JP2015219567A - Information processor, information processing system, control method and program of information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processor in which duplication of management means detected in a prescribed network is automatically resolved.SOLUTION: Management means 403 manages apparatus information of a plurality of electronic apparatuses being a management object. Acquisition means 406 acquires apparatus information managed by management means from one or more electronic apparatuses having the management means managing apparatus information on an apparatus being a management object, and stores the acquired apparatus information in storage means 405 as apparatus information 409. The apparatus information acquired by the acquisition means 406 includes apparatus information on another company's apparatus acquired by the own company's apparatus. Detection means 407 detects whether or not pieces of management means are validated in duplication in a prescribed network on the basis of the apparatus information acquired by the acquisition means 406. Invalidation means 404 invalidates other management means while maintaining the validated state of one management means among the pieces of management means validated in duplication in the prescribed network when it is detected that the pieces of management means are validated in duplication.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, a control method for the information processing apparatus, and a program.

  As a system for efficiently managing multiple electronic devices installed in offices, etc., management information (device information) is collected from devices connected to the network, and the collected information is managed by the device management device. There is a system.

  For example, in an electronic device such as a multifunction device, the device management apparatus can acquire a management information base (MIB) as device information from the electronic device to be managed using the SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) protocol. Further, in an electronic device such as a projector, the device management apparatus can be expected to acquire device information from an electronic device to be managed based on a specification called PJLink.

  The MIB mainly includes a standard MIB and an extended MIB. In the standard MIB, simple information independent of electronic device vendors (sellers, manufacturers, providers, etc.) is defined. The vendor-specific detailed information, that is, vendor-specific information can be defined.

  For example, in a system that manages electronic devices by acquiring MIBs, if a vendor's electronic device that introduces the system and its own device that is another vendor's electronic device are included in the management target There is. In such a case, it is desirable that the device management apparatus can acquire MIBs of other companies in addition to the standard MIB and its own extended MIB.

  As a technology related to this, a device management apparatus that can acquire detailed device information from a device to be managed by another company is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  For example, an information processing system in which an electronic device (device management apparatus) having management means for acquiring and managing device information from another company's machine is arranged for each of a plurality of local networks, and a management server collects device information from each electronic device. Can be configured. In this case, when a plurality of electronic devices having management means are installed in the same local network, information on the same third-party machine is redundantly transmitted from the plurality of electronic devices (management means) to the management server, Network utilization efficiency, server utilization efficiency, etc. are reduced.

  Conventionally, in order to avoid duplication of the management means, an installer (for example, a customer engineer) performs setting operation for validating / invalidating the management means of each electronic device when the electronic device is installed. As described above, in the conventional technology, in the information processing system having a plurality of electronic devices having the management unit for managing the device information to be managed, the management unit is enabled / disabled regardless of the setting work by the installer or the like. Setting up was difficult.

  Embodiments of the present invention have been made in view of the above problems, and in an information processing system having a plurality of electronic devices having management means for managing device information to be managed, setting work by an installer or the like It is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus that makes it easy to enable / disable management means.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention obtains the device information from one or more electronic devices having a management unit that manages device information of a device to be managed. And based on the acquired device information, based on the detection unit for detecting that the management unit is redundantly enabled in a predetermined network, the detection result, and the acquired device information And invalidating means for invalidating at least one of the redundantly validating management means.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, in an information processing system having a plurality of electronic devices having management means for managing device information of devices to be managed, the management means can be effectively used regardless of setting work by an installer or the like. It is possible to provide an information processing apparatus that facilitates the setting of / invalidity.

It is a figure which shows the image of the information processing system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of the management server which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a hardware block diagram of an example of the electronic device which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a functional lineblock diagram of the information processor concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the apparatus management information which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a functional lineblock diagram of the electronic equipment concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a process of the information processing system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows another example of the flow of a process of the information processing system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the electronic device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the apparatus management information which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the information processing system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a function block diagram of the information processing apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a process of the information processing system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows another example of the flow of a process of the information processing system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

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

<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an image of an information processing system according to an embodiment. The information processing system 100 includes a management server 101, own machines 102, 103, 104, and 105, other company machines 106 and 107, and the like.

  The company machines 102 and 103 and the other company machine 106 are accommodated in a local area network (LAN) 108 which is a local network in the same segment of the in-company network 110 such as a customer network. Similarly, the company machines 104 and 105 and the other company machine 107 are accommodated in a LAN 109 which is a local network of the same segment different from the LAN 108.

  The management server 101 is a server device that acquires and manages device information from its own devices 102 to 105, which are a plurality of electronic devices having management means for managing device information of other company's devices. The management server 101 acquires device information from electronic devices accommodated in the LANs 108 and 109 via the network 112 such as the Internet and the firewall 111.

