JP2000187575A - Network printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately and quickly analyze packet data for studying the cause of a failure when the failure takes place in a network printer. SOLUTION: This network printer 101 is provided with a network processing part 107 which performs transmission and reception of packet data through a network, an HDD storing part 105 which stores the packet data transmitted and received by the part 107 and a packet data storing and control part 104 which transmits the packet data stored in the part 105 to the network.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a network printer, and more particularly, to a network printer capable of analyzing transmitted and received packet data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an HU is used to construct a network.
B (integrated device) is required, but collisions (packet collisions) often occur with the recent increase in communication traffic. For this reason, switching HUBs have recently been replaced with commonly used repeater HUBs.
Is increasingly used.

A switching HUB, which has recently been widely used, has a function of transmitting packet data to only a target port when receiving the packet data, and is much more efficient than a repeater HUB.
It is indispensable in the current environment for transmitting and receiving image and audio data.

The above repeater HUB and switching HU
The function B will be described more specifically with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 8 conceptually shows a configuration example of a network to which a conventional network printer is connected. In the figure, reference numeral 801 denotes a network printer, 802 denotes a server,
Reference numerals 803, 804, and 805 denote personal computers (PCs), 806 denotes a hub, and P1 to P12 denote ports.

In a network environment, generally, FIG.
PC 803-805 or network printer 8
01 and the like are connected to the network via the HUB 806.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the function of a HUB used for conventional network construction. FIG. 9A shows a repeater HUB, and FIG. 9B shows a switching HUB capable of suppressing the occurrence of collision. It is shown. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 901 denotes a repeater HUB, and 902 denotes a switching H.
UB and P1 to P12 are ports.

[0008] Repeater HUB 901 and switching HU
The functions of the B902 will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 9A, when packet data is transmitted from the machine (PC1) connected to the port P1 to the machine (PC2) connected to the port P4, the repeater HUB 901 connects to the port P1. Outputs the received packet data to all ports. The machine connected to each port receives the packet data if the packet data is addressed to itself, and discards the packet data if it is not addressed to itself. That is, all packet data transmitted and received by the machine connected to the repeater HUB 901 is transmitted to all ports. Therefore, for example, the analyzer machine connected to the port P10 can acquire and analyze all packet data transmitted and received by the machine connected to the repeater HUB 901.

However, while transmitting packet data from the machine connected to the port P1 to the machine connected to the port P4, for example, the machine connected to the port P6
Attempting to transmit packet data to a machine connected to, a collision (packet collision) occurs and communication performance deteriorates.

[0011] As shown in FIG.
The UB 902 has an address table of a machine connected to each port. Therefore, the machine (PC3) connected to the port P1 is connected to the machine (P3) connected to the port P4.
When packet data is transmitted to C4), switching HUB 902 outputs the packet data received at port P1 only to port P4. Therefore, port P
During transmission of packet data from the machine connected to port 1 to the machine connected to port P4, for example, even if an attempt is made to transmit packet data from the machine connected to port P6 to the machine connected to port P7, no collision occurs. , When compared with the repeater HUB901, the network performance is significantly improved.

In a network printer or the like, a status request packet and packet data of various protocols are transmitted / received in addition to a print request packet. It is essential to have the means to analyze the data and determine the cause.

In the case of the switching HUB 902, the packet data transmitted and received by the connected machine is transmitted only to the target port, and is not transmitted to the port to which the analyzer machine is connected. That is, the analyzer machine cannot acquire packet data transmitted and received by the network printer.

Therefore, when a failure occurs in the network printer, an environment for analysis is constructed by replacing the switching HUB 902 with the repeater HUB 901 and analysis is performed by connecting an analyzer machine.

[0015]

However, according to the above prior art, the switching HUB is replaced with the repeater HU.
In the case where an environment for analysis is constructed by substituting B, the actual environment using the switching HUB and the environment to be analyzed are different, and it is not possible to accurately determine the cause of the failure. HU
There is a problem that it takes time and effort to replace with B, and it is not possible to quickly find the cause of the failure.

The present invention has been made in view of the above,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a network printer capable of analyzing packet data for accurately and promptly determining the cause of a failure when a failure occurs in the network printer.

[0017]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network printer, comprising: a network interface unit for transmitting and receiving packet data via a network; A packet data storage unit for storing packet data; and a packet data transmission unit for transmitting the packet data stored in the packet data storage unit to the network.

