JP2004118586A - Control device and its program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem of being troublesome in updating firmware according to a device constitution. <P>SOLUTION: A control device 100 acquires first main device firmware 24a for a first main device 20a from a program providing device 30, first ancillary device firmware 26a for a first ancillary device 22a and a file for indicating an update procedure of these. The control device 100 executes update processing of the first device firmware 24a and the first ancillary device firmware 26a in a procedure according to the device constitution of the first main device 20a on the basis of the file. Thus, the control device 100 can execute updating work of the firmware in a proper procedure according to the device constitution. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a technology for managing a predetermined device, and particularly to a technology for updating a program of a predetermined device via a network.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Information devices such as printers, scanners, faxes, and MFPs (Multi Functional Peripherals) have become widespread. These information devices realize various functions by causing a built-in general-purpose processor to execute firmware. Generally, firmware is recorded in a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, and can be upgraded. With the development of network technology, these information devices also have a function of connecting to a network, and firmware can be updated via the network. (Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2001-230892 (Section 1-5, FIG. 1)
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Some information devices (hereinafter, referred to as “main devices”) can add various functions by mounting or attaching optional devices (hereinafter, referred to as “attached devices”). Examples of the attached device include a device for increasing the number of FAX lines and a device for transmitting a paper image received by FAX by e-mail. Such an accessory device may also include a processor, and in that case, a predetermined function is realized by executing firmware incorporated in each of the devices.
[0005]
Therefore, when updating the firmware of either the main device or the accessory device, it is necessary to pay attention to the consistency of the firmware versions of the main device and the accessory device, the order of updating, and the like. If the versions do not match or the order of updating is incorrect, the original function cannot be realized, the updating operation cannot be performed halfway, or in the worst case, the device may not even be restarted.
[0006]
In addition, since the accessory devices can be arbitrarily attached, there are various combinations of types and numbers of accessory devices mounted on the main device (hereinafter, such combinations are simply referred to as “device configurations”). For example, in a company or the like, a plurality of main devices having different device configurations exist in the same network. Under such circumstances, it is difficult to update the firmware for each unit, and the update operation may be mistaken.
[0007]
The present inventor has made the present invention by paying attention to such points, and aims to make it easy to update a program, to update a program according to an apparatus configuration, and to make maintenance easy. Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique for efficiently updating a program and a technique for accumulating failure information relating to the update of the program.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
One embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus for managing a program of a predetermined apparatus. The device includes a storage unit that stores a procedure for updating a program held by the main device and the related device in association with a combination of the main device and a related device that operates in association with the device; An update processing unit that updates a program held by a predetermined main device and its associated device based on the update procedure. The “program” may be any form of program such as firmware or an application program. This makes it possible to appropriately update the programs held by the devices having a correlation. For example, when the main device is a network FAX and the related device is a client computer, the device can update the firmware of the network FAX and also update the driver software for using the network FAX of the client computer. it can.
[0009]
Another embodiment of the present invention also relates to an apparatus for managing a program of a predetermined apparatus. This device, in association with a combination of a main device and an attached device that can be mounted on the main device, a storage unit that holds a firmware update procedure of the main device and the attached device as a procedure file, and stores the procedure file according to the combination. An update processing unit that reads from the storage unit and updates firmware of the main device and the attached device based on the procedure file. The “attached device” is a device that provides a predetermined function to the main device by being connected to the main device. Thus, the firmware can be updated according to the device configuration.
[0010]
Still another preferred embodiment according to the present invention relates to a program. This program reads an update procedure corresponding to a combination of devices actually existing in a network from a storage unit that holds update procedures of programs to be held by the devices related to each other in association with combinations of those devices. And causing the computer to execute the steps and the step of updating the program of each device existing in the network based on the update procedure. If this program is executed by a predetermined computer, it is possible to efficiently perform the update work of the programs of the devices related to each other.