  In the LAN 108, the own machines 102 and 103 have a management function (management means) for acquiring and managing detailed device information (for example, extended MIB) of other company machines, and the management function of the own machine 102 is effective ( ON), the management function of the company machine 103 is set to invalid (OFF). Thereby, in the LAN 108, detailed device information of the other company's machine 106 is notified to the management server 101 via the company machine 102.

  On the other hand, in the LAN 109, the in-house machines 104 and 105 have a management function for acquiring and managing detailed device information of other company machines, and the management function of the in-house machine 104 and the management function of the in-house machine 105 are both It is set to valid (ON). In other words, in the LAN 109, the management function (management means) is validated redundantly. As a result, in the LAN 109, detailed device information of the other company's machine 107 is redundantly notified to the management server 101 via the company machine 104 and the company machine 105. As described above, when a plurality of management functions (management means) are enabled in a predetermined network (for example, the LAN 109), the network utilization efficiency, the management server 101 utilization efficiency, and the like decrease.

  In this way, in the information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment, it is detected that the management means are redundantly enabled in a predetermined network, and a part of the redundant management means is automatically invalidated. .

  For example, the management server 101 detects that a plurality of management means are enabled on the LAN 109 based on device information acquired from the company machines 104, 105, etc., and among the plurality of enabled management means, The valid state of one management means is maintained, and the other management means is invalidated. As a result, for example, as in the case of the LAN 108, device information of another company's machine is notified to the management server 101 from one company machine.

  Alternatively, the in-house device 104 detects that a plurality of management units are enabled in the LAN 109 based on device information acquired from the other in-house device 105 or the like. In addition, if the priority of the other management means that has been enabled in duplicate is higher than the management means of its own device, the company machine 104 invalidates its own management means. In this manner, the company machine other than the company machine with the highest priority may avoid management duplication in the LAN 109 by autonomously disabling the management function.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in an information processing system having a plurality of own machines having management means for managing device information of the other company's machine 107, the management means can be easily used regardless of the setting work by the installer or the like. Can be enabled / disabled.

  Note that the system configuration of FIG. 1 is an example and does not limit the scope of the present invention. For example, the numbers of the company machines 102 to 105 and the other company machines 106 and 107 are examples, and other numbers may be used. Similarly, the number of LANs 108 and 109 may be other numbers.

<Hardware configuration>
(Management server)
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the management server according to the embodiment. The management server 101 has a general computer configuration. For example, a central processing unit (CPU) 201, a random access memory (RAM) 202, a read only memory (ROM) 203, a storage unit 204, an external I / O An F (Interface) unit 205, an input unit 206, a display unit 207, a communication I / F unit 208, a bus 209, and the like. The management server 101 is an example of an information processing apparatus.

  The CPU 201 is an arithmetic device that implements each function of the management server 101 by reading a program or data stored in the ROM 203 or the storage unit 204 onto the RAM 202 and executing the processing. The RAM 202 is a volatile memory used as a work area for the CPU 201. The ROM 203 is a non-volatile memory that retains programs and data even when the power is turned off, and is configured by, for example, a flash ROM.

  The storage unit 204 is a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores an OS (Operation System), application programs, various data, and the like.

  The external I / F 205 is an interface with an external device. Examples of the external device include a recording medium 210. The management server 101 can read and / or write to the recording medium 210 via the external I / F 205. The recording medium 210 includes, for example, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a memory card, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, and the like. Further, a predetermined program is stored in the recording medium 210, and the program stored in the recording medium 210 is installed in the management server 101 via the external I / F 205, so that the predetermined program can be executed.

  The input unit 206 includes a pointing device such as a mouse, a keyboard, and the like, and is used to input each operation signal to the management server 101. The display unit 207 includes a display and the like, and displays a processing result by the management server 101 and the like.

  The communication I / F 208 is an interface that connects the management server 101 to the network 112 or the like. With the communication I / F 208, the management server 101 can perform data communication with other devices via the network 112 or the like. A bus 209 is connected to each of the above components, and transmits an address signal, a data signal, various control signals, and the like.

  Note that the configuration of FIG. 2 is merely an example. For example, the management server 101 may include the input unit 206 and the display unit 207 outside, or may not necessarily include the input unit 206 and the display unit 207. In addition, the management server 101 may be configured by a plurality of server devices.

(Electronics)
FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 shows a hardware configuration of an in-house device 102 that is a multifunction device having functions such as a printer, a copy, a scanner, and a facsimile as an example of an electronic device. Note that the electronic device may be an electronic device other than the multifunction device, such as a printer, a copier, a scanner, or a projector.

  The company machine (electronic device) 102 includes, for example, a controller board 300, an operation panel 309, an FCU (Facsimile Control Unit) 310, and hardware engines such as a printer 311 and a scanner 312.

  The controller board 300 includes a general computer configuration. For example, the CPU 301, the system memory 302, the NB (North Bridge) 303, the SB (South Bridge) 304, the ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 306, and the local memory 307 are included. HDD 308, NIC (Network Interface Card) 313, USB interface 314, IEEE 1394 interface 315, Centronics interface 316, and the like.

