JP2011008470A - Network device management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve such a problem that when a device on a network is controlled by using timer processing, an authority to correct the clock is indispensable, and once the clock is corrected, whether the subsequent accuracy of the clock is maintained cannot be determined, while a means to determine whether exact time is obtained is expensive until now, and a means to increase network traffic uselessly is common.SOLUTION: In a network device management system, the time being recorded on a log which a management agent 103 holds is compared with the present time which an internal clock shows during starting. When an overhead operation request is received from the management agent, it is compared with the time shown by the clock of an information processing apparatus 104 given to the request. Thereby it is determined whether the clock is highly reliable or not.

Description

  The present invention relates to a system for managing devices connected to a network.

  In a system that manages devices connected to a network using agent-type software that operates on the devices, it is necessary to refer to the time in various aspects. In this case, as a matter of course, it is desirable that the time be as accurate as possible.

  However, clocks built into devices that such agents can usually refer to are often inaccurate, and such clocks return inaccurate times. Moreover, even if the clock is sufficiently accurate, there is no possibility of returning an incorrect time due to accumulated errors.

Under such circumstances, in order to obtain a more accurate time, an agent makes a request to an information processing apparatus that holds a reference time that exists outside the network and operates by obtaining a reference time by a response. There was a system configured as such. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1.)
Also, using the fact that multiple devices of the same type are connected to the network, agents on those devices exchange the times indicated by their internal clocks and calculate the average time, which is then adopted as the current time There was a system configured to do that. (For example, see Patent Document 2.)
Alternatively, in a FAX apparatus, when a FAX document is received when the clock has not been manually calibrated, time information can be extracted from the document. There has been a system in which an agent installed in such a FAX apparatus determines whether or not the time information is reliable, and adopts it as the current date and time if it is reliable. (For example, refer to Patent Document 3.)

JP 2001-242618 A JP-A-7-160358 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-217012

  However, among these techniques, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires a server device that maintains an accurate reference time on the network, resulting in a problem of high operating costs. In addition, the agent software has to make an inquiry to the server device every time in order to obtain an accurate time, so that there is a problem that network traffic is wasted.

  Further, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a problem that a plurality of devices configured to interoperate this technique must be present on the network. In addition, there is a problem in that these devices consume network traffic in the same manner as the devices repeatedly acquire time via the network.

  On the other hand, the technique of Patent Document 3 has a problem that if the time is set manually even once, the time is not verified even if there is a received document thereafter. Furthermore, since there is little information that can be used to determine the reliability of the time information contained in the received document, accuracy is low and there is no way to correct it later even if the wrong time is adopted. There was a problem.

  In addition, in the technique of Patent Document 3, it is necessary for the agent to have a function of calibrating the built-in clock. However, depending on the device, the authority to calibrate the built-in clock is not released to the agent. There was also a problem that was not available.

  In order to solve these problems, the following network device management system is configured in the present invention. That is, the network (101), the device (102) connected to the network (101), the management agent (103) operating on the device (102), and the information processing connected to the network (101) A management application that operates on the apparatus (104) and the information processing apparatus (104) and transmits a management operation request that instructs the management agent (103) to perform a management operation including execution or scheduled execution of a management action (105), characterized in that it has a configuration as described in an embodiment to be described later.

  By adopting this configuration of the present invention, the network device management system can manage the reliability of the clock without a server holding the reference time.

  Further, in the network management system of the present invention, the management agent makes a judgment even when there is only one device on the network in order to judge the reliability of the clock built in the device in comparison with its own log at startup. It has the advantage that it is possible.

It is a figure which shows the structure of a network management system. It is a figure which shows the software module structure of a management agent. It is a figure which shows the table | surface of the management action execution schedule which a management agent manages. It is an operation | movement flowchart of a clock reliability determination module at the time of starting. It is an operation | movement flowchart of a clock reliability determination module at the time of reception. It is a flowchart of a timer execution operation of the timer module. It is an operation | movement flowchart of the timer reset step at the time of starting and reception. It is an operation | movement flowchart of the clock reliability determination module at the time of starting of a management agent of a 2nd Example. It is a figure which shows the structure of the log of a 2nd Example. It is a figure which shows the structure of the log of a 3rd Example.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a network device management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  Reference numeral 101 denotes a network. Reference numeral 102 denotes a device connected to the network (101) and to be managed by the present system. Reference numeral 103 denotes management agent software that operates on the controller of the managed device. Reference numeral 104 denotes an information processing apparatus connected to the network (101). Reference numeral 105 denotes management application software that runs on the information processing apparatus (104).

