JP2011118664A - Communication apparatus, control method thereof and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication apparatus which enables a user to easily set a plurality of NICs without repeating the same setting operation. <P>SOLUTION: When a first NIC 108 e.g. is set in a device 100 including the first NIC 108 and a second NIC 109, a network environment determination part 1307 determines an environment of a network to which the unset second NIC 109 is connected. A set value of the already set first NIC 108 is changed in accordance with the network environment determined by the network environment determination part 1307 to automatically determine a set value of the unset second NIC 109. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication apparatus, a control method therefor, and a program, and more particularly, includes a plurality of network interface cards (NICs), and automatically performs settings related to other NICs based on setting values related to one NIC. It relates to the setting method.

  In a conventional printing system, a user can use a device such as an image forming apparatus on a network from another device or a personal computer (PC) via the network. For example, print data can be transmitted from a PC to a device via a network for printing. In such a use environment, it is also possible to copy a setting value of a certain device to another device via a network (see Patent Document 1).

  When the method described in Patent Document 1 is used, a setting value related to a NIC of a certain device can be copied and set to another device via a network automatically or manually. Also, there is a method of automatically generating an address that cannot be simply copied, such as a NIC IP address, based on a physical interface address such as a MAC address. Furthermore, there is a method of using a DHCP to assign an IP address from a server on the network, and automatic setting can be performed without human intervention.

  In recent years, it has become possible to mount a plurality of NICs on a device that is not a router and to connect them to a network at the same time. By attaching two or more NICs in the form of wired NICs and wired NICs, wired NICs and wireless NICs, wireless NICs and wireless NICs to devices, and connecting them to the same or different networks, more flexible and diverse There are several ways to use it.

  On the other hand, when setting a NIC in a device having a plurality of NICs, there are setting values as many as the number of NICs in spite of a single device, and a setting made to one NIC is different from another NIC. There is also a problem that must be set. As a method for solving such a problem, the method described in Patent Document 1 is effective.

JP 2006-88546 A

  However, in the above conventional method, it is necessary to copy the set value for each NIC, and the number of times of copying increases compared to the case of a single NIC. When a device has a plurality of NICs, it is necessary to change the setting value depending on the environment of the network to which each NIC is connected, and it is not possible to simply copy from another device. Also, since the NIC settings differ depending on the network environment in which the device is placed, it is not possible to simply copy a NIC setting to another NIC.

  There is DHCP as a method for automatically setting an IP address, but items other than the IP address cannot be set. Furthermore, although a dedicated server device is required for DHCP, the server device may not exist depending on the network environment in which the device is placed. Therefore, it is necessary to manually set only a certain NIC.

  Further, as another IP address setting method, there is a method of automatically generating an address based on a physical interface address such as a MAC address. However, a router is required for automatic IPv6 address setting. This may not exist depending on the network environment where the device is located. In addition, since the IPv4 address automatic setting is a method that ignores the network address of the environment to be used, depending on the network environment where the device is placed, it is guaranteed that communication can be performed using the address after the automatic setting is made. There is no.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a communication device, a control method thereof, and a program that can easily set a plurality of NICs without a user repeating the same setting operation. For the purpose.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a communication apparatus comprising a plurality of network connection means and a setting means for setting the network connection means, wherein the network connection means is an unset network connection means. A setting value of the network environment determination unit that determines the environment of the connected network and the network connection unit that has been set by the setting unit is changed according to the network environment determined by the network environment determination unit. And automatic setting means for determining a setting value of the unset network connection means.

  According to the present invention, a plurality of NICs can be easily set without the user repeating the same setting operation.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus that is an example of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the network environment where the device was placed. It is a figure which shows another example of the network environment where the device was placed. It is a figure which shows another example of the network environment where the device was placed. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting screen of NIC displayed on the operation panel of a device, (a) is a display screen at the time of NIC setting start, (b) is a display screen of the setting item list of 1st NIC. It is a figure which shows the list at the time of classifying the setting item set to each NIC of a device into what can be set automatically, and the thing which is not so. It is a figure which shows an example on the screen displayed when performing the automatic setting of 2nd NIC, (a) is the automatic setting selection screen of 2nd NIC, (b) is the automatic setting completion screen of 2nd NIC109. It is. It is a figure which shows an example of the confirmation screen of the setting value of the 2nd NIC set automatically. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of 1st NIC. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of 2nd NIC. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the DHCP setting process at the time of the automatic setting of 2nd NIC. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the network environment determination process in a device (the 1). It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the network environment determination process in a device (the 2). It is a flowchart which shows an example of the communication determination process on the network of the some NIC in a device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus which is an example of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The device 100 is, for example, an image forming apparatus, and includes an operation panel 111 that functions as a display unit and an operation unit, a printer unit 112 that executes print processing, and a controller unit 120 that controls each unit in the apparatus.