[0011]
It is to be noted that any combination of the above-described components and any conversion of the expression of the present invention between a method, an apparatus, a system, a recording medium, a computer program, and the like are also effective as embodiments of the present invention.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a program management system 10 according to the embodiment. The first main device 20a and the second main device 20b (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as “main device 20”) are, for example, a facsimile, an MFP, a printer, a scanner, and the like, and are connected to the local area network 12. The first attachment device 22a, the second attachment device 22b, and the third attachment device 22c (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as “attachment device 22”) include, for example, a line extension function, an e-mail transmission / reception function, a FAX server function, a printer server function, This is a device that realizes a function such as a scanner function and is mounted on the main device 20. The combination of the attachment devices 22 mounted on the main device 20 is arbitrary. In the drawing, the first attachment device 22a is mounted on the first main device 20a, and the second attachment device 22b and the third attachment device 22 are mounted on the second main device 20b. The device 22c is mounted.
[0013]
The first main device firmware 24a and the second main device firmware 24b (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as “main device firmware 24”) are held and executed by the first main device 20a and the second main device 20b. The first accessory device firmware 26a, the second accessory device firmware 26b, and the third accessory device firmware 26c (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "attachment device firmware 26") are connected to the first accessory device 22a and the second accessory device. 22b and the third attachment device 22c are executed.
[0014]
The client 18 is a terminal device such as a personal computer, for example, and is connected to the local area network 12. The management device 100 performs a firmware update operation based on the device configuration of the main device 20 connected to the local area network 12. Further, the management device 100 acquires firmware from the program providing device 30 connected to the wide area network 14 via the router 16.
[0015]
FIG. 2 is an internal configuration diagram of the management device 100 of FIG. Each component of the management device 100 is, in terms of hardware components, a CPU of an arbitrary computer, a memory, a program loaded into the memory to realize the components of the drawing, a storage unit such as a hard disk for storing the program, It is realized mainly by a network connection interface, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that there are various modifications in the method and apparatus for realizing the interface. Each of the drawings to be described below shows a block of a functional unit, not a configuration of a hardware unit.
[0016]
The device configuration information acquisition unit 102 acquires the device configuration of the main device 20, and stores, for example, the IP address of the main device 20, the model of the main device 20 and the attached device 22, the firmware model, version information, and the like in the management database 104. Store. The device configuration information acquisition unit 102 may automatically acquire the device configuration, or may receive an input of the device configuration from the user. In short, the device configuration information acquisition unit 102 may acquire the device configuration by any means. As a result, the management database 104 always holds the latest device configuration.
[0017]
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the management database 104 in FIG. The device ID column 150 holds information for specifying the main device 20 in the local area network 12. The IP address column 152 holds the IP address of the main device 20. The main device model column 154 holds information on the model of the main device 20. The main device firmware type column 156 holds the type of the main device firmware 24. The accessory device type column 158 holds information on the type of the accessory device 22. The attached device firmware type column 160 holds the type of the attached device firmware 26. In this figure, it can be seen that the model of the main device having the device ID “0002” is “MFP002” and the main device firmware is “M02JPNC0A0A0”. Further, it can be seen that two accessory devices are mounted and their models are "OP02" and "OP03". Further, the firmware of the attached devices is “O02JPNA0A0A0” and “O03JPNC0A0A0”.
[0018]
Returning to FIG. 2, the firmware acquiring unit 112 acquires the main device firmware 24 and the attached device firmware 26 from the program providing device 30 or the recording medium 130 in FIG. The firmware acquisition unit 112 may acquire the firmware from the program providing device 30 by data communication means such as SMTP, FTP, HTTP, or the like, or a recording medium 130 such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a CD-ROM. The firmware may be acquired from. Further, the firmware obtaining unit 112 may periodically connect to the program providing device 30 to obtain new firmware, or the firmware may be automatically pushed from the program providing device 30. Further, the firmware acquisition unit 112 may receive an email notifying that the firmware has been upgraded, and acquire the firmware from the program providing device 30 at that timing.