  FIG. 2 shows the software module configuration of the management agent (103) of the first embodiment of the present invention.

  Reference numeral 201 denotes a controller module for controlling the whole. Reference numeral 202 denotes a network communication module for communicating with another network node such as the information processing apparatus (104) via the network (101). Reference numeral 203 denotes a log module for handling a log in which a management action of the management agent (103) is executed. Reference numeral 204 denotes a storage area for the log.

  Reference numeral 205 denotes a timer module that manages a set management action execution schedule and executes a timer according to the execution schedule. Reference numeral 206 denotes a storage area for the management action execution schedule.

  A clock reliability management information holding module 207 handles clock reliability management information, and a clock reliability management information holding area 208 holds the clock reliability management information.

  Reference numeral 209 denotes an internal clock interface for acquiring time information from the internal clock of the device (102).

  Reference numeral 210 denotes a management action execution module for the management agent (103) to execute various management actions.

  Reference numeral 211 denotes a startup clock reliability determination module.

  Reference numeral 212 denotes a reception time clock reliability determination module.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the data format of the management action execution schedule stored in the management action execution schedule storage area (206) of the management agent (103) of the first embodiment of the present invention.

  301 is a schedule number. 302 is an original scheduled time given when the schedule is set. The original scheduled time includes designations such as repeated execution. For example, if it is initially set to be executed every Friday, the information indicating “Every Friday” is included in the originally scheduled time (302). Stored. Reference numeral 303 denotes a scheduled execution time, which stores the time when this management action is scheduled to be executed next based on the originally scheduled time (302). Reference numeral 304 denotes an execution schedule management act.

  Next, the startup time reliability determination module (211) of the present invention will be described.

  The startup time reliability determination module (211) compares the time of the built-in clock with the time recorded in the last log at startup.

  When the built-in clock indicates a time that is reversed from the time recorded in the last log at the time of startup, this indicates that the time indicated by the built-in clock has changed discontinuously at some timing. If the management agent (103) previously estimated that the clock reliability has deteriorated, the fact that the clock time has been changed discontinuously may be caused by some means. Expect to be corrected at the correct time. Conversely, if the management agent (103) previously estimated that the clock was highly reliable, the fact that the clock time was changed discontinuously would cause the clock to go wrong for some reason. Derive an estimate that the possibility should be taken into account.

  Also, if the built-in clock has advanced more than the time recorded in the last log at startup, it is difficult to assume a situation where the network device as assumed here is left unpowered for a long time, Again, it must be estimated that the time has changed discontinuously. Therefore, it is possible to estimate whether the reliability of the timepiece has been restored or lowered by exactly the same reasoning.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the startup time reliability determination module (211) of the management agent (103) of the first embodiment of the present invention. The operation described in this figure is performed by the controller module (201) of the management agent (103) immediately after the device (102) is turned on and immediately after the management agent (103) starts operating from the initial state. It is what is called.

  The startup time reliability determination module (211) starts processing from step S401.

In step S402, first, time information is acquired from the internal clock of the device (102) through the internal clock interface (209). (Start-up time acquisition step)
In the following step S403, the last recorded log at the end of the previous time is acquired through the log module (203), and the last log time is extracted from the data. (Last log time extraction step)
In step S404, the time information of the internal clock acquired in step S402 is compared with the time of the last log extracted in step S403. (Start time comparison step)
Then, whether or not the comparison result is backward in step S405, that is, whether or not the time information of the internal clock acquired in step S402 indicates a time earlier than the time of the last log extracted in step S403. judge.

  In step S406, if it is backward, the process branches to step S409. If it is not retrograde, that is, if the time of the built-in clock is later than the time of the last log, the process proceeds to step S407.