  The controller unit 120 includes a CPU 101, ROM 102, RAM 103, hard disk drive (HDD) 104, printer I / F control unit 105, NVRAM 106, and panel control unit 107. The controller unit 120 includes a first network I / F control unit 108 and a second network I / F control unit 109.

  The CPU 101 reads out and executes a software program stored in the ROM 102 or the HDD 104 and controls the entire apparatus. The ROM 102 is a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a boot program of the apparatus, fixed parameters, and the like. A RAM 103 is a RAM (Random Access Memory) used for temporary data storage when the CPU 101 controls the apparatus. The HDD 104 is a storage device that stores various data such as software programs and print data.

  A printer I / F control unit 105 is connected to the printer unit 112 and controls input / output of print data to / from the printer unit 112. The NVRAM 106 is a non-volatile memory that stores various setting values used in the apparatus. The panel control unit 107 controls the operation panel 111 to display various information and input instructions from the user.

  The operation panel 111 is constituted by a touch panel, for example, and can be displayed and set via the panel control unit 107 when the user presses a button or the like displayed on the screen. The operation panel 111 is not limited to a touch panel as long as it has a user interface (UI) such as an operation function or a display function. For example, it may be a UI in which hardware buttons are installed and can be displayed and set by pressing the buttons.

  The first network I / F control unit 108 is a network interface card (NIC) as a network connection unit, and controls data transmission / reception with the network 113 connected via the cable 150. Hereinafter, the first network I / F control unit 108 is referred to as a first NIC 108.

  The second network I / F control unit 109 is a network interface card (NIC) as a network connection unit, and controls transmission / reception of data to / from the network 114 via the cable 151. Hereinafter, the second network I / F control unit 109 is referred to as a second NIC 109.

  Although the first NIC 108 and the second NIC 109 are connected to different networks 113 and 114 in the illustrated example, they may be connected to the same network.

  The bus 110 is a system bus that connects the components constituting the controller unit 120 described above, and transmits and receives control signals from the CPU 101 and data signals between the devices.

  2, 3, and 4 are diagrams illustrating an example of a network environment in which the device 100 of FIG. 1 is placed. In the present embodiment, the three network environments shown in the figure are described, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, examples of the network environment include a case where a plurality of NICs are connected to the same subnetwork, a case where a plurality of NICs are connected to different subnetworks, and the like, but other environments may be used. Furthermore, one NIC may be connected to a global environment, and the other NIC may be connected to a local environment.

  In this embodiment, a MAC address is used as an address for identifying a NIC and an IP address is used as an address for identifying a device on the network. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be a network using another type of address system. In the present embodiment, packet connectivity is cited as an example of a network environment, but other environmental conditions may be used.

  In the network environment shown in FIG. 2, both the first NIC 108 and the second NIC 109 in the device 100 are connected to the sub-network 200 controlled by the router 201 via cables 150 and 151.

  In this embodiment, as illustrated, the MAC address of the first NIC 108 is set to 07: 08: 09: 10: 11: 12, and the MAC address of the second NIC 109 is set to 01: 02: 03: 04: 05: This will be described as 06. Further, the network address of the sub-network 200 is set to 192.168.200.0, and the netmask is set to 255.255.255.0. Thus, for example, the IP address of the first NIC 108 is expressed as 192.168.200.150, and the IP address of the second NIC 109 is expressed as 192.168.200.160. Communication will be performed. In the illustrated network environment, the router 201 may not be provided.

  In the network environment shown in FIG. 3, the first NIC 108 and the second NIC 109 in the device 100 are connected to separate sub-networks 300 and 303. In the illustrated example, the network address of the subnetwork 300 is 192.168.300.0, and the subnet mask is 255.255.255.0. The network address of the sub-network 303 is 192.168.303.0, and the subnet mask is 255.255.255.0.

  The subnetwork 300 is connected to an external network (Internet or LAN) 302 via the router 301. The subnetwork 303 is connected to an external network (Internet or LAN) 305 via a router 304.

  In the illustrated network configuration, there is no connectivity between the external network 302 and the external network 305, and data transmitted from the external network 302 does not reach the communication device on the external network 305. For example, in such a network environment, a multicast packet transmitted from the first NIC 108 in the device 100 cannot be received on the second NIC 109 side. In the illustrated example, the routers 301 and 304 exist. However, the routers may exist in more stages, or the routers may not exist.

  In the network environment shown in FIG. 4, the first NIC 108 and the second NIC 109 in the device 100 are connected to separate sub-networks 400 and 402.