[0019]
The storage unit 114 includes a main device firmware database 118, an attached device firmware database 120, a procedure database 122, and a firmware storage unit 124. The main device firmware database 118 and the auxiliary device firmware database 120 hold information related to the main device firmware 24 and the auxiliary device firmware 26, such as type information, version information, and consistency information. The procedure database 122 holds procedure information indicating an update procedure in association with the apparatus configuration. These pieces of information may be included in the firmware data, or may be included in a procedure file separate from the firmware.
[0020]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the main device firmware database 118 of FIG. The main device firmware type column 170 holds type information and version information of the main device firmware 24. In this embodiment, a file name indicating type information and version information of the main device firmware is held. The target main device type column 172 holds the type information of the main device 20 to be updated. The date column 174 holds the provision start date of the main device firmware 24. In general, the version of the main unit firmware 24 having a newer date stored in the date column 174 has a higher version.
[0021]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the attached device firmware database 120 of FIG. The attached device firmware type column 180 holds type information and version information of the attached device firmware 26. In the present embodiment, as in the main device firmware type column 170 described in FIG. 4, a file name including type information and version information is held. The target accessory device type column 182 holds the type information of the accessory device 22 to be updated. The target main device column 184 holds type information of the main device 20 on which the attachment device 22 is mounted. The matching information column 186 holds information on the matching between the attached device firmware 26 and the main device firmware 24. From this drawing, it can be seen that in order to update the firmware of the model “OP02” to “O02JPNA0A0A0”, the firmware of “MFP002” needs to be “M02JPNB0A0A0” or later.
[0022]
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the procedure database 122 in FIG. The main device model column 190 holds model information of the main device 20. The accessory device configuration column 192 holds a combination of the accessory devices 22 mounted on the main device 20. The update procedure column 194 holds a firmware update procedure. In this figure, when the main unit 20 of the model “MFP002” has the attached devices 22 of the models “OP02” and “OP03”, the firmware of the “OP03” is first updated, and then the “OP02” is updated. , And finally, an instruction to update “MFP002”.
[0023]
Returning to FIG. 2, the determination unit 106 extracts a device configuration that requires a firmware update based on the data held in the management database 104 and the storage unit 114. Then, the determination unit 106 determines whether or not the main device firmware 24 and the attached device firmware 26 required for updating are stored in the firmware storage unit 124. When all necessary firmware is stored, the determination unit 106 instructs the update processing unit 116 to start the update processing. If the firmware is insufficient, the determination unit 106 requests the firmware acquisition unit 112 to acquire necessary firmware. Further, the determination unit 106 writes the determination result in the work history storage unit 110.
[0024]
The update processing unit 116 performs a firmware update process on the first main device 20a or the second main device 20b based on the data held in the procedure database 122. Then, the update processing unit 116 writes information related to the update process, such as success or failure of the update process, into the work history storage unit 110. The notifying unit 108 outputs to the client 18 the determination result of the determination unit 106 and the work history stored in the work history storage unit 110.
[0025]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the firmware update process in the management device 100. This flowchart will be described with reference to FIG. First, the firmware acquisition unit 112 receives a firmware update instruction (S10), and determines whether or not the firmware has been acquired (S12). The firmware obtaining unit 112 may receive this instruction by e-mail or from a user. If it has been acquired (Y in S12), the determination unit 106 reads a procedure file containing version information, consistency information, and update order information from the storage unit 114 (S14). If it has not been acquired in S12 (N in S12), the firmware acquiring unit 112 acquires the firmware and the procedure file (S16), and proceeds to S14.