In step S407, a time difference indicating how much later the time of the built-in clock is after the time of the last log is calculated, and it is determined whether or not the time difference exceeds a predetermined threshold value. (Time progression width judgment step)
If it is determined in step S408 that the threshold is exceeded, the process branches to step S409. If it is determined that the threshold is not exceeded, the process proceeds to step S414.

  In step S409, the clock reliability management information is referred to through the clock reliability management information holding module (207), and if it is in a high clock reliability state, the process branches to step S413. If the timepiece reliability is not high, the process proceeds to step S410.

In step S410, if the referenced clock reliability management information is a clock reliability lowered state, the process proceeds to step S411. If not, the process proceeds to step S414.
In step S411, the watch reliability management information is changed to the watch reliability high state through the watch reliability management information holding module (207). Then, the process proceeds to step S412.

  In step S412, all the management action execution schedule settings are reset. (Start-up timer reset step) When the reset is completed, the process proceeds to step S414.

  If it is determined in step S409 that the clock reliability is high, the process proceeds to step S413. In step S413, the clock reliability management information is changed to the clock reliability lowered state through the clock reliability management information holding module (207). Then, the process proceeds to step S414.

  In step S414, the operation of the startup time reliability determination module (211) is completed.

  Next, the reception time reliability determination module (212) of the present invention will be described.

  In this case, the time information given to the management operation request by the management application (105) operating on the information processing apparatus (104) received by the management agent is significantly different from the time indicated by the internal clock. Suppose. In such a case, since the time indicated by each internal clock is different between the device (102) and the information processing apparatus (103), it is quite likely that one of the clocks indicates an incorrect time. Can be estimated with a certain accuracy. In this situation, it is difficult to trust the time indicated by the internal clock of the device. Therefore, if it is estimated that the timepiece reliability is high at that time, it is determined that the timepiece reliability is lowered.

  Alternatively, if the two clocks are not significantly different, the possibility that both internal clocks accidentally indicate the same time can be estimated to be small, so in this situation the time indicated by the device's internal clock is reliable. It is possible to judge. If it is estimated that the clock reliability is decreasing at that time, it is determined that the clock reliability is recovered.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the reception time reliability determination module (212) of the management agent (103) of the first embodiment of the present invention. The operations described in this flowchart are called and executed by the controller module (201) of the management agent (103) at the following time point. That is, the network communication module (202) of the management agent (103) receives a management operation request transmitted from the network (101) by the management application (105) while the device (102) is in operation.

  When called, the reception time reliability determination module (212) starts processing from step S501.

First, in step S502, time information of the internal clock is acquired through the internal clock interface (209). (Receive time acquisition step)
In subsequent step S503, the time information embedded in the received management operation request is extracted through the network communication module (202). (Request time extraction step)
In step S504, the time information of the internal clock acquired in step S502 is compared with the time information incorporated in the request extracted in step S503. (Reception time comparison step)
In step S505, a comparison is made, and as a result of calculating the time difference between the time of the internal clock and the time of the request, it is determined whether or not the time difference exceeds a predetermined threshold value. (Reception time difference judgment step)
If the time difference exceeds the threshold value in step S506, the process branches to step S510. If the threshold is not exceeded, the process proceeds to step S507.

  In step S507, if the clock reliability management information is acquired through the clock reliability management information holding module (207) and the clock reliability is in a lowered state, the process proceeds to step S508. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S512.

  In step S508, the clock reliability management information is changed to the clock reliability high state through the clock reliability management information holding module (207). Then, the process proceeds to step S509.

  In step S509, all management action execution schedule settings are reset. (Reception timer reset step) When the reset is completed, the process proceeds to step S512.

  In step S510, if the clock reliability management information is acquired through the clock reliability management information holding module (207) and the clock reliability is high, the process proceeds to step S512. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S511.

  In step S511, the clock reliability management information is changed to the clock reliability lowered state through the clock reliability management information holding module (207). Then, the process proceeds to step S512.

  In step S512, the operation of the reception time reliability determination module (212) is completed.