  The illustrated example is similar to FIG. 3 in that a plurality of NICs are connected to different sub-networks. On the other hand, the router 401 connected to the subnetwork 400 and the router 403 connected to the subnetwork 402 are connected to the same external network (Internet or LAN). In such a network environment, a multicast packet sent from the first NIC 108 in the device 100 may reach the second NIC 109 side. In the illustrated example, the routers 401 and 403 exist. However, the routers may exist in more stages, or the routers may not exist.

  Next, a NIC setting method in the device 100 including a plurality of NICs will be described using a UI displayed on the operation panel 111.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a NIC setting screen displayed on the operation panel 111 of the device 100. 5A is a screen displayed at the start of NIC setting, and FIG. 5B is a screen on which a list of setting items related to the setting of the first NIC 108 is displayed.

  5A, buttons 501 and 502 are arranged on the screen 500 displayed on the operation panel 111 in accordance with the number of NICs (two here). A button 501 is a button for starting the setting of the first NIC 108. A button 502 is a button for starting the setting of the second NIC 109. When one of the buttons 501 and 502 is pressed by the user, a setting command is issued from the operation panel 111 to the first NIC 108 or the second NIC 109 via the panel control unit 107. For example, FIG. 5B shows a screen displayed on the operation panel 111 when the button 501 is pressed and the setting of the first NIC 108 is started.

  In FIG. 5B, buttons 601 to 604 are arranged on the screen 600 displayed on the operation panel 111. When the button 601 is pressed, the screen is switched to a setting screen for setting DHCP. When the button 602 is pressed, the screen is switched to a setting screen for setting an IP address. When the button 603 is pressed, the screen is switched to a setting screen for setting a subnet mask. When the button 604 is pressed, the screen is switched to a setting screen for setting a gateway. When the button 605 is pressed, the screen is switched to a screen on which setting items other than the setting items in the illustrated example are displayed.

  In the illustrated example, DHCP settings, IP address settings, subnet mask settings, and gateway settings are displayed as setting items. However, in addition to these settings, for example, setting items 1601 shown in FIG. 6 can be set. is there. The setting item 1601 is a setting item related to a network considered for a device or the like, but is not limited to the illustrated example. The user needs to set the setting item 1601 in FIG. 6 for each NIC. For this reason, as the number of NICs increases, the load imposed by the user's manual setting increases.

  In FIG. 6, setting items 1601 are classified into items that can be simply copied (1602), items that must be set manually (1103), and items that can be automatically set (1603). Yes. Further, items that can be simply copied and items that can be automatically set are items that require user confirmation later (1102, 1105) and items that do not require confirmation (1101, 1104). It is classified. For example, if the IPv4 setting ON / OFF (setting item 1106) is set to ON by the first NIC 108, the second NIC 109 may be set to ON. Furthermore, when the IP address (setting item 1107) is automatically set, it is considered necessary for the user to check whether an address that really matches the user's environment is set. The list of setting items as shown in FIG. 6 may be registered in advance in the device or may be registered via a network.

  Next, automatic setting of the second NIC 109 after the setting of the first NIC 108 is completed in the device 100 will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when performing automatic setting of the second NIC. FIG. 7A is an automatic setting selection screen of the second NIC, and FIG. It is an automatic setting completion screen.

  In FIG. 7A, a screen 800 is a screen (first screen) displayed on the operation panel 111 after any one of a plurality of NICs (here, the first NIC 108) is set. is there. Buttons 801 and 802 are arranged on the screen 800. When the button 801 is pressed, the setting related to the second NIC 109 is automatically started. The settings related to the NIC are the DHCP settings in FIG. 5B and the setting items shown in the setting item 1601 in FIG. On the other hand, when the button 802 is pressed, the setting for the second NIC 109 is not automatically set but the user manually sets the second NIC 109 as in the past. After the button 801 is pressed and the second NIC 109 is automatically set in the device, a screen 900 (second screen) shown in FIG. 7B is displayed on the operation panel 111.

  In FIG. 7B, a screen 900 is for prompting the user to confirm the values that the device 100 has automatically set. On the screen 900, buttons 901 to 905 for confirming the setting value of each setting item such as DHCP setting are arranged. The user can confirm whether the value automatically set for each setting item is incorrect by pressing any button. After the necessary confirmation is performed by the user, when the button 906 is pressed, the automatic setting of the second NIC 109 ends. For example, when the button 902 is pressed on the illustrated screen, a screen 1000 shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the operation panel 111.