  The operation panel 309 is connected to the ASIC 306 of the controller board 300. The SB 304, the NIC 313, the USB interface 314, the IEEE 1394 interface 315, and the Centronics interface 316 are connected to the NB 303 via a PCI bus. The FCU 310, the printer 311 and the scanner 312 are connected to the ASIC 306 of the controller board 300 via a PCI bus.

  In the controller board 300, the local memory 307, the HDD 308, and the like are connected to the ASIC 306, and the CPU 301 and the ASIC 306 are connected via the NB 303 of the CPU chip set. The ASIC 306 and the NB 303 are not connected via a PCI bus, but are connected via an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) 305 for speeding up.

  The CPU 301 is a processor that performs overall control of the company machine 102. For example, the CPU 301 executes programs such as an operating system, an application, and various services stored in the HDD 308 and the like, and realizes each function of the own machine 102.

  The NB 303 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 301, the system memory 302, the SB 304, and the ASIC 306. A system memory 302 is a memory used as a drawing memory or the like of the company machine 102. The SB 304 is a bridge for connecting the NB 303 to the PCI bus and peripheral devices. The local memory 307 is a memory used as, for example, a copy image buffer or a code buffer. In the following description, the system memory 302 or the local memory 307 may be simply expressed as a memory or a storage area.

  The ASIC 306 is an integrated circuit for image processing applications having hardware elements for image processing. The HDD 308 is a storage device for storing, for example, images, programs, font data, forms, and the like.

  The operation panel 309 is hardware (operation unit) for receiving an input operation from the user and hardware (display unit) that performs display for the user. The FCU 310 transmits and receives FAX data according to a standard such as G3 FAX (Group 3 Facsimile), for example. For example, the printer 311 performs printing in accordance with control of a program or the like that operates on the CPU 301. The scanner 312 reads an image in accordance with, for example, control of a program or the like that operates on the CPU 301.

  The NIC 313 is a communication interface for connecting the company machine 102 to a network and transmitting / receiving data. The USB interface 314 is a serial bus interface for connecting a recording medium such as a USB memory and various USB devices, for example. The IEEE 1394 interface 315 is an interface for connecting a device compliant with the high-speed serial bus standard IEEE 1394. The Centronics interface 316 is an interface for connecting a device compliant with the Centronics specification which is the specification of the parallel port.

<Functional configuration>
[First Embodiment]
(Functional configuration of information processing device)
FIG. 4 is a functional configuration diagram of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. The information processing apparatus 400 includes a communication unit 401, a communication control unit 402, a management unit 403, an invalidation unit 404, and a storage unit 405.

  The communication unit 401 is a communication unit for connecting the information processing apparatus 400 to the network 112, the LANs 108 and 109, etc., and transmitting / receiving data to / from electronic devices such as its own machines 102 to 105. For example, the communication unit 401 illustrated in FIG. / F part 208 etc. are included.

  The communication control unit 402 controls communication by the communication unit 401, and stores, for example, the communication status with the electronic devices such as the company machines 102 to 105 as the communication status information 408 in the storage unit 405.

  The management unit 403 is a unit that manages device information of a plurality of electronic devices to be managed, and includes an acquisition unit 406 and a detection unit 407.

  The acquisition unit 406 is a device managed by the management unit from one or more electronic devices having a management unit that manages device information of a device to be managed, for example, the own devices 102, 103, 104, and 105 in FIG. Get information. The acquisition unit 406 stores the acquired device information in the storage unit 405 as device information 409 or the like. Note that the device information acquired by the acquisition unit 406 includes, for example, device information of other company's machines 106, 107, etc. acquired by the company's own machines 102, 103, 104, 105, etc.

  Based on the device information acquired by the acquisition unit 406, the detection unit 407 detects that the management unit is activated in a predetermined network, for example, the LAN 108 or the LAN 109 in FIG. For example, the detection unit 407 detects that the management unit (management function) of the company machine 104 and the management unit of the company machine 105 are duplicated and enabled (ON) in the LAN 109 of FIG. The detection unit 407 detects, for example, that the management unit is redundantly enabled in a predetermined network based on the device management information 410 created by the management unit 403 based on the device information 409.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of device management information according to the first embodiment. The device management information 410 includes, for example, information such as a device ID (Identification) 501, a company flag 502, a management device ID 503, another company's machine management number 504, an information update date / time 505, and version information 506.

  The device ID 501 is identification information of an electronic device to be managed. In the example of FIG. 5, when the electronic device is an in-house device and a multifunction device, the first character of the identification information is “A”. Further, when the electronic device is its own machine and a printer, the first character of the identification information is “B”. Further, when the electronic device is a competitor's machine, the first character of the identification information is “X”. The first character is just an example.