  The management agent (103) uses the timer module (205) to perform an operation of executing a scheduled management action when the scheduled time is reached according to the timer. In addition, for example, since it is common to perform a setting such that a repeat management action is executed at the same time on the same day of the week, this timer module (205) also allows such a setting. Such repeated execution is realized as follows. That is, the designation of the scheduled time including the originally set repetition instruction is converted into the latest scheduled execution time, and both are retained. Then, when the scheduled execution time is reached, the next scheduled execution time is calculated from the originally set scheduled time specification and is stored again.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the timer execution operation of the timer module (205) of the management agent (103) according to the first embodiment of this invention. The operations described in this flowchart are called and executed by the controller module (201) after the management agent (103) starts the operation.

  When called, the timer module (205) starts processing from step S601.

First, in step S602, it is determined whether one or more management action execution schedules exist in the management action execution schedule holding area (206). (Management action execution plan existence judgment step)
In step S603, if there is a management action execution schedule, the process proceeds to step S604, and if not, the process proceeds to step S618.

In step S604, the scheduled execution time of the management action execution schedule subject to execution consideration is acquired. (Scheduled execution time acquisition step)
In subsequent step S605, the time information of the internal clock is acquired through the internal clock interface (209). (Current time acquisition step)
In step S606, the scheduled execution time acquired in step S604 is compared with the time of the built-in clock acquired in step S605. (Execution time comparison step)
In step S607, it is determined whether the scheduled execution time has already been reached as a result of the comparison in step S606, and if it has reached, the process proceeds to step S609. If not reached yet, the process proceeds to step S616.

In step S609, the management action scheduled to be executed is acquired. (Execution schedule management act acquisition step)
In subsequent step S610, the originally scheduled execution time of the management action execution schedule is acquired. (Originally scheduled time acquisition step)
In step S611, it is determined whether the original reservation time acquired in step S610 is a repetitive reservation. (Repeated reservation judgment step)
In step S612, the process proceeds to step S613 if it is, and if not, the process proceeds to step S615.

In step S613, the next scheduled execution time is calculated based on the originally scheduled time. (Next scheduled execution time calculation step)
In subsequent step S614, a new management action execution schedule to which the next execution scheduled time calculated in step S613 is assigned is generated and stored in the management action execution schedule holding area (206). (Next management action execution plan saving step)
In subsequent step S615, the execution schedule management action acquired in step S609 is executed. (Management Action Execution Processing Step) At this time, the execution record is stored in the log holding area (204) through the log module (203).

In step S616, it is determined whether there is another management action execution schedule registered in the management action execution schedule holding area (206). (Next management action execution plan existence judgment)
In step S617, according to the result determined in step S616, if it exists, the process returns to step S604 and is continued. If not, the process proceeds to step S618.

In step S618, it is determined whether an end process is being performed by the controller module (201). (End judgment step)
In step S619, according to the result of the determination in step S618, if the process is completed, the process proceeds to step S620. If not finished, the process returns to step S602 and the process is continued.

  In step S620, the timer execution operation of the timer module (205) is completed.

  By the way, in the repeated execution by the timer in this way, for example, it is assumed that the setting “execute at 19:00 every Tuesday” is set as the scheduled time. If the clock is out of order and “March 3, 2010 12:00” is instructed, the next scheduled execution time is set to “March 9, 2010 19:00”. If the internal clock is corrected from this state to the correct time, for example, “May 28, 2009, 21:00”, this management action will not be executed from May 28, 2009 to March 8, 2010. Will not be done.

  In view of this, as already shown in FIG. 4, the management agent (103) of the first embodiment of the present invention sets the startup timer reset step (S412) in the startup clock reliability determination module (211). ). That is, when the management reliability is scheduled to be executed in a state where the clock reliability is lowered and the clock reliability is restored, the next scheduled execution time is recalculated and reset.

  In the above-described example, consider a case where the clock indicates “May 28, 2009, 21:00” at a certain point in time, and the management agent (103) that acquired the clock determines that the clock reliability has been recovered. In such a case, the startup timer reset step (S412) and the reception timer reset step (S509) discard the next scheduled execution time of “March 9, 2010 19:00” and are recalculated. It will be replaced with “June 2, 2009 19:00”. Thus, the management action execution schedule is executed at a time close to the intended time.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the startup timer resetting step (S412) in the startup time reliability determination module (211) according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This step consists of several internal steps. In the following, internal steps are simply called steps.

  This starting timer resetting step (S412) starts operation from step S701.