  In FIG. 8, a screen 1000 is a confirmation screen for the IP address corresponding to the button 902. Since the IP address is usually set as a set with the subnet mask, both the IP address and the subnet mask are displayed on the screen 1000 (1001 in the figure). The user views the screen 1000 and presses the button 1002 if the set value is correct. When the button 1002 is pressed, the screen is switched to the screen 900. If the setting value is incorrect, the user can manually correct the setting value (in this case, the IP address or the subnet mask) by pressing a button 1003.

  Although only the case where the button 902 is pressed has been described, even when another button is pressed, a screen similar to the screen 1000 is displayed, and the setting value can be confirmed and the setting value can be corrected. .

  Next, details of the automatic setting process of the second NIC 109 performed in the device 100 when the button 801 is pressed on the screen 800 will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the first NIC 108, and FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the second NIC 109. Note that the functions of the illustrated example may be realized by software or hardware. Further, in the illustrated example, a configuration that functions when the first NIC 108 is a set NIC and the second NIC 109 is a non-set NIC is described, but these may be reversed. That is, the first NIC 108 and the second 109 have the same functional configuration, and the functions of the illustrated example operate according to whether they are set or not set.

  In FIG. 9, in the first NIC 108, when the NIC has already been set by the user by the above-described method, the setting value is held in the setting value holding unit 1201 of the first NIC. The first NIC setting completion determination unit 1202 monitors the setting status of the first NIC 108. Then, the setting value acquisition unit 1200 of the first NIC acquires the setting value of the first NIC 108 from the setting value holding unit 1201 and determines whether or not the setting of the first NIC 108 has been made. If it is determined that the setting has already been made, the panel control unit 107 is instructed via the automatic setting display request unit 1203 of the second NIC to display the screen 800 (first display control means).

  In this embodiment, it is determined whether or not the setting of the first NIC 108 has already been completed. However, the second NIC 109 is automatically set at an arbitrary timing even without this determination processing. A prompt screen 800 may be displayed. The setting may be automatically started inside without displaying the screen 800 at some timing.

  In FIG. 10, when a button 801 on the screen 800 is pressed, an instruction is sent from the operation panel 111 to the communication unit 1300 with the panel control unit 107 via the panel control unit 107 to automatically set the second NIC 109. It is done. When the communication unit 1300 with the panel control unit receives this command, the first NIC setting value acquisition unit 1301 accesses the first NIC 108 and acquires the setting value of the first NIC 108.

  Thereafter, the setting value determination unit 1302 of the second NIC determines the network environment in which the device 100 is placed by the DHCP setting determination unit 1306 and the network environment determination unit 1307. Then, the setting value determination unit 1302 of the second NIC changes the acquired setting value of the first NIC 108 according to the network environment determined by the network environment determination unit 1307, and the second NIC 109 that has not been set yet. Determine the setting value.

  The setting value of the second NIC 109 determined by the setting value determination unit 1302 of the second NIC is configured in the setting value configuration unit 1303 of the second NIC, and the setting value storage unit 1304 of the second NIC is used. And stored in the area of the set value holding unit 1305 of the second NIC. When these series of processes are completed, data for displaying the screen 900 is transmitted from the communication unit 1300 with the panel control unit via the panel control unit 107 to the operation panel 111, and the screen 900 is displayed (second display). Display control means).

  Next, details of a process in which the second NIC setting value determination unit 1302 determines the network environment in which the device 100 is placed by the DHCP setting determination unit 1306 and the network environment determination unit 1307 will be described. In the present embodiment, a method for determining which of the network environments shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 will be described. However, the network environment that can be determined is not limited thereto.

  When determining whether the network environment is one of FIGS. 2 to 4, it is better that the IP address is determined. Therefore, first, in the DHCP setting determination unit 1306, when the DHCP setting of the first NIC 108 is ON, the second NIC 109 is also turned ON, and the IP address of the second NIC 109 is set via the DHCP server. When DHCP is turned off, an attempt is made to set the second NIC 109 based on the IP address setting of the first NIC 108. If DHCP is OFF, an attempt is made to set it automatically as much as possible in the process of determining the network environment. This method will be described later.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of DHCP setting processing at the time of automatic setting of the second NIC.

  If the user presses the button 801 that is an automatic setting button (YES in step S1401), the DHCP setting determination unit 1306 confirms and acquires the DHCP setting of the first NIC 108 (step S1402).

  Next, the setting value acquisition unit 1301 of the first NIC acquires the setting value of the first NIC 108 and checks ON / OFF (step S1403), and determines whether the DHCP setting is ON for the acquired setting value. (Step S1404). If the result of this determination is OFF, processing proceeds to step S1407. On the other hand, if it is ON, the second NIC setting value determination unit 1302 also turns ON the DHCP setting of the second NIC 109 (step S1405).