  The company flag 502 is set to, for example, “1” when the electronic device is the company machine. On the other hand, when the electronic device is not its own machine or when it is another company's machine, for example, “0” is set. Whether or not the electronic device is an in-house device can be determined by, for example, a vendor ID included in device information such as MIB.

  As the management device ID 503, when the electronic device is a device of another company, the device ID of the company's own device having management means for managing other company devices is set. In the example of FIG. 5, the other company's machine with the device ID 501 “X0001” (the other company's machine 106 in FIG. 1) is managed by the own machine with the device ID 501 “A001” (the own machine 102 in FIG. 1). ing. Also, the other company's machine with the device ID 501 “X0002” (the other company's machine 107 in FIG. 1), the own machine with the device ID 501 “A0002” (the own machine 104 in FIG. 1), and the own machine (with the device ID 501 “B0002”) ( It is shown that it is managed by its own machine 105) in FIG.

  In this case, since the other company's machine 107 is managed by the company's own machine 104 and the company's own machine 105, the detection means 407 is effective in overlapping management means (management functions) in a predetermined network including the other company's machine 107. Can be determined.

  The other company machine management number 504 indicates the number of other company machines managed by the management means of the electronic device. The information update date and time 505 indicates the date and time when the device information corresponding to the device ID 501 is updated. Version information 506 indicates the version of a program or the like that realizes the management means.

  Here, returning to FIG. 4, the description of the functional configuration of the information processing apparatus 400 will be continued. The invalidating unit 404 is configured to detect, when the detecting unit 407 detects that the management unit is enabled in the predetermined network, among the management units that are enabled in the predetermined network. Disable at least one management means.

  For example, when the detection unit 407 detects that the management unit is enabled redundantly, the invalidation unit 404 is one of the plurality of redundantly enabled management units. Other management means are invalidated while maintaining the valid state. Thereby, the duplication of the management means detected in the predetermined network is automatically eliminated. A specific processing flow will be described later.

  The communication control unit 402, the management unit 403, the acquisition unit 406, the detection unit 407, the invalidation unit 404, and the like are realized by, for example, a program that operates on the CPU 201 in FIG.

  The storage unit 405 is a unit that stores communication status information 408, device information 409, device management information 410, and the like, and is included in, for example, the storage unit 204 in FIG.

(Functional configuration of electronic equipment)
FIG. 6 is a functional configuration diagram of the electronic apparatus according to the first embodiment. The electronic device 600 includes a communication unit 601, a communication control unit 602, a management unit 603, a setting unit 604, a storage unit 605, and the like. The electronic device 600 is, for example, an electronic device such as the company's own devices 102 to 105 in FIG. 1, acquires device information from other companies in the same network, and receives the acquired device information in response to a request from the management server 101 or the like. Notice.

  The communication unit 601 is a communication unit for connecting the electronic device 600 to the network 112, the LANs 108, 109, and the like, and transmitting / receiving data to / from other electronic devices, the information processing apparatus (management server) 400, and the like. This includes the NIC 313 in FIG.

  The communication control unit 602 controls communication by the communication unit 601 and stores, for example, the communication status with other electronic devices including other companies' machines as communication status information 606 in the storage unit 605.

  The management unit 603 acquires device information of a plurality of electronic devices to be managed, including other companies' machines, and stores and manages the device information 607 as device information 607 in the storage unit 605. The management means 603 of the electronic device 600 according to the present embodiment desirably has a function of acquiring detailed device information such as an extended MIB from another company's machine to be managed. Also, the management unit 603 notifies the device information 607 to the information processing apparatus 400 or the like in response to a request from the information processing apparatus 400 or the like, for example.

  For example, the setting unit 604 disables or enables the management unit 603 in response to a request from the information processing apparatus 400 or the like.

  The communication control unit 602, the management unit 603, the setting unit 604, and the like are realized by, for example, a program that operates on the CPU 301 in FIG.

  The storage unit 605 is a unit that stores communication status information 606, device information 607, and the like, and is included in, for example, the HDD 308 of FIG.

  As described above, with the configuration of the information processing apparatus 400 and the electronic device 600, the information processing apparatus 400 acquires device information from one or more electronic devices 600 having, for example, a management unit 603 that manages device information of another company's machine. . In addition, the information processing apparatus 400 detects that the management unit is activated in a predetermined network based on the acquired device information. Furthermore, when it is detected that the management unit is redundantly enabled in the predetermined network, the information processing apparatus 400 includes one management unit among a plurality of redundantly enabled management units. While maintaining the state, invalidate other management means.

<Process flow>
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing flow of the information processing system according to the first embodiment.

  In step S701, the acquisition unit 406 of the information processing apparatus (management server) 400 acquires device information from a plurality of electronic devices 600 to be managed.

  In step S702, the detection unit 407 of the information processing apparatus 400 detects a redundantly enabled management unit in a predetermined network such as the LAN 108 or the LAN 109 in FIG. 1 based on the acquired device information. To do.