In step S702, it is determined through the timer module (205) whether or not there is an execution schedule management action in the management action execution schedule holding area (206). (Management action execution plan existence judgment step)
In step S703, according to the result determined in step S702, if it exists, the process proceeds to step S704, and if not, the process proceeds to step S710.

In step S704, the execution schedule management action of the management action execution schedule to be processed from now on is acquired. (Execution schedule management act acquisition step)
In subsequent step S705, the original scheduled time set in the management action execution schedule is acquired. (Originally scheduled time acquisition step)
In step S706, based on the originally scheduled time acquired in step S705, the currently scheduled execution time is discarded, and the scheduled execution time is newly calculated. (Scheduled execution time calculation step)
The management schedule execution schedule newly generated by giving the scheduled execution time newly recalculated in step S707, the originally scheduled time acquired in step S705, and the scheduled execution management action acquired in step S704, Save in the management action execution schedule holding area (206). (Management action execution plan saving step)
In step S708, the process determines whether there is a management action execution schedule to be further processed. (Next management action execution plan existence judgment step)
In step S709, according to the result determined in step S708, if there is a management action execution schedule to be processed next, the process proceeds to step S704 and the process is continued. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S710.

  The startup timer reset step (S412) completes the process in step S710, and proceeds to the next step.

  Similarly, in the first embodiment of the present invention, as already shown in FIG. 5, in the process of the reception time reliability determination module (212), a reception timer reset step (S509) is provided. . The operation of the reception timer reset step (S509) is the same as that shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  Thus, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to estimate whether the reliability of the internal timepiece of the device (102) is high or low with considerable accuracy.

  By using the first embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to perform a management based on a highly reliable estimation of the reliability of the clock without placing a server holding the reference time on the network (101). Is possible. For example, it is possible to estimate the reliability of the clock by comparing the time information with the management application that transmits the final log or request generated by the management agent (103) itself.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, it is not necessary to assume that there are a plurality of devices of the same type. Even if only the device (102) exists on the network (101), it is possible to determine the reliability of the clock by collating with the last log time.

  Further, what is used for determining the reliability of the clock here is the time information of the last log held by itself and the time information given to the management operation request transmitted from the management application (105). . The former does not involve network communication. In the latter case, the management application (105) originally requests a management operation is an operation unrelated to the clock reliability management, and the network traffic generated thereby is unrelated to the clock reliability management. It is something that has occurred. Therefore, in the operation of estimating and managing the reliability of these watches, network traffic that has not existed before is not generated, and network traffic is not increased.

  In addition, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the reliability of the watch is verified each time a request is received. Even after it is determined that the reliability has been recovered, if the time is again checked and the time difference exceeds the threshold value, the process returns to the estimation that the reliability is lowered again. For this reason, the reliability of the timepiece is constantly being reviewed, and the reliability of the timepiece can be appropriately managed even in situations where the timepiece is very unstable.

  As has been seen so far, the first embodiment of the present invention only acquires the time information instructed for the internal clock of the device (102) through the internal clock interface (209). That is, since the management agent (103) itself does not correct the time indicated by the internal clock, the present invention can be implemented even if the management agent (103) does not have the authority to correct the internal clock. . Thereby, the reliability of the timepiece can be appropriately managed even in such a limited case.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The configuration of the network device management system according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as that shown in FIG.

  The software module calibration of the management agent (103) of the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as that shown in FIG.

  The data format of the management action execution schedule stored in the management action execution schedule storage area (206) of the management agent (103) of the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as that shown in FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the startup time reliability determination module (211) of the management agent (103) of the second embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 9 schematically shows the data structure of the log recorded by the log module (203) of the management agent (103) and stored in the log holding area (204) according to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is a thing.

  Reference numeral 901 denotes a log number. Serial numbers are assigned in the order in which logs occurred.

  Reference numeral 902 denotes a log time. The date and time when the log was recorded.

  Reference numeral 903 denotes clock reliability. The time reliability management information held in the time reliability management information holding area (208) by the time reliability management information holding module (207) at the time when this log is recorded is recorded.

  Reference numeral 904 denotes a management action. The management actions that were actually recorded in the log are recorded.

  905 is the result. Records the results of management actions.

