denote client terminals.

Although three printers and three client terminals are shown as examples in the drawing, the number may be any number. Further, the print server 301 and the client terminals 401 to 403 may be general general-purpose information processing apparatuses (for example, personal computers and workstations).

In the above network configuration, a feature of the embodiment resides in the print server 301.
A functional block diagram of the print server 301 is as shown in FIG.

The print server 301 includes a printer 201
As shown in FIG. 2 (the functional block diagram in FIG. 2), three printers 201 to 203 are managed.
Units (each named PRT_A, PRT_B, PRT
_C), as if one virtual printer (the shared name is “V_Printer”)
20. Then, the virtual printer 20 is disclosed as a shared resource (a printer having a function of printing a plurality of copies) on the network using the sharing unit 21. From the client terminal, it looks as if the print server 301 owns a printer (resource) named “V_Printer”.

[0015] The client terminal receives the "V_Prin
ter ”is set as an output target, and printing is performed on the client terminal.
The utility program 23, which is stored in the spool means 22 in the printer 1 and forms a core in the embodiment, performs a process of outputting print data to an actual printer (printers 201 to 203). At this time, the program 23 refers to the printer attribute table 24 and distributes the print data to the printers 201 to 203 that are the output destinations of the print data.

The printer attribute table 24 indicates that the printer 2
The storage and holding of information related to 01 to 203. The acquisition and storage processing of this information is realized by a partial function of the utility program 23.

More specifically, the print server 301 is activated when the power is turned on or when the utility program 23 is executed.
When the environment setting is performed by operating a program (agent program) related to the environment setting process, the device management information (called MIB) is requested to the printer registered in the printer attribute table 24, and as a result,
The printer attribute table 24 is updated based on the MIB transferred from each printer. In fact, currently standardized SNMP technology and its agents, and various standardized MIBs (sytem, interface, host-re
source, printer, etc.).

The print server 301 obtains the MIB of each printer by the SNMP protocol as described above,
When the speed information and the function information of each of the printers included therein are obtained, the information is stored in the printer attribute table 24.

For the sake of simplicity, the printing speed of each of the printers 201, 202 and 203 will be referred to as A4
It is assumed that the recording paper size is 8 sheets / minute, 12 sheets / minute, and 16 sheets / minute.

In such an environment, for example, when 20 copies of a document are printed on an application of a certain client terminal, print data (PDL job data) to which a predetermined command for printing 20 copies is added from the client ) Is once spooled in the spool means 22. The utility program 23 examines the header of the spooled print data, and when determining that the print is to be performed for a plurality of copies, according to the speed ratio of the registered printer's print speed (obtained from the printer attribute table 24), the number of print copies. Split. Printer 201, 20
The print speed ratio of 2, 203 is 8: 12: 16 = 2: 3: 4.
Therefore, the number of received print data is distributed according to this ratio. However, the number of prints requested by the client is not always a common multiple of the print speed ratio, so in the embodiment, the surplus copies are distributed to the highest-speed printer. Accordingly, in the above case, 4
The printer 202 determines to print 6 copies, and the printer 203 prints 10 copies.

Thereafter, print data is output to each of the printers 201 to 203 so as to print the determined number of copies. As a result, the printing process of each printer is completed almost simultaneously with the printing requested by the client.

The specific structure of the print server 301 is as follows.
For example, as shown in FIG. In the figure, 40 is a CPU that controls the entire apparatus, 41 is a ROM that stores a boot program and BIOS, and 42 is a CPU.
A RAM 40 stores programs to be processed and is used as a work area. 43 is a hard disk,
An external storage device composed of a floppy (registered trademark) disk or the like, in which an OS, a program functioning as a print server, and the above-mentioned utility program are stored. When the power is turned on, the OS is loaded into the RAM 42, After that, it will function as a print server. At this time, the utility program is also loaded, and the apparatus functions as a print server of the virtual printer. The external storage device 43 stores the printer attribute table 2 described above.
4, and a spool area 43a as the spool means 22
Is also secured.

Reference numeral 44 denotes a network interface for performing communication with a network. Reference numeral 45 denotes an input device including a keyboard and a pointing device.
Reference numeral 6 denotes a video control unit (including a video memory therein), and reference numeral 47 denotes a display device that displays an image based on a video signal output from the video control unit 46.

In the above configuration, reference numerals 20 to 2 in FIG.
3 is realized by the CPU 40.

Next, the print server 3 in the embodiment will be described.
The utility program 23 that runs on the OS 01 will be described. The program 23 is divided into a program module for setting a virtual printer, a print attribute table update module, and a module for performing distribution processing when print data is received. Therefore, first, the program module for setting the virtual printer will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4 and FIG.