  For example, the management unit 403 creates the device management information 410 illustrated in FIG. 5 using the acquired device information. For example, using this device management information 410, the detection unit 407 notifies the device information of the device ID 501 “X0002” redundantly from the own device of the device ID 501 “A0002” and the own device of the device ID “B0002”. Can be determined. In other words, the detection unit 407 is enabled by overlapping the management unit of the device ID 501 “A0002” and the management unit of the device ID 501 “B0002” in a predetermined network including another company's machine with the device ID 501 “X0002”. Can be determined. Here, it is assumed that the predetermined network is a local network (neighboring network) such as a LAN of the same segment.

  Note that the above processing is merely an example, and step S701 does not necessarily have to be performed every time as long as it is performed at least once before execution of step S702. For example, the process of step S701 may be performed separately from the processes after step S702, or may be performed continuously as shown in FIG.

  In step S703, the detection unit 407 determines whether or not the enabled management unit (or electronic device having the management unit) is duplicated. If it is determined that there is a duplicate, the process proceeds to step S704. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S703 that there is no duplication, the process ends.

  In step S704, the disabling unit 404 of the information processing apparatus 400 is managing, among the management units that are redundantly enabled based on, for example, the number 504 of other companies managed in the device management information 410 of FIG. Select (determine) the management method with the largest number of competitors. For example, in the example of FIG. 5, the other company's machine management number 504 of the management means whose device ID 501 is “A0002” and the other company machine management number 504 of the management means whose device ID 501 is “B0002” are both “1”. In this case, the invalidating unit 404 selects management units for two electronic devices whose device IDs 501 are “A0002” and “B0002”.

  In step S705, the disabling unit 404 of the information processing apparatus 400 determines whether or not there are a plurality of management units having the maximum number of other company's managed machines 504. If it is determined in step S705 that there are a plurality of management means having the maximum number 504 of other company machines, the process proceeds to step S706. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S705 that the number of management means having the maximum number 504 of other company's machines is not plural, the process proceeds to step S707.

  In step S706, the invalidation unit 404 of the information processing apparatus 400 updates the device information information among the plurality of management units selected in step S704 based on the information update date and time 505 of the device management information 410 in FIG. Select (determine) the management means with the latest date and time. For example, in the example of FIG. 5, the information update date and time 505 of the electronic device whose device ID 501 is “A0002” is the newest among the two management units selected in step S704. “A0002” electronic device management means is selected.

  In step S707, among the plurality of redundantly enabled management means detected in step S702, the effective state of one management means selected in steps S704 to S706 is maintained, and the other management means are disabled. Make it. For example, in the example of FIG. 5, the management unit of the electronic device whose device ID 501 is “B0002” is invalidated while the management unit of the electronic device whose device ID 501 is “A0002” is kept valid.

  The information processing apparatus 400 repeatedly performs the above process at a predetermined time interval, for example.

  In the above processing, when it is detected that the management means are redundantly enabled in a predetermined network, the invalidation means 404 determines the number of other company machines managed by the electronic device management means, One management means for maintaining the valid state is selected based on the information update date and time. However, this is merely an example. For example, the invalidating unit 404 may select one management unit that maintains the valid state based on the priority order of the device ID 501 and the like.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the processing flow of the management server according to the first embodiment.

  In step S801, the acquisition unit 406 of the information processing apparatus (management server) 400 acquires device information from a plurality of electronic devices 500 to be managed.

  In step S <b> 802, the detection unit 407 of the information processing apparatus 400 detects a redundantly enabled management unit in a predetermined network such as the LAN 108 or the LAN 109 in FIG. 1 based on the acquired device information. To do.

  The above process is merely an example. For example, step S801 is not necessarily performed every time as long as it is performed at least once before execution of step S802. In step S803, the detection unit 407 determines whether there is duplication of the activated management unit (or the electronic device having the management unit). If it is determined that there is duplication, the detection unit 407 proceeds to step S804. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S803 that there is no duplication, the process ends.

  In step S804, the invalidation unit 404 of the information processing apparatus 400 has the highest priority among a plurality of management units that are validated in duplicate based on, for example, the device ID 501 of the device management information 410 in FIG. Select (determine) a high management measure.

  For example, the in-house machine whose device ID 501 has the first character “A” in FIG. 5 is a multifunction device, the in-house device whose device ID 501 has the first character “B” is a printer, and the multifunction device has a higher priority than the printer. It is predetermined as high. When the first character is the same, for example, it is determined in advance that, for example, a smaller number included in the device ID 501 has a higher priority. For example, the electronic device having the highest priority among the electronic devices including a plurality of redundantly enabled management means and the management means can be uniquely identified based on the device ID 501 in this way. become able to. The method of determining the priority order of the device ID 501 is merely an example.

