JP2002222072A - Network system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To search only a device which can output a desired print job when a user searches a print device by using directory service. SOLUTION: Provided are a means which registers user information including permissible print quantities, current print quantities, etc., for respective users when a device is to register its device information on a directory server and a means which searches only a device allowing a print quantity that a user desires of the directory server.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a network system, and mainly relates to registration / registration of network device information.
It relates to an update / search method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a network system in which a directory server, various devices, and various computers are connected and device information is registered in the directory server, only a search by designating a function desired by a user is possible. Met.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned prior art has the following disadvantages. Conventionally, for example, when a user wants to perform printing, there is a system in which functional conditions such as color or paper size are designated, a corresponding device is searched, and then printing is performed on the corresponding device.
However, in recent years, systems for restricting use of each user due to cost management and the development of functions accompanying the cost management have appeared. In such a system, a device can be found when a search is performed based on only functions, but there is a problem in that it is not known until printing is performed whether or not a future job is accepted.

[0004]

According to the present invention, in a network system in which a directory server, various devices and various computers are connected and device information is registered in the directory server, registration / update of the device information is performed. When performing the search process, the following means are used. (1) Each device has a permissible number of prints for each user (or department or the like) registered in advance, and updates the current value of how much of the number has been used.
Also, the updated current value is registered and updated in the directory server on the network. (2) In the directory server, SLP (Service Loca
tion Protocol) directory agent,
It performs registration / update and reference processing of information of each device connected to the network. (3) The user who prints from each computer specifies the conditions for printing and inquires the directory server for a matching device. At that time, information for identifying the user and the number of pages of the job to be printed from now on A search is also performed using information such as a condition. (4) The directory server requested to search under the condition including the user information and the job information from the user responds as a device that has found only a device that does not exceed the allowable number of prints even if the user prints the job. . (5) The user transmits a job including information for identifying the user to the discovered device to the device and performs printing. (6) The device that has printed the job updates the current print value for each user and also updates the current value for each user on the directory server.

[0005]

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

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a network system in which the device information registration system of the present embodiment can operate. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a color printer, 10
Reference numeral 2 denotes an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral: a copy machine which can also be used as a network printer), 103 and 104 are monochrome printers, 105 is a scanner, 111, 112 and 113 are desktop or notebook personal computers (PCs). And all are network compatible devices. These devices are connected via the network 100, and their device information is registered in the PC 112 having a directory server function by the agent function of each device. Each device is connected to the network 10
0 can transmit and receive data and provide various services.

Of these devices, 101, 10
2, 103, 111, 112 and 120 are on the second floor, 10
4 and 105 are installed on the first floor. Since the notebook PC 113 is connected to the LAN 100 from the first floor at present, it may be removed. The network 100 that connects these devices to each other is connected to the Internet 130 via a firewall 120, and is also connected to another network 140 via the Internet 130.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of a general personal computer. In FIG. 2, 200 is P
C, which is equivalent to the desktop PC 111, notebook PC 113, and directory server PC 112 in FIG. The PC 200 includes a CPU 201 and a ROM 2
02 or the network device control software stored in the hard disk (HD) 211 or supplied from the floppy (registered trademark) disk drive (FD) 212 to comprehensively control each device connected to the system bus 204. I do.

Reference numeral 203 denotes a RAM, which functions as a main memory, a work area, and the like for the CPU 201. Reference numeral 205 denotes a keyboard controller (KBC), and the keyboard (KB) 20
9 and an instruction input from a pointing device (not shown) or the like. 206 is a CRT controller (CRTC)
Controls the display on the CRT display (CRT) 210. A disk controller (DKC) 207 controls access to a hard disk (HD) 211 and a floppy disk controller (FD) 212 that store a boot program, various applications, edit files, user files, a network management program, and the like. A network interface card (NIC) 208 exchanges data with a network printer, another network device, or another PC via the LAN 220.

In this embodiment, the LAN 220
Is the same as the network 100 in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing each device function of the network system in this embodiment. 3, a PC device 310 corresponds to the desktop PC 111 in FIG. PC device 3
Reference numeral 10 has an application 311 function for searching and printing a device and an SLP user agent 312 function. Reference numeral 320 denotes a directory server PC, which corresponds to the directory server PC 112 in FIG.
The directory server PC 320 has a database 321
It has a function and an SLP directory agent 322 function. A PC device 330 corresponds to the notebook PC 113 in FIG. PC device 330
Like the PC device 310, it has an SLP user agent 322 function and an application 322 function. A printer device 340 corresponds to the color printer 101 in FIG. Printer device 34
0 indicates an application 341 function for performing printing or the like and S
It has an LP service agent 342 function.

These devices are connected to a network 300 corresponding to the network 100 in FIG. 1, and perform data communication by mutual functions. In this embodiment, it is possible to register, update, and search the user and the user's use status information by the SLP protocol, and to print from each computer device.

Hereinafter, the function of each device shown in FIG. 3 will be sequentially described.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of device information stored in the directory server in the embodiment. Reference numeral 400 denotes directory information stored in the DB 321 in FIG. 3, which represents data on network devices in a table format. The directory registration information 400 is generated / deleted by the operation of the SLP directory agent 322.