  Next, the setting value determination unit 1302 of the second NIC acquires and sets the IP address, subnet mask, and gateway address by DHCP (step S1406). In step S1407, the network environment determination unit 1307 determines the network environment (step S1407).

  Next, a network environment determination method will be described.

  In this embodiment, first, it is determined whether the network environment shown in FIG. 2 or other network environment (FIG. 3 or FIG. 4). The determination is performed by the connection environment determination unit 1308 in the network environment determination unit 1307. In this embodiment, an ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) packet is used to determine the network environment shown in FIG. 2 and other network environments, but other methods may also be used.

  The connection environment determination unit 1308 instructs the ARP packet transmission unit 1310 to transmit an ARP packet that resolves the MAC address of the second NIC 109 to the network via the packet transmission / reception unit 1314. Thereafter, the ARP packet reply receiving unit 1311 waits for a reply of the sent ARP packet.

  On the other hand, when the ARP packet sent to the network reaches the packet transmitting / receiving unit 1208 shown in FIG. 9, it is received by the ARP packet receiving unit 1204 (first packet receiving means). When the received ARP packet is an ARP packet addressed to the first NIC 108 itself, the ARP packet reply transmission unit 1205 sends a reply of the ARP packet via the packet transmission / reception unit 1208 (first response packet transmission unit) ). The reply of the sent ARP packet reaches the ARP packet reply receiving unit 1311 waiting for the reply packet via the packet transmitting / receiving unit 1314.

  When the ARP packet reply receiving unit 1311 receives the reply of the ARP packet, the connection environment determining unit 1308 determines that the network environment is as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the reply of the ARP packet does not reach the ARP packet reply receiving unit 1311, the connection environment determining unit 1308 determines that the network environment is as shown in FIG.

  Next, the connection environment determination unit 1308 determines whether the environment is the environment of FIG. 2 or the other environment (FIG. 3 or FIG. 4), and the second NIC setting value determination unit 1302 determines the second NIC based on the determination result. A flow of processing for determining the setting value of the NIC 109 will be described.

  12A and 12B are flowcharts showing the flow of network environment determination processing in the device 100. FIG.

  In FIG. 12A, after the ARP packet transmission unit 1310 transmits an ARP packet with the MAC address of the first network as a target (step S1501), the ARP packet return reception unit 1311 waits for the return packet to arrive (step S1502). Here, the ARP packet transmission unit 1310 is an example of a first packet transmission unit, and the ARP packet reply reception unit 1311 is an example of a first response packet reception unit.

  Next, the connection environment determination unit 1308 determines whether a reply to the ARP packet has been received (step S1503). If it is determined that it has not been received (NO in step S1503), setting related to multicast is performed by the setting value determination unit 1302 of the second NIC after step S1523.

  When the ARP packet is not received, the first NIC 108 and the second NIC 109 are connected to different subnets. Therefore, it is considered that a search function that uses a multicast packet that cannot be reached between the NICs needs to be set in the second NIC 109 as in the first NIC 108.

  Therefore, first, the setting value determination unit 1302 of the second NIC confirms the setting state of the multicast search function represented by WSD, SLP, and BMLinkS of the first NIC 108 (step S1523). Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the multicast search setting of the first NIC 108 is ON (step S1524). If the multicast search setting of the first NIC 108 is ON, the second NIC setting value determination unit 1302 sets the multicast search setting of the second NIC 109 to ON (step S1525), and the process proceeds to step S1527. move on. On the other hand, if the multicast search setting of the first NIC 108 is OFF, the setting value determination unit 1302 of the second NIC sets the multicast search setting of the second NIC 109 to OFF (step S1526). The process proceeds to S1527.

  In step S1527, the route environment determination unit 1309 determines whether the network environment is one of FIG. 3 and FIG. Details of this process will be described later.

  If the connection environment determination unit 1308 determines in step S1503 that a response to the ARP packet has been received, it determines that the first NIC 108 and the second NIC 109 are connected to the same subnet (step S1504). Step S1504 is an example of a first determination unit.

  When the first NIC 108 and the second NIC 109 are connected to the same subnet, the setting value determination unit 1302 of the second NIC determines that the network address of the second NIC 109 and the network address of the first NIC 108 are the same. Judge that there is. Then, the set value configuration unit 1303 of the second NIC configures the address of the second NIC 109 based on the IP address of the first NIC 108 (step S1505). Note that the address configuration method does not matter.

  In order to confirm that the address configured in step S1505 does not overlap with the address of another device, the second NIC setting value determination unit 1302 sends out an ARP packet that resolves the address and returns it. (Steps S1506 and S1507). Step S1506 is an example of a first response packet transmission unit. If there is a reply, the process returns to step S1505 to configure the IP address of the second NIC 109 again.