  Next, in step S805, among the plurality of redundantly enabled management means detected in step S802, the effective state of one management means selected in step S804 is maintained, and the other management means is selected. Disable it. The information processing apparatus 400 repeatedly performs the above process at a predetermined time interval, for example.

  For example, in the information processing system 100 having a plurality of electronic devices having management means for managing device information of other company machines by the processing of FIG. 7 or FIG. Effective / invalid setting can be easily performed.

  Further, the information processing apparatus 400 detects that there is a redundantly enabled management unit in a predetermined network, and among the plurality of redundantly enabled management units, the information processing apparatus 400 determines whether one management unit is effective. Other management means can be invalidated while maintaining the state. Thereby, in the information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment, it is automatically detected that there are redundantly enabled management means in a predetermined network, and the overlap of the enabled management means is automatically detected. To be resolved.

[Second Embodiment]
In the present embodiment, an example in which the information processing apparatus is an electronic device having a management unit that manages device information of another company's machine and controls the invalidation of its own management unit will be described.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 9 is a functional configuration diagram of an electronic apparatus according to the second embodiment. The electronic device 900 includes a communication unit 901, a communication control unit 902, a management unit 903, an invalidation unit 904, and a storage unit 905. The electronic device 900 is an example of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention.

  The communication unit 901 is a communication unit that connects the electronic device 900 to the network 112, the LANs 108, 109, and the like, and transmits / receives data to / from other electronic devices, the management server 101, and the like. For example, the NIC 313 in FIG. including.

  The communication control unit 902 controls communication by the communication unit 901 and stores, for example, the communication status with other electronic devices or the like as communication status information 908 in the storage unit 905.

  The management unit 903 is a unit that acquires and manages device information, for example, an extended MIB, from electronic devices such as other company machines in a predetermined network and in-house machines, such as the same segment, and includes an acquisition unit 906 and a detection unit 907. including. The management unit 903 notifies the management server 101 of the acquired device information in response to a request from the management server 101, for example.

  The acquisition unit 906 acquires, for example, detailed device information from a predetermined network, for example, an electronic device such as another company's machine in the same segment network as the electronic device 900 and its own device, and stores the device information 909 in the storage unit 905. Remember as.

  Based on the device information acquired by the acquisition unit 906, the detection unit 907 detects that the management unit is activated in a predetermined network. For example, the detection unit 907 detects that the management unit (management function) of the company machine 104 and the management unit of the company machine 105 are duplicated and enabled (ON) in the LAN 109 of FIG. The detection unit 907 detects, for example, that the management unit is activated in duplicate based on the device management information 910 created by the management unit 903 using the device information 909.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of device management information according to the second embodiment. The device management information 910 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which a validity flag 1001 is added to the device management information 410 according to the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. The valid flag 1001 is set to “1”, for example, when the management unit of the own machine is validated. Further, when the management means of the company machine is invalidated, for example, “0” is set. Furthermore, for example, “-” is set in other company machines or in-house machines that do not have management means.

  For example, in FIG. 1, the company machine 104 acquires device information of the company machine 105 and the other company machine 107 included in the LAN 109, which is the network of the same segment as the company machine 104. For example, as shown in FIG. Device management information 910 is created and stored in the storage unit 905.

  Similarly, in FIG. 1, the company machine 105 acquires device information of the company machine 104 and the other company machine 107 included in the LAN 109, which is the network of the same segment as the company machine 105. For example, as shown in FIG. Device management information 910 is created and stored in the storage means 905. In-house machine 104 and in-house machine 105 are examples of electronic device 900.

  The electronic device 900 creates device management information 910 when its own management unit 903 is activated. Therefore, for example, when the device management information 910 includes another electronic device (own device) whose valid flag is “1”, the detection unit 907 has a management unit activated within a predetermined network. It can be determined that they overlap.

  Here, returning to FIG. 9, the description of the functional configuration of the electronic device 900 is continued. When the detection unit 907 detects that the management unit is redundantly enabled, the invalidation unit 904 determines the priority of the management unit 903 of the own unit and prioritizes the management unit 903 of the own device. If there is a high-level management means, the self-management means 903 is invalidated.

  Note that the priority determination method of the management unit 903 may be arbitrary. For example, the priority of the management unit 903 may be determined based on the version information 506 of the device management information 910. For example, the invalidation unit 904 can determine that the management unit with a newer version information 506 value has a higher priority. Note that the version information 506 is information indicating the version of the program of the management unit 903.

  However, this alone cannot eliminate duplication of the activated management means 903 when the version information 506 of the plurality of management means 903 is the same. For example, as described in step S804 in FIG. It is desirable to use a degree judgment together. Alternatively, priority determination may be performed using only the device ID 501.

  Note that the communication control unit 902, the management unit 903, the acquisition unit 906, the detection unit 907, and the invalidation unit 904 are realized by, for example, a program that operates on the CPU 301 in FIG.