In the directory information 400 on the network device, each line is a device 1 such as a printer.
Device information corresponding to each device, and various information is described in each column. The information in this embodiment is the device name 4
01, a network address 402 of the device represented by an IP address or a URL, a service type 403 indicating a function type of the device, a scope 404 indicating a group that can access the device, a location 405 indicating a physical location of the device, and a supported paper. Paper size 406 indicating the size, Us indicating the allowable number of prints for each user
er Limit 407 and User Info 408 indicating a current value currently used by each user. Also, there is an updated device address 409 indicating the network address of a device that can update these registration information.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the SLP directory agent processing of the directory server in this embodiment. S500 is the SLP in FIG.
This corresponds to the processing of the directory agent 322.

The SLP directory agent of the directory server first performs preprocessing such as opening a port for transmitting and receiving data to and from another device using the SLP protocol, acquiring necessary memory, and initializing other variables (S501). Waits for a packet message (S50)
2) It becomes a state.

When a packet message is received, processing branches depending on the content of the message. If the message is a data registration request, an information registration process (S503) of writing the information to the DB 321 in the format of the directory registration information 400 is performed.
An information search process (S504) for searching for information registered in the DB 321 is performed. In the case of a data update (deletion) request, it is checked whether there is an access right to the information to be updated (deleted) (S505). This is determined based on the registration information update device address 409 in FIG. 4. If there is an access right, the information in the DB 321 is updated (deleted) in order to update (delete) the information (S506). If not, the information update (deletion) process is skipped. Access to this information can be made for all or some (individual attributes). If the received packet message is a message other than the above, the corresponding message processing (S507) is performed.

After the processing of the received packet message is completed, the result is transmitted (S508). Thereafter, until a request to stop the directory server is received (S509), the flow returns to the packet message reception S502, and the above processing is repeated. When a request to stop the directory server is received, post-processing of the SLP directory agent such as closing a port and opening a memory is performed (S510), and the process ends.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the SLP service agent processing of the printer device in this embodiment. S600 corresponds to the processing of the SLP service agent 342 in FIG.

In the present invention, the number of pages used by the user is managed as current information, and the same information on the directory server is updated. In this case, first, a current value indicating a usage value for each user managed by the device is checked (S60).
1) When there is a change and it needs to be updated (S60)
2) The following processing is performed. If there is no change and there is no need to update, the same process is repeated until there is a change. If the current value has changed in S602 and needs to be updated,
SLP service agent pre-processing (S60) as pre-processing when updating the current value on the directory server
Perform 3). This processing refers to processing such as opening a port for transmitting and receiving data to and from another device using the SLP protocol, acquiring necessary memory, and initializing other variables.

Next, the device searches for a directory server to be updated in order to update the current value (S6).
04). This search is performed by the service request of the SLP packet. If there is a directory server on the network, there is a response to the service request, and the SLP service agent of the printer device can acquire the network address of the directory server (S605). If there is no response to the service request of the SLP packet, the directory server has not been searched yet, and the process returns to the search of the directory server S604.

Next, when a directory server is found,
The current value of each user registered in the directory server is updated for the one that has changed (S606).
Until the stop request of the SLP service agent arrives (S
607) The process returns to step S601 to check for a change in the user current value to be registered by the device. When a request to stop the SLP service agent is received, post-processing of the SLP service agent such as closing a port or releasing a memory is performed (S608). Becomes

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the SLP user agent processing of the PC device in this embodiment. S700 corresponds to the processing of the SLP user agent 312 in FIG.

The SLP user agent of the PC device first performs preprocessing such as opening a port for transmitting and receiving data to and from another device using the SLP protocol, acquiring necessary memory, and initializing other variables (S70).
1) Search for a directory server on the network (S702). This search is performed by the service request of the SLP packet. If there is a directory server on the network, there is a response to the service request, and the SLP user agent of the PC device can acquire the network address of the directory server (S703). If there is no response to the service request of the SLP packet, the directory server has not been searched yet, and the process returns to the search of the directory server S702.

When the directory server is found, search processing is performed according to the request (S704), and the processing result is transmitted (S705).

Until a request to stop the SLP user agent is received (S706), the process returns to search processing S704,
The above process is repeated. If a request to stop the SLP user agent comes, S such as closing a port or releasing memory
After performing the LP user agent post-processing (S707), the process ends.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a user searches for a printing device using a directory service, the number of usable sheets limited in department management or personal management is considered in advance. Only devices that can output the print job that you want to print can be searched, and it is possible to prevent the inefficient work of finding that output is not possible after searching and executing printing Becomes

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a network system in which a device information registration system according to an embodiment can operate.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of a general personal computer.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing each device function of the device information registration system according to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of device information stored in a directory server according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows the SL of the directory server in the embodiment.
Flow chart showing P directory agent processing

FIG. 6 illustrates an SLP of a printer device according to the present exemplary embodiment.
Flow chart showing service agent processing

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating SLP user agent processing of a PC device according to the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

100, 130, 140 Network 112 Directory server 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 111, 1
13 Network device

Claims (2)

[Claims] In a network system in which a directory server, various devices, and various computers are connected, when the device registers its device information in the directory server, the number of prints permitted for each user, the current number of prints, etc. A network system comprising means for registering user information including a password. 2. The network system according to claim 1, further comprising a means for searching the directory server for only a device which permits the number of sheets to be printed from the directory server when the user wants to perform printing from the computer. .