[0026]
Next, the determination unit 106 determines whether there is a device whose firmware should be updated based on the version information included in the procedure file and the main device type information and the attached device type information held in the management database 104 (S18). ). This determination may be made, for example, by checking whether or not the main device 20 or the attached device 22 that is the target of the newly acquired firmware is included in the management database 104. If there is a device to be updated (Y in S18), the determination unit 106 reads the device configuration information for each main device (S20), and determines whether or not the update operation can be performed by the firmware already stored in the firmware storage unit 124. Is determined (S22). For this determination, update order information of the procedure database 122, matching information of the attached device firmware database 120, and the like are used. When the update operation can be performed (Y in S22), the update processing unit 116 starts the firmware update process (S24). Then, the device configuration information is recorded in the work history storage unit 110 (S26). Then, the process returns to S18.
[0027]
If the update operation cannot be performed in S22 (N in S22), the determination unit 106 automatically determines whether necessary firmware can be downloaded (S28). For example, it is determined whether connection to the network is possible. If the download is possible (Y in S28), the determination unit 106 instructs the firmware acquisition unit 112 to acquire the firmware and the associated procedure file (S30). Then, the process returns to S22, and this operation is repeated until necessary firmware is obtained. If the download is not possible in S28 (N in S28), the determination unit 106 records in the work history storage unit 110 that the update work cannot be completed (S32). Then, the process returns to S18.
[0028]
In S18, when there is no device to be updated (N in S18), that is, after the update work is completed for all the devices, the determination unit 106 determines whether to notify the work history information (S34). When notifying (Y in S34), the notification unit 108 notifies the work history in accordance with the instruction of the determination unit 106 (S36), and ends the processing. If the work history is not notified in S34 (N in S34), the process is terminated.
[0029]
The present invention has been described based on the embodiments. The embodiments are exemplifications, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component and each processing process, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. .
[0030]
For example, an appropriate program update process may be performed between devices related to each other. For example, assume a system in which a printer, a first client operating on a first operating system, and a second client operating on a second operating system are connected on a network. When the firmware of the printer is updated in this system, the printer may operate on the first client but not on the second client. To solve this, the program management system 10 of FIG. 1 can be used. Changes in each configuration for realizing this will be described.
[0031]
The device configuration information acquisition unit 102 in FIG. 2 acquires information on all devices including, for example, the client 18 connected to the local area network 12 and stores the information in the management database 104. The storage unit 114 holds the consistency information and the update procedure information in association with each firmware. As a result, it is possible to appropriately perform the update work of the firmware of the related devices. For example, it can be used in home appliance networks and the like. Further, the work history storage unit 110 in FIG. 2 also stores failure information in the case where the update work cannot be performed, so that the notification unit 108 may transmit the failure information to the collection device via a network. By using this failure information, services such as manufacturers can promptly update programs such as firmware.
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately update a program according to a device configuration.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a program management system according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is an internal configuration diagram of the management device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of a management database in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of a main device firmware database of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of an attached device firmware database of FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of a procedure database in FIG. 2;
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a firmware update process in the management device of FIG. 2;
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 10 program management system, 24 main device firmware, 26 auxiliary device firmware, 30 program providing device, 100 management device, 102 device configuration information acquisition unit, 104 management database, 106 determination unit, 108 notification unit, 110 work history storage unit , 112 firmware acquisition unit, 116 update processing unit, 118 main device firmware database, 120 attached device firmware database, 122 procedure database, 124 firmware storage unit.

Claims (3)

A storage unit that stores an update procedure of a program held by the main device and the related device, in association with a combination of the main device and a related device that operates in association with the device,
An update processing unit that updates a program held by a predetermined main device and its related devices existing in the network based on the update procedure,
A management device comprising: A storage unit that holds a procedure for updating the firmware of the main device and the attached device as a procedure file, in association with a combination of the attached device and the attached main device.
An update processing unit that reads a procedure file from the storage unit according to the combination, and updates firmware of the main device and the attached device based on the procedure file;
A management device comprising: A step of reading an update procedure corresponding to a combination of devices actually existing in a network from a storage unit that holds a program update procedure to be held by each of the devices related to each other, in association with a combination of those devices;
Based on the update procedure, a step of updating the program of each device existing in the network,
The program to execute.

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