First, in step S1, the external storage device 4
The data stored in the print attribute table 24 is read.

The print attribute table 24 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
, The name of the virtual printer, the name of each printer set as a member of the virtual printer on the network, and the IP address on the network (not necessary when communicating using the name) Printing speed (in the embodiment, the number of A4 size recording sheets / minute),
Then, it is constituted by function information (whether or not there are a plurality of discharge bins). The data read in step S1 is the printer name (the IP address can be obtained from a DNS server (not shown)).

Next, the process proceeds to step S2, in which a "virtual printer setting" window 50 as shown in FIG. 5 is displayed, and data is displayed in the corresponding edit target areas 51 and 52 according to the read contents. When a new virtual printer is set, there is no data in the print attribute table 24, so that it is left blank.

Next, the process proceeds to step S3, where the administrator of the print server 301 is given a "shared name" (this is the name of the virtual printer seen by the client), and
Set the printer name (name on the network) to be a member of the virtual printer.

In order to register a plurality of printers, a printer name is described at the end of each printer name using a semicolon as a delimiter.

Then, in a step S4, it is determined whether or not the OK button is clicked. No, that is, Canc
When the el button 54 is clicked, this processing ends. On the other hand, when the OK button 53 is clicked, the process proceeds to step S5, and the print attributes are stored in the print attribute table 24 in accordance with the above-described editing contents. Next, an update process of the print attribute table is executed.

The update processing of the print attribute table (executed at the time of starting the print server and at predetermined intervals) will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the data of the print attribute table 24 is read in step S11. Next, step S12
Then, it is determined whether or not a printer has been registered. If it is determined that no printer has been registered, the process is terminated. If there is at least one registered printer, step S
Then, as described above, the printer requests the MIB of each printer by the SNMP protocol and receives the MIB (step S14). Then, in step S15, the corresponding area in the print attribute table 24 is updated with the received data contents (print speed, function information).

The above process is repeated for all registered printers, and when it is determined that the request, reception, and update of the MIB for all printers have been completed (step S1).
6), end this processing.

When the program module for setting the virtual printer is executed as described above, at least the print attribute table 24 is updated so that the contents of the print attribute table 24 are updated. Will be possible.

The point to be noted here is that, as long as the shared name of the virtual printer is not changed, a printer as a member can be added or deleted at any time.
For example, even if a printer of A4 size 20 sheets / minute is newly installed on the network, it is only necessary to register the printer as a new member in the above operation. On the client terminal side, if a virtual printer (“V_Printer” in the embodiment) is set as a normally used printer, a more comfortable printing environment can be provided without making any modification to the existing environment. become.

Next, the print server 3 in the embodiment
The distribution processing module in the case where the print data received in S01 and received in the spool area is described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S21, print data is read from the spool area. It is only necessary to read whether or not a command for specifying the number of copies is included in the header, so that it is not necessary to read all of them.

Next, the process proceeds to step S22, where it is determined whether the number of print copies is one or a plurality of copies. When the number of copies is one (including the case where the number of copies is not specified), the corresponding task is started to start outputting the print data to the fastest printer among the printers registered in the print attribute table 24. I do.

On the other hand, when there is a print instruction for a plurality of copies, the number of copies to be distributed to each printer is calculated based on the printing speed of each printer registered in the print attribute table 24. The calculation is performed according to the printing speed ratio as described above.

Then, a task for starting output of print data to each printer is started. At this time,
The command portion indicating the number of print copies is rewritten and output with the number of copies distributed to each printer.

When a plurality of copies have been printed, it means that the printing has been completed in all the printers, and the completion of printing is notified to the client terminal requesting the printing.

As a result, according to the present embodiment, although the entity is constituted by a plurality of printers, it can be seen as a single virtual printer from the viewpoint of the network client terminal. ,
Since the printing is distributed with the optimum distribution, the time until the printing of the designated number of copies is completed can be minimized.

The actual printers constituting the virtual printer can be added or deleted as appropriate, and the setting on the client side is not changed by this operation, and the burden on the system administrator is minimized. can do.

Although the embodiment has been described on the assumption that a paper discharge device (for example, a sorter) for realizing printing of a plurality of copies is connected to each printer on the network,
If there is no such hardware (which can be determined from the function information in the print attribute table), print data for the number of copies may be repeatedly output for the number of copies distributed to each printer.

In the embodiment, the print speeds and function information of the printers 201 to 203 are obtained as MIBs via the network. It may be set by operation.

In the embodiment, the print data (print job) for which the number of print copies is not specified or the number of print copies is set to "1" is output to the fastest printer. The assignment may be made in accordance with the printing speed ratio of the printer.