In the network printer according to the first aspect, packet data is transmitted / received via the network, the transmitted / received packet data is stored, and the stored packet data is transmitted to the network. Therefore, when a failure occurs in the network printer, packet data can be transmitted to a device connected to the network.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the network printer according to the first aspect, when the packet data transmitting unit receives a read request via a network, the packet data transmitting unit stores the packet data in the packet data storing unit. The packet data transmitted to the network.

In the network printer according to the second aspect, when a read request is made via the network, the stored packet data is transmitted to the network. Therefore, when a failure occurs in the network printer, packet data can be transmitted to a device connected to the network.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the network printer according to the first aspect, further comprising a designation unit for designating a destination of the packet data, wherein the packet data transmission unit is configured by the designation unit. The packet data stored in the packet data storage means can be transmitted to a designated transmission destination.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the stored packet data can be transmitted to a designated transmission destination. Therefore, when a failure occurs in the network printer, packet data can be transmitted to a device connected to the network.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the network printer according to the first or third aspect, when the packet data transmitting unit satisfies a preset condition, the packet data transmitting unit stores the packet data in the packet data storing unit. The transmitted packet data is transmitted to the network.

In the network printer according to the fourth aspect, when a preset condition is satisfied, the stored packet data is transmitted to the network. Therefore, when a failure occurs in the network printer, packet data can be transmitted to a device connected to the network.

[0025]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
The first embodiment to the third embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[First Embodiment] The network printer according to the first embodiment outputs stored packet data transmitted and received in response to a read request from a personal computer (PC) or the like on the network. It should be noted that the network printer of the present invention is disposed in place of the conventional network printer 801 in the network configuration shown in FIG.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Network printer 101
Is a print processing unit 102 that performs a print process, and a panel input unit 103 that receives an instruction from a user via a panel.
A packet data storage control unit 104 for controlling packet data storage processing; an HDD storage unit 105 for storing transmitted and received packet data; a temporary storage memory 106 for temporarily storing transmitted and received packet data; And a network processing unit 107 that performs the processing.

The packet data transmitted and received by the network processing unit 107 is temporarily stored in the temporary storage memory 106 and then stored in the HDD storage unit 105. When a reading request is issued from a PC or the like via a network, the packet data storage control unit 104 controls the HDD storage unit 105 and the network processing unit 107 to transmit and receive packet data stored in the HDD storage unit 105. Is transmitted via a network to a PC or the like that has issued the read request.

Here, the network processing unit 107 corresponds to the network interface means of the present invention,
The D storage unit 105 corresponds to the packet data storage unit of the invention, the packet data storage control unit 104 corresponds to the packet data transmission unit of the invention, and the panel input unit 103 corresponds to the designation unit.

In the above configuration, the operation of the first embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the processing operation of packet data storage control section 104 in the first embodiment.

First, turn on the packet data storage function,
An off check is performed (S201). If it is off, the process ends. If it is on, it is determined whether or not there is received packet data (S202). If there is received packet data, the process proceeds to step S206. If there is no received packet data, it is determined whether or not there is transmitted packet data (S203). If there is transmission packet data, the process proceeds to step S206, and if there is no transmission packet data, it is determined whether or not there is an input from panel input unit 103 (S204). If there is no input from the panel input unit 103, a request from the network is processed (S205).

On the other hand, in step S206, the packet data is stored in the temporary storage memory 106. Next, the remaining temporary storage memory 10 where no packet data is stored is stored.
It is determined whether or not the area of No. 6 is sufficient (S207). If the area of the remaining temporary storage memory 106 is sufficient, the process proceeds to step S209. If the area of the remaining temporary storage memory 106 is insufficient, the print processing unit 102 determines whether the print processing is being performed. (S208). If the print processing unit 102 has not performed the print processing, step S209
When the print processing unit 102 is performing the print processing, the processing of the request from the network is performed (S20).
5).

In step S209, the temporary storage memory 1
From 06, the packet data is written to the HDD storage unit 105. Next, the remaining HDD storage unit 1 that has not been written
It is determined whether or not the area of 05 is sufficient (S210).
If there is enough space in the remaining HDD storage unit 105, a request from the network is processed (S205). If there is not enough space in the remaining HDD storage unit 105, the oldest packet data is deleted. (S211), processing of a request from the network is performed (S205).