  On the other hand, if there is no reply, the second NIC setting value determination unit 1302 uses the second NIC setting value storage unit 1304 to change the configured IP address of the second NIC setting value holding unit 1305. (Step S1508). Also, the second NIC setting value determination unit 1302 determines that the subnet mask and the gateway are the same as those of the first NIC 108, and the second NIC setting value storage unit 1304 holds the second NIC setting value. The data is stored in the unit 1305 (step S1508).

  Further, when the first NIC 108 and the second NIC 109 are connected to the same subnet, the setting value determination unit 1302 of the second NIC also has the same settings of DNS, dynamic DNS, and WINS as the first NIC 108. Judge that it is OK. Then, the same setting value as that of the first NIC 108 is set in the second NIC 109 (step S1509).

  In FIG. 12B, the setting value determination unit 1302 of the second NIC confirms the multicast search setting of the first NIC 108 (step S1511), and determines whether the multicast search setting of the first NIC 108 is ON. (Step S1512). If the multicast search setting of the first NIC 108 is ON, the second NIC 109 is set OFF (step S1513). On the other hand, when the setting of the first NIC 108 is OFF, the setting of the second NIC 109 is set to ON (step S1514). This is because when the first NIC 108 and the second NIC 109 are connected to the same subnet, it can be considered that only one of them can be searched. In the present embodiment, the settings of the first NIC 108 and the second NIC 109 are reversed, but a policy may be used in which the settings of the first NIC 108 and the second NIC 109 are the same.

  Next, in step S1515, the setting value determination unit 1302 of the second NIC determines whether or not a MAC address filter is set in the first NIC 108. If not set, the process proceeds to step S1517. On the other hand, if it is set, the second NIC setting value determination unit 1302 sets the same MAC address filter as that of the first NIC 108 also in the second NIC 109 (step S1516).

  In step S1517, the setting value determination unit 1302 of the second NIC determines whether an IP address filter is set in the first NIC 108. If not, the process advances to step S1519. On the other hand, if set, the second NIC setting value determination unit 1302 also sets the same IP address filter as that of the first NIC 108 in the second NIC 109 (step S1518).

  In step S1519, the second NIC setting value determination unit 1302 determines whether or not an IPsec policy is set in the first NIC 108. If not set, the process proceeds to step S1521. On the other hand, if set, the second NIC setting value determination unit 1302 also sets the same IPsec policy as that of the first NIC 108 in the second NIC 109 (step S1520).

  In this embodiment, the MAC address filter, the IP address filter, and the IPsec policy are set so that the first NIC 108 and the second NIC 109 are the same. On the other hand, when the setting values include the addresses of the first NIC 108 and the second NIC 109, processing for removing or replacing them may be added.

  Next, the setting value determination unit 1302 of the second NIC 109 sends the setting values of setting items other than the setting items described above from the first NIC 108 to the second value via the setting value storage unit 1304 of the second NIC 109. Copy to the NIC 109 (step S1521). And the communication part 1300 with a panel control part displays a setting value on the operation panel 111 as the screen 900, and prompts a user for confirmation or correction (step S1522).

  Next, the details of the processing for determining whether the network environment is as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 and setting the second NIC 109 according to the determination result will be described.

  First, a process for determining whether the network environment is the one shown in FIG. 3 or the one shown in FIG. 4 will be described. This process corresponds to step S1527 in FIG. 12A. Here, the IP address needs to be set in the second NIC 109, but since this setting cannot be performed automatically, it is assumed that some setting has been made by the user.

  The route environment determination unit 1309 of the network environment determination unit 1307 in the second NIC 109 transmits a predetermined packet addressed to the IP address of the first NIC 108 via the Probe packet transmission unit 1312 (second packet transmission unit). . The format of the predetermined packet is arbitrary and may be a general ICMP packet. Thereafter, the Probe packet reply receiving unit 1313 in the second NIC 109 waits for a reply to the Probe packet (second response packet receiving means).

  The Probe packet received from the second NIC 109 is received by the Probe packet receiving unit 1206 (second packet receiving means) in the first NIC 108. In this case, the Probe packet reply transmission unit 1207 sends a reply packet to the IP address of the second NIC 109 via the packet transmission / reception unit 1208 (second response packet transmission unit).