  The storage unit 905 is a unit that stores communication status information 908, device information 909, device management information 910, and the like, and is included in, for example, the HDD 308 of FIG.

<Process flow>
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing flow of the electronic device according to the second embodiment.

  In step S1101, the acquisition unit 906 of the electronic device 900 acquires device information from a predetermined network, for example, an own device included in a LAN or the like of the same segment as the electronic device 900, or an electronic device such as another company's device.

  In step S1102, the detection unit 907 of the electronic device 900 detects a management unit that is redundantly enabled in a predetermined network based on the acquired device information and the like.

  The above process is merely an example. For example, step S1101 is not necessarily performed every time as long as it is performed at least once before execution of step S1102. For example, the process of step S1101 may be performed separately from the processes after step S1102, or may be performed continuously as shown in FIG.

  In step S1103, the detection unit 907 determines whether there is duplication of the activated management unit. If it is determined that there is duplication, the detection unit 907 proceeds to step S1104. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1103 that there is no overlap, the process ends.

  In step S1104, the invalidation unit 904 of the electronic device 900 determines whether there is a management unit having a higher priority than the management unit 903 based on the version information 506 of the device management information 910 and / or the device ID 501 or the like. to decide. If it is determined in step S1104 that there is no management means having a higher priority than the self management means 903, the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1104 that there is a management means having a higher priority than the self management means 903, the self management means 903 is invalidated (step S1105). The electronic device 900 repeats the above processing at a predetermined time interval, for example.

  As a result of the above processing, the own device (electronic device 900) in which the management means included in the predetermined network is validated performs the above processing, thereby managing other than the highest priority management means in the predetermined network. Means are automatically disabled.

  According to the present embodiment, in the information processing system 100 having a plurality of electronic devices having management means for managing device information of devices including other companies' machines, the management means can be validated / required regardless of the setting work by the installer or the like. It is possible to easily perform the invalid setting.

[Third Embodiment]
In each of the above embodiments, the processing for invalidating the management means has been described. Preferably, the information processing apparatus according to the present invention has a function for enabling the management means as necessary. Is desirable.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 12 is a functional configuration diagram of the information processing apparatus according to the third embodiment. The information processing apparatus 1200 includes a communication unit 1201, a communication control unit 1202, a management unit 1203, an invalidation / validation unit 1204, a storage unit 1205, an acquisition unit 1206, and a duplicate / return detection unit 1207. In FIG. 12, the functions of the communication unit 1201, the communication control unit 1202, the management unit 1203, the storage unit 1205, the acquisition unit 1206, and the like are the same as those in the first and second embodiments. To do.

  The duplication / return detection means 1207 detects that the management means are redundantly enabled in a predetermined network, and the company machine having the management means has been removed from the management of the information processing system 100. (Return, removal, etc.) is detected. The return means an operation (return operation) performed by an installer (for example, a customer engineer) when the company machine is removed from the management of the information processing system 100. Also, when there is no return function or when it cannot be expected that the return operation will be performed correctly, for example, the management server 101 is periodically inquired, and a device that has not responded for a certain period of time has been returned or removed. It may be determined as a thing.

  The invalidation / validation means 1204 has a function of validating its own machine in addition to the function of the invalidation means of the first and second embodiments, for example.

<Process flow>
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing flow of the information processing system according to the third embodiment.

  In step S1301, the duplication / return detection unit 1207 of the information processing apparatus 1200 (for example, the management server 101) causes the electronic device (the company's own company) to perform a return operation by the installer or a response to a periodic inquiry for a predetermined time or longer. Machine). If the return of the electronic device is detected in step S1301, the process proceeds to step S1302.

  In step S1302, the invalidation / validation unit 1204 of the information processing apparatus 1200 manages the device information of the other company's device such that the returned electronic device is based on the device information 1209, the device management information 1210, or the like. Judge whether or not it was. If it is determined in step S1302 that the other company's machine has not been managed, the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1302 that another company's machine has been managed, the process advances to step S1303.

  In step S1303, the invalidation / validation unit 1204 selects (determines) the electronic device that lastly transmitted the device information related to the other company's machine managed by the returned electronic device. For example, the invalidation / validation means 1204 selects the company machine with the latest information update date among the company machines that have transmitted the information of the other company machine managed by the returned electronic device.

  In step S1304, the invalidation / validation unit 1204 branches the process depending on whether there is a company machine that has transmitted the device information of another company machine managed by the returned electronic device. In step S1304, if there is an in-house device that has transmitted the device information of another company's device managed by the returned electronic device, the process proceeds to step S1307, and the electronic device management means selected in step S1301 is enabled. Make it. On the other hand, in step S1304, if there is no company machine that has transmitted device information of another company machine managed by the returned electronic device, the process proceeds to step S1306.

  In step S1305, the invalidation / validation unit 1204 selects (determines) an electronic device having a management unit in the same network as the returned electronic device. When there are a plurality of electronic devices having management means, for example, the electronic device with the highest priority may be selected based on the device ID 501 or the like.