  A part of the flowchart in FIG. 8 is the same as that in FIG. 4 and therefore will not be described. Only the processing unique to the second embodiment will be described.

  The startup time reliability determination module (211) starts processing from step S401.

  If it is determined in step S410 that the clock reliability has been reduced, the process proceeds to step S801, and it is determined whether or not the accuracy of the date of the time information acquired via the built-in clock interface (209) is high. Here, when the accuracy of the date is high, focus only on the log that has been recorded with high clock reliability so far, and the date is within the reasonable range without going backwards to that time. Say that it is recognized. That is, when the log as shown in FIG. 9 remains, the current time is not retroactive, and the date is within a natural range as of May 27, 2009, 08:10. In this case, it is determined that the accuracy of the date is high. Here, the log having the log number 2604094 is not referred to because it is recorded while the clock reliability is lowered.

  As described above, when it is determined in step S801 that the accuracy of the date is high, the process proceeds to step S411. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S414.

  If it is determined in step S408 that the time progress width does not exceed the threshold, the process proceeds to step S802.

  In step S802, it is determined whether the clock reliability is in a lowered state. If so, the process proceeds to step S803. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S414.

  In step S803, it is determined in the same manner as in step S801 whether the date accuracy is high. If the accuracy is high, the process proceeds to step S411. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S414.

  In step S414, the process of the startup time reliability determination module (211) ends.

  The operation of the reception time reliability determination module (212) of the management agent (103) of the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as that shown in FIG.

  The timer execution operation of the timer module (205) of the management agent (103) of the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as that shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, the operations of the start timer reset step (S412) and the receive timer reset step (509) of the management agent (103) of the second embodiment of the present invention are the same as those shown in FIG. is there.

  As has been seen so far, in this embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the startup clock reliability determination module (211) simply reverses the time or exceeds the threshold value in the clock reliability degradation state. It is not judged that reliability has been recovered just by progressing. For example, consider a case in which there is a device that has failed such that the clock is reset each time the power is turned off. In this case, the first embodiment only repeats the operation of estimating the high clock reliability state and the operation of estimating the low clock reliability state each time it is activated. Thus, it cannot be denied that there is a case where the reliability state of the timepiece cannot always be estimated correctly only with the first embodiment.

  However, even in such a case, if there is a possibility that the clock is corrected during the operation of the device and the reliability is recovered, it was recorded in the meantime by using the second embodiment of the present invention. It is possible to use the log time. This increases the possibility that the timepiece reliability can be correctly determined at the next and subsequent startups.

  As described above, when the second embodiment of the present invention is used, the accuracy of determination of the reliability of the timepiece can be further improved.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The configuration of the network device management system according to the third embodiment of the present invention is the same as that shown in FIG.

  The software module configuration of the management agent (103) of the third embodiment of the present invention is the same as that shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, the data format of the management action execution schedule stored in the management action execution schedule storage area (206) of the management agent (103) of the third embodiment of the present invention is the same as that shown in FIG.

  FIG. 10 schematically shows the data structure of a log recorded by the log module (203) of the management agent (103) and held in the log holding area (204) according to the third embodiment of the present invention. It is. Reference numerals 901 to 905 are the same as those shown in FIG. 1001 is the PC time. This PC time is recorded only when the management action recorded in the log is a management operation request received from the management application (105). The PC time is recorded based on the time information specified by the internal clock of the information device (104), which is assigned to the management operation request by the management application (105).

  The operation of the startup time reliability determination module (211) of the management agent (103) of the third embodiment of the present invention is the same as that shown in the flowchart of FIG. In this embodiment, the PC time (1001) of the log data shown in FIG. 10 is referred to when determining whether the date accuracy is high in steps S801 and S803 of FIG. When the date of the PC time and the date included in the time information acquired by the startup time reliability determination module (211) from the built-in clock interface (213) match or are very close, the accuracy of the date is Determined to be high.

  If there is a variation in the date indicated by the PC time between adjacent logs in the log record row and it is difficult to make a certain determination, it is determined that the accuracy of the date is not high.

  According to the present embodiment, the accuracy of the reliability determination can be improved by determining the accuracy of the date in the startup time reliability determination module (211) as in the second embodiment.

