JP2003058440A - Information management system and information management method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quickly specify newly added information equipment from listed two or more pieces of the information equipment. SOLUTION: Information is acquired from two or more pieces of the information equipment through a network and the acquired information of each equipment is stored in a storage means. The information newly acquired from two or more pieces of the information equipment and the information stored in the storage means are compared for each equipment and whether or not it is updated is judged. In the case that it is updated, whether or not a specified condition is satisfied is discriminated for each equipment. In the case that the specified condition is satisfied, reporting information indicating that the information equipment satisfying the specified condition is updated is presented according to a prescribed reporting form.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a list display control of output devices in a network management utility that manages output devices connected by a network on a host computer, and in particular, performs display control immediately after starting the utility. The present invention relates to an information management system and an information management method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the construction of a local area network (LAN) in which computers are connected to each other, the physical distance between a host computer and an output device connected to the host computer is increasing, and management of connection destination output devices and The role of network management utilities has become important for use.

The network management utility is a form in which when a user starts the utility, an output device connected to the host computer via the network is automatically searched and the search result is displayed. Many formats display an output device image, an output device name, and the state of the output device on the screen.

The conventional list display in the output device is a bitmap of the output device image, the output device name, the status information of the output device, such as Ready / Not Ready.
It is displayed by an icon or the like, which allows the user to acquire the status information of the output device displayed on the screen.

[0005]

In a network connection environment, it has become common for a user to connect to a plurality of output devices, and when there are many connected output devices, the user can use a network management utility to display a screen. It is difficult to obtain the information of the target output device from the contents listed above. For example, in a usage environment in which hundreds of output devices are connected, it is difficult to