  In step S1306, the invalidation / validation unit 1204 determines whether there is an electronic device having a management unit. In step S1306, if there is no electronic device having a management unit, the process ends. On the other hand, if there is an electronic device having a management means in step S1306, the management means for the electronic device selected in step S1305 is validated (step S1107). The electronic device 900 repeats the above processing at a predetermined time interval, for example.

  If one of the company's machines that has managed the device information of another company's device on the specified network is returned, stopped, or removed by the above processing, one of the company's machines whose management method has been invalidated Is automatically activated, and management of device information of other companies' machines can be continued.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the processing flow of the electronic device according to the third embodiment.

  In step S1401, the invalidation / validation means 1204 of the information processing apparatus 1200 (for example, the company machines 102 to 105) confirms whether there is an electronic device whose management means is valid in a predetermined network. The in-house machines 102 to 105 are examples of electronic devices having a management unit that manages device information of other company machines.

  In step S1402, the management unit branches the process depending on whether there is an effective electronic device. If it is determined in step S1402 that there is an electronic device whose management means is valid in the predetermined network, the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1402 that there is no electronic device for which the management unit is valid, the invalidation / validation unit 1204 activates the management unit of its own device.

  Through the above processing, when the information processing apparatus 1200 detects that there is no electronic device for which the management unit is effective in the predetermined network to which the information processing apparatus 1200 belongs, the information processing device 1200 autonomously enables the management unit without using the management server 101. Can be made.

<Summary>
In the information processing system 100 according to each of the embodiments described above, it is detected that a management unit that manages device information of another company's machine is redundantly enabled in a predetermined network, and a plurality of redundantly enabled multiple management units are detected. Periodically perform processing to eliminate duplication of management means.

  As a result, in an information processing system having a plurality of electronic devices having management means for managing device information of other companies' machines, the management means is automatically set to be valid / invalid regardless of the setting work by the installer or the like. Will be able to.

100 Information processing system 101 Management server (information processing apparatus)
102, 103, 104, 105 In-house machine (information processing device)
108, 109 LAN (predetermined network)
400, 1200 Information processing apparatus 403, 903, 1203 Management means 406, 906, 1206 Acquisition means 407, 907, 1207 Detection means 404, 904, 1204 Invalidation means 900 Electronic device (information processing apparatus)

JP 2010-72758 A

Claims (10)

An acquisition unit that acquires the device information from one or more electronic devices having a management unit that manages device information of a device to be managed;
Detection means for detecting, based on the acquired device information, that the management means is redundantly enabled in a predetermined network;
An invalidating means for invalidating at least one management means of the redundantly enabled management means based on the detected result and the acquired device information;
An information processing apparatus. The invalidation means includes
When it is detected that the management means is duplicated and activated in the predetermined network, one of the duplicated validation management means is maintained in the valid state, and the other The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the management unit is invalidated. The invalidation means includes
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the one management unit is determined based on the number of devices managed by each of the duplicated management units. The invalidation means includes
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the one management unit is determined based on an update date and time of device information managed by each of the redundantly enabled management units.   The said invalidation means determines said one management means based on the identification information of the electronic device corresponding to each of the said management means validated redundantly. Information processing device. The information processing apparatus includes:
An electronic device having the management means,
The invalidation means includes
2. The management unit of the information processing apparatus is invalidated based on the acquired device information when it is detected that the management unit is redundantly enabled in the predetermined network. Information processing device. The invalidation means includes
The management means of the information processing apparatus is invalidated when there is a management means having a higher priority than the management means of the information processing apparatus among the redundantly enabled management means. Information processing device. An acquisition unit that acquires the device information from one or more electronic devices having a management unit that manages device information of a device to be managed;
Detection means for detecting, based on the acquired device information, that the management means is redundantly enabled in a predetermined network;
When it is detected that the management means is redundantly enabled, an invalidating means for invalidating at least one management means among the redundantly enabled management means;
Program for causing the information processing apparatus to function. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus,
The information processing apparatus is
An acquisition step of acquiring the device information from one or more electronic devices having a management means for managing device information of a device to be managed;
Based on the acquired device information, a detection step of detecting that the management means is redundantly enabled in a predetermined network;
An invalidation step of invalidating at least one management means among the duplicately validated management means when it is detected that the management means is duplicated and validated;
Control method of information processing apparatus having An information processing system including a plurality of electronic devices having management means for managing device information of devices to be managed, and an information processing device,
The information processing apparatus includes:
Obtaining means for obtaining the device information from the plurality of electronic devices;
Detection means for detecting, based on the acquired device information, that the management means is redundantly enabled in a predetermined network;
When it is detected that the management means is redundantly enabled, an invalidating means for invalidating at least one management means among the redundantly enabled management means;
An information processing system.

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