In step S204, panel input unit 103
If there is an input from the user, it is determined whether or not there is an input for instructing switching of the packet data storage function on and off (S212), and there is an input of switching on and off the packet data storage function. In this case, the switch of the packet data storage function is turned on and off (S21).
3).

Next, it is determined whether or not a print request for the stored packet data has been input (S214). If a print request for the packet data has been input, the stored packet data is printed on paper. Print (S21
5).

Next, it is determined whether or not a request to delete the stored packet data has been input (S216).
When a packet data deletion request is input, the stored packet data is deleted (S217). Thereafter, processing of a request from the network is performed.

Next, processing of a request from the network will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing of a request from the network according to the first embodiment. First, a personal computer (PC) on the network issues a read request to the network printer 101 (S31).
1). The network printer 101 determines whether there is a read request from the PC (S301). If there is no read request, the process is terminated. If there is a read request, in steps S302 to S306, the stored packet data is divided into blocks and transmitted to the PC which has issued the read request. Here, the size of one block may be any size. In the present embodiment, the size of one block is 512 bytes.

The first block of packet data is transmitted from the network printer 101 to the PC (S30).
2). After receiving the packet data, the PC receives ACK (Ac
(Knowledgement) packet is returned (S31).
2). The network printer 101 that has received the ACK packet transmits the packet data of the second block (S303), and the PC receives the packet data,
The K packet is returned (S313). Thereafter, the exchange of the packet data and the ACK packet is similarly repeated (S30).
4, S305, S306, S314 and S315), P
When the C side receives data of 511 bytes or less, it determines that the data is the last data, and determines the last ACK.
The packet is returned (S316). Network printer 1
After receiving the last ACK packet, the 01 side deletes the stored packet data from the HDD storage unit 105 (S30).
7), the process ends.

As described above, according to the first embodiment,
Since packet data transmitted and received by the network printer 101 can be stored and the stored packet data can be printed on paper, a failure occurs in the network printer 101 even in an environment where it is difficult to use a network analyzer such as a switching HUB environment. Then, the stored packet data is printed on a sheet of paper, and the packet data can be analyzed to determine the cause of the failure.

Further, the stored packet data is transmitted to the PC in response to the request from the PC, so that the packet data can be analyzed by various convenient and effective analyzing software on the PC, and the network printer 101 can be used to analyze the packet data. When the error occurs, the packet data can be analyzed accurately and promptly to determine the cause of the failure.

[Second Embodiment] A network printer according to a second embodiment stores packet data to be transmitted and received.
The stored packet data is transmitted to a designated PC or the like in response to a data transfer request from the panel. The network printer according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the network printer according to the first embodiment, and differs only in the operation. Therefore, only different portions will be described.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the processing operation of the packet data storage control unit 104 according to the second embodiment. Since the operation of the network printer according to the second embodiment in FIG. 4 is basically the same as the operation of the network printer according to the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 2, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. A description thereof will be omitted, and only different portions will be described.

The packet data storage control unit 104 in the second embodiment processes a request from the network (FIG. 2).
Step S205) is not performed, and after the determination of the stored packet data deletion request and the deletion processing are performed (S205).
216, S217), and performs processing of the packet data transmission request (S401).

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing of a packet data transmission request according to the second embodiment. First, it is determined whether or not there is an input requesting transmission of packet data from the panel input unit 103 (S501). If there is no input requesting transmission of packet data, the process is terminated. If there is an input requesting packet data transfer, a packet data transmission request packet requesting transmission of packet data is output to a PC designated in advance. Do (S
502).

Here, the designation of the PC for transmitting the packet data is executed, for example, by inputting the IP address of the PC via the panel input unit 103 in the case of TCP / IP. It is also assumed that the PC is set in advance in a mode in which it can communicate with the network printer, that is, a program that can communicate is running.

The PC checks whether there is a data transmission request (S510), and upon receiving the packet data transmission request packet, returns an ACK packet to the network printer 101 (S511). Upon receiving the ACK packet, the network printer 101
The packet data of the block is transmitted to the PC (S5).
03). Similarly, the exchange of the ACK packet and the packet data is performed (S504, S505, S512, S512).
In S513, S514, and S515), after transmitting the last data (data having a size of 511 bytes or less), the network printer 101 deletes the stored packet data from the HDD storage unit 105 (S50).
7), the process ends. The PC receives the data of 511 bytes or less, determines that it is the last data, and does not return an ACK packet (S516).