  The Probe packet reply receiving unit 1313 (second reply packet receiving means) in the second NIC 109 receives the reply packet addressed to itself sent from the first NIC 108. In this case, the route environment determination unit 1309 (second determination unit) can determine that the first NIC 108 and the second NIC 109 are in communication on the network (the network environment is as shown in FIG. 4). On the other hand, if the second NIC 109 cannot receive the Probe reply packet, the path environment determination unit 1309 determines that the first NIC 108 and the second NIC 109 are in the network environment as shown in FIG. To do.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the first NIC 108 and the second NIC 109 are in communication on the network, and the processing for automatically setting the second NIC 109 according to the determination result is described with reference to FIG. I will explain.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of communication determination processing on a network of a plurality of NICs in the device 100.

  In FIG. 13, the communication unit 1300 with the panel control unit in the second NIC 109 displays a screen prompting the operation panel 111 to set an IP address via the panel control unit 107, and determines whether any setting has been made. (Steps S1601, S1602). If it is set, the path environment determination unit 1309 requests the Probe packet transmission unit 1312 to transmit the Probe packet to the IP address of the first NIC 108 by an instruction of the setting value determination unit 1302 of the second NIC.

  The Probe packet transmitter 1312 (second packet transmitter) transmits the Probe packet to the IP address of the first NIC 108 via the packet transmitter / receiver 1314 (step S1603). After transmitting the Probe packet, the Probe packet reply receiving unit 1313 (second response packet receiving unit) waits for a reply packet from the first NIC 108 (step S1604).

  Next, the path environment determination unit 1309 determines whether a reply to the Probe packet has been received (step S1605). If it is determined that it has not been received, it is determined that communication with the first NIC 108 is not established on the network (step S1607), and the process proceeds to step S1614. In step S <b> 1614, the communication unit 1300 with the panel control unit displays the screen 900 on the operation panel 111 and prompts the user for confirmation and correction.

  On the other hand, when the route environment determination unit 1309 determines that a reply to the Probe packet has been received (YES in step S1605), the route environment determination unit 1309 determines that the first NIC 108 is in communication with the network (step S1606). . Then, the setting value determination unit 1302 of the second NIC determines that the settings of the DNS, dynamic DNS, and WINS may be the same between the first NIC 108 and the second NIC 109, and the second NIC 109 and the first NIC 108 The same value is set (step S1608).

  Next, the setting value determination unit 1302 of the second NIC determines whether an IP address filter is set (step S1609). If set, the setting value storage unit 1304 of the second NIC 109 stores the same filtering setting as that of the first NIC 108 in the second NIC 109 (step S1610). On the other hand, if it is not set, the process proceeds to step S1611 as it is.

  In step S <b> 1611, the second NIC setting value determination unit 1302 determines whether an IPsec policy is set for the first NIC 108. If set, the setting value storage unit 1304 stores the same setting as that of the first NIC 108 in the second NIC 109 (step S1612). On the other hand, if it is not set, the process proceeds to step S1613 as it is.

  In step S <b> 1613, the set value storage unit 1304 copies all values other than those described above from the first NIC 108 to the second NIC 109. Then, the communication unit 1300 with the panel control unit displays the screen 900 on the operation panel 111 and prompts the user for confirmation and correction (step S1614).

  According to the above embodiment, if any one NIC is set in a device having a plurality of NICs, the network environment in which the device is placed is determined, and the remaining NIC settings are set according to the determination result. Do it automatically. Thereby, a plurality of NICs can be easily set without the user repeating the same setting operation.

  In the above embodiment, the embodiment in which the present invention is applied to the image forming apparatus has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a communication apparatus, an information processing apparatus having a communication function, a terminal, or the like. Not too long.

  Further, the present invention can be realized even if the device 100 has a wireless communication function and can be connected to a plurality of networks by different wireless communication methods.

  The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

100 device 108 first network I / F control unit (first NIC)
109 Second network I / F control unit (second NIC)
1200 First NIC setting value acquisition unit 1202 First NIC setting completion determination unit 1302 Second NIC setting value determination unit 1306 DHCP determination unit 1307 Network environment determination unit 1308 Connection environment determination unit 1309 Path environment determination unit

Claims (17)