  Further, in this embodiment, the time accuracy of the information processing device (104) at the time of reception is determined without determining the accuracy of the date by referring to all the states in which the clock has high reliability as in the second embodiment. Only the comparison is performed. Since the time of the information processing apparatus (104) is timed independently of the device (102), it is characterized by being hardly affected by the device (102). Further, since the management agent (103) may receive management operation requests from a plurality of information processing devices (104), the reliability is higher when the dates indicate values close to each other. It can be judged. As a result, in this embodiment, it is possible to obtain a highly accurate determination criterion for the accuracy of the date, and the accuracy of the determination regarding the reliability of the timepiece is improved as a whole.

  103 Management Agent

Claims (1)

A network (101), a device (102) connected to the network (101), a management agent (103) operating on the device (102),
An information processing apparatus (104) connected to the network (101) and a management operation that operates on the information processing apparatus (104) and includes execution or scheduled execution of a management action on the management agent (103) A management application (105) for transmitting a management operation request instructing
A network device management system comprising:
The management agent (103)
A log module that generates a log entry including a log time for each management action performed by the user as needed, and stores the log entry in the log holding area (204);
Also, the management action execution schedule (206) including the management action (304) scheduled to be executed, the scheduled time (303) for executing the management action, and the given original scheduled time (302) is executed. A management action execution schedule holding function held in the schedule holding area (207);
Management for executing the management action when the first built-in clock included in the device reaches the scheduled time for any of the management action execution schedules (206) held in the management action execution schedule holding function An action schedule execution function;
A timer module (205) comprising:
A clock reliability management information holding area (208) for holding clock reliability management information which is a result of determining whether or not the time indicated by the first internal clock can be trusted;
A clock reliability management information holding module (207) having a clock reliability management information holding function for distinguishing and holding at least a clock reliability high state and a clock reliability low state in the holding area (208);
With
The management application (105) includes the time indicated by the second internal clock included in the information processing apparatus (104) in the transmission data as request time information when transmitting the management operation request,
The management agent (103)
A startup time acquisition step (S402) that acquires the time indicated by the first built-in clock at startup and sets the startup time as the startup time;
A final log time extraction step (S403) that extracts the log time from the last log entry stored in the log and sets it as the final log time;
The startup time comparison step (S404) that compares the final log time extracted in the final log time extraction step with the startup time, and the startup time comparison result in the startup time comparison step is the final log. A retrograde determination step (S405) for determining whether or not the vehicle is retrograde from the time of
If the retrograde determination step does not go backward, as a result of comparison in the startup time comparison step, whether the startup time has progressed significantly beyond a predetermined threshold from the time of the last log A time progress width determination step (S407) for determining
At the time of start-up that maintains a high clock reliability state when the clock reliability deterioration state is maintained, when the retrograde determination step is performed backward, or when the time progress width determination step is proceeding significantly A clock reliability recovery step (S411);
For all the management action execution schedules (206) held in the timer module (205), the scheduled time held is reset to the original scheduled time held. A setting step (S412),
When the clock reliability high state is maintained, when the retrograde determination step is performed backward, or when the time progress width determination step is proceeding significantly, the clock reliability reduced state is maintained. A startup clock reliability lowering step (S413),
A startup clock reliability determination module (211);
A reception time acquisition step (S502) for acquiring the time indicated by the first internal clock when the management operation request is received from the management application (105), and a request for extracting the request time information included in the transmission data A time extraction step (S503);
A reception time comparison step (S504) for comparing the request time information extracted in the request time extraction step with the reception time;
In the reception time comparison step, a reception time difference determination step (S505) for determining whether the time difference exceeds a predetermined threshold value;
A reception reliability recovery step (S508) that maintains a high clock reliability state when the time difference exceeds a threshold in the reception time difference determination step when the clock reliability deterioration state is maintained. ,
Resetting the reception timer for resetting the held scheduled time to the original scheduled time held for all the management action execution schedules (206) held in the timer module (205) Step (S509) and
When the clock reliability high state is maintained, if the time difference exceeds the threshold in the reception time difference determination step, the reception reliability decrease step that retains the clock reliability degradation state (S511). With
A network device management system including a reception clock reliability determination module (212);

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