Further, the example in which one virtual printer is set has been described, but any number of virtual printers may be set. For example, the virtual printer A can be composed of a group of color printers, and the virtual printer B can be composed of a group of monochrome printers.

Furthermore, some or all of the printers that are members of each virtual printer may overlap. For example, the members constituting the virtual printer A and the virtual printer B may include a common printer.

According to the above embodiment, the printer 2
01 and the printer 202, it is possible to apparently configure a printer at a speed of 20 sheets / minute for A4 size recording paper. Therefore, virtual printers of various speeds are configured. It is also possible to notify the client of the speed of the created virtual printer.

In a client (for example, an OS provided by Microsoft Corporation in the United States; in the case of an apparatus running MS-Windows), when a command to confirm the setting contents of the installed printer driver is displayed, the setting is performed. If the printer driver being used is a driver for the virtual printer described in the above embodiment, the printer server is inquired of the print server to acquire the function information of the virtual printer (can be realized by SNMP), and a window as shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. I do. As shown in the figure, the total printing speed, the number of discharge bins, and the like of each printer constituting the virtual printer are displayed on the client side.

In the embodiment, each printer has been described as being connected to a network.
It may be connected to a general-purpose interface (parallel port, serial port, USB, or the like) of the print server, and may not be visible from the network. In this case, at least only data between the client and the print server flows on the network, so that congestion of the network can be suppressed.

In the embodiment, an example in which the number of print copies is allocated depending on the print speed ratio has been described. For example, when the printer to be allocated is executing another print job, the printer is output. You may make it determine the distribution ratio after excluding from the target.

As described above, the point that the print server can be realized by a general-purpose information processing apparatus has been described. That is, most of the above processing can be realized by a program. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium (or a recording medium) in which program codes of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments are recorded to a system or an apparatus, and to provide a computer (or a CPU or Needless to say, the present invention can also be achieved by an MPU) reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium implements the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. When the computer executes the readout program codes, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an operating system (OS) running on the computer based on the instructions of the program codes. It goes without saying that a case where some or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing is also included.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into the memory provided in the function expansion card inserted into the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the program code is read based on the instruction of the program code. , The CPU provided in the function expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing,
It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by the processing is also included.

[0056]

As described above, according to the present invention, when printing via a network, it is possible to operate a plurality of printers efficiently without requiring any special setting / change on the client terminal side. become.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a network system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a print server according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a printer server according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a virtual printer setting processing procedure in the print server according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a virtual printer setting window according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an MIB acquisition processing procedure of the printer according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the contents of a print attribute table according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the contents of a print distribution process in the print server according to the embodiment.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a virtual printer setting confirmation window on the client side according to the embodiment.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A print management apparatus which is connected to a plurality of printers and performs a printing process in accordance with a request from a terminal on a network, wherein two or more desired printers among the plurality of printers are grouped together. A sharing unit that creates one logical virtual printer and shares it with a terminal on the network; a receiving unit that receives print data sent to the shared virtual printer; and a receiving unit Control means for causing each of the printers constituting the virtual printer to perform distributed printing on the print data received by the printer. 2. The print management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising editing means for adding and deleting a printer constituting the virtual printer. 3. The control unit includes: a request unit for requesting function information to a printer constituting the virtual printer; and a storage unit for storing the requested function information in association with each printer. 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print data received by the receiving unit is distributed based on function information of each printer stored in the storage unit. Print management device. 4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the function information includes printing speed information for a predetermined recording paper size, and the control unit distributes the printing completion times for the requested print data in accordance with the printing speed so as to be equal. Claim 3 characterized by the following:
The print management device according to the item. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said control means distributes the number of copies of the print data received by said receiving means in accordance with the printing speed of each printer constituting said virtual printer. A print management device according to claim 1. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a unit that notifies a virtual printing speed of the virtual printer to each terminal on a network based on printing speed information of each printer constituting the virtual printer. Item 6. The print management device according to any one of items 4 and 5. 7. A method for controlling a print management apparatus which is in a connected state with a plurality of printers and performs a printing process in accordance with a request from a terminal on a network, the method comprising: Creating a single logical virtual printer and sharing the same with a terminal on the network; receiving a print data sent to the shared virtual printer; A control step of causing each of the printers constituting the virtual printer to perform distributed printing on the print data received in the receiving step. 8. A storage medium for storing a program code for a print management device which is in a connected state with a plurality of printers and performs a printing process in accordance with a request from a terminal on a network. A logical virtual printer is created by combining two or more printers, and a program code of a sharing process to be shared with the terminal on the network, and the program code is sent to the shared virtual printer. Storing a program code of a receiving step of receiving print data, and a program code of a control step of causing each of the printers constituting the virtual printer to perform distributed printing on the print data received in the receiving step. Storage media.