In a communication apparatus comprising a plurality of network connection means and setting means for setting the network connection means,
The network connection means includes
Network environment determination means for determining the network environment to which the unset network connection means is connected;
Automatic setting for changing the setting value of the network connection unit that has been set by the setting unit according to the network environment determined by the network environment determination unit, and determining the setting value of the unset network connection unit And a communication device. The network connection means includes
Setting determination means for determining whether an unset network connection means is set by the setting means;
When it is determined by the setting determination means that the unset network connection means has been set, a first screen for selecting whether or not to set other unset network connection means by the automatic setting means is displayed. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising first display control means for displaying on the means. The network connection means further includes a second display control means for displaying on the display means a second screen for prompting confirmation of the setting value of the network connection means set by the automatic setting means,
3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second display control unit accepts confirmation and correction of a setting value of the network connection unit set by the automatic setting unit on the second screen.   The said network environment determination means is provided with the 1st determination means to determine whether these network connection means are connected to the same network, The any one of Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The communication device described. The network connection means includes
First packet transmission means for transmitting a predetermined packet from the unconfigured network connection means to the configured network connection means via a network;
First packet receiving means for receiving the predetermined packet transmitted by the first packet transmitting means by the set network connection means;
First response packet transmitting means for transmitting a response packet toward the unconfigured network connection means in response to the predetermined packet received by the first packet receiving means;
First response packet receiving means for receiving the response packet transmitted by the first response packet transmitting means by the unset network connection means;
The first determination unit determines that the plurality of network connection units are connected to the same network when the response packet is received by the first response packet reception unit. 4. The communication device according to 4.   6. The network environment determination unit according to claim 1, further comprising a second determination unit that determines whether or not the plurality of network connection units are in communication on a network. The communication device described. The network connection means includes
Second packet transmission means for transmitting a predetermined packet from the unconfigured network connection means to an IP address of the configured network connection means via a network;
Second packet receiving means for receiving the predetermined packet transmitted by the second packet transmitting means by the set network connection means;
Second response packet transmitting means for transmitting a response packet toward the IP address of the unconfigured network connection means in response to the predetermined packet received by the second packet receiving means;
A second response packet receiving means for receiving the response packet transmitted by the second response packet transmitting means by the unset network connection means;
The said 2nd determination means determines that these network connection means are communicating on a network, when the said response packet is received by the said 2nd response packet receiving means. Communication equipment. The network connection means includes
A DHCP setting determination means for determining whether or not the DHCP setting of the set network connection means is ON when the unset network connection means is set by the automatic setting means;
DHCP setting for obtaining and setting the IP address, subnet mask, and gateway address of the unconfigured network connection means by DHCP when the DHCP setting of the set network connection means is determined to be ON by the DHCP setting determination means The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: means. In a control method of a communication device comprising a plurality of network connection means and a setting means for setting the network connection means,
A network environment determination step of determining an environment of a network to which an unset network connection means is connected;
Automatic setting for changing the setting value of the network connection means that has been set by the setting means according to the network environment determined in the network environment determination step, and determining the setting value of the unset network connection means And a setting step. A setting determination step for determining whether an unset network connection means is set by the setting means;
When it is determined in the setting determination step that the unset network connection means is set, a first screen for selecting whether or not to set another unset network connection means in the automatic setting step The control method according to claim 9, further comprising: a first display control step of displaying the message on a display unit. A second display control step of displaying on the display means a second screen for prompting confirmation of the setting value of the network connection means set in the automatic setting step;
The control method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein in the second display control step, confirmation and correction of a setting value of the network connection means set in the automatic setting step is received on the second screen. .   The control method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, further comprising a first determination step of determining whether or not the plurality of network connection units are connected to the same network. A first packet transmission step of transmitting a predetermined packet from the unconfigured network connection means to the configured network connection means via a network;
A first packet receiving step of receiving the predetermined packet transmitted in the first packet transmitting step by the set network connection means;
A first response packet transmission step of transmitting a response packet toward the unconfigured network connection means in response to the predetermined packet received in the first packet reception step;
A first response packet receiving step of receiving the response packet transmitted in the first response packet transmitting step by the unset network connection means;
The first determination step determines that the plurality of network connection means are connected to the same network when the response packet is received in the first response packet reception step. 12. The control method according to 12.   The network environment determination step further comprises a second determination step of determining whether or not the plurality of network connection means are in communication on the network. The control method described. A second packet transmission step of transmitting a predetermined packet from the unconfigured network connection means to an IP address of the set network connection means via a network;
A second packet receiving step of receiving the predetermined packet transmitted in the second packet transmitting step by the set network connection means;
A second response packet transmitting step of transmitting a response packet toward the IP address of the unconfigured network connection means according to the predetermined packet received in the second packet receiving step;
A second response packet receiving step of receiving the response packet transmitted in the second response packet transmitting step by the unset network connection means,
15. The second determination step, when the response packet is received in the second response packet reception step, determines that the plurality of network connection means are communicating on the network. Control method. A DHCP setting determination step for determining whether or not the DHCP setting of the set network connection means is ON when the unset network connection means is set in the automatic setting step;
When the DHCP setting of the set network connection means is determined to be ON in the DHCP setting determination step, the DHCP that acquires and sets the IP address, subnet mask, and gateway address of the unconfigured network connection means by DHCP The control method according to claim 9, further comprising a setting step.   A computer-readable program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 9.

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