As described above, according to the second embodiment,
Since packet data transmitted and received by the network printer 101 is stored and the stored packet data is transmitted to a PC or the like designated in advance by input from a panel, even in an environment where a network analyzer is difficult to use such as a switching HUB environment. When a failure occurs in the network printer 101, the stored packet data is transmitted to the PC, and the packet data can be analyzed on the PC by various convenient and effective analyzing software, and the failure occurs in the network printer. Then, the packet data can be analyzed accurately and promptly to determine the cause of the failure.

[Third Embodiment] A network printer 101 according to a third embodiment has a configuration similar to that of the network printer according to the second embodiment, stores packet data to be transmitted / received, and leaves the remaining area of the HDD storage unit 105 inexact. When sufficient, the stored packet data is transferred to the designated P
C and so on.

Network Printer 10 of Third Embodiment
1 is basically the same as the operation of the network printer 101 according to the second embodiment described with reference to FIG.
The same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
Only different parts will be described.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the processing operation of packet data storage control section 104 according to the third embodiment. The packet data storage control unit 104 according to the third embodiment determines whether or not the remaining area of the HDD storage unit 104 in which no packet data is stored is sufficient (S210). The packet data transmission request is processed without deleting the oldest packet data (S601).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing of a packet data transmission request according to the third embodiment. In the processing of the packet data transmission request in the third embodiment, it is not determined whether or not there is an input requesting the packet data transfer from panel input section 103, and first, the packet data of the packet A packet requesting transmission is output (S50).
2). Hereinafter, the same processing as the processing of the packet data transmission request according to the second embodiment described with reference to FIG. 5 is performed.

As described above, according to the third embodiment,
If the remaining area of the HDD storage unit 105 becomes insufficient,
Since the stored packet data is transmitted to a PC or the like, the state of the network printer 101 can be continuously monitored for a long time.

The first to third embodiments described above do not depend on the protocol of the network.
It may be P / IP, NetBEUI, NetWa
Any one such as re may be used. The device that receives and analyzes the packet data is not limited to a PC, but may be any device such as a workstation or a network analyzer.

[0054]

As described above, the network printer of the present invention transmits and receives packet data via the network, stores the transmitted and received packet data, and transmits the stored packet data to the network. When a failure occurs in the network printer, the stored packet data is transmitted to a device on the network, and the device can analyze the packet data accurately and promptly to determine the cause of the failure. it can.

Further, the printer device of the present invention (Claim 2)
In order to transmit the stored packet data to the network when a reading request is issued via the network, the device can read and analyze the packet data stored in the network printer from a device on the network.

Further, the printer device of the present invention (Claim 3)
Can transmit the stored packet data to the specified transmission destination, so that the device of the specified transmission destination can read and analyze the packet data stored in the network printer.

Further, the printer device of the present invention (Claim 4)
When a preset condition is satisfied, the stored packet data is transmitted to the network, so that a device on the network can read and analyze the packet data stored in the network printer.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a processing operation of a packet data storage control unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing of a request from a network according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a processing operation of a packet data storage control unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing of a packet data transmission request according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing operation of a packet data storage control unit according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing of a packet data transmission request according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a network to which a conventional network printer is connected.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a function of a HUB used for a conventional network construction.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 101 network printer 102 print processing unit 103 panel input unit 104 packet data storage control unit 105 HDD storage unit 106 temporary storage memory 107 network processing unit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A network interface unit for transmitting and receiving packet data via a network, a packet data storage unit for storing packet data transmitted and received by the network interface unit, and a packet data stored in the packet data storage unit And a packet data transmitting means for transmitting the packet data to the network. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said packet data transmitting means transmits packet data stored in said packet data storing means to said network when a read request is made via a network. Network printer. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a designation unit for designating a destination of the packet data, wherein the packet data transmission unit stores the packet data stored in the packet data storage unit in the transmission destination designated by the designation unit. The network printer according to claim 1, wherein the network printer is capable of transmitting. 4. The packet data transmitting means according to claim 1, wherein said packet data transmitting means transmits packet data stored in said packet data storing means to said network when a preset condition is satisfied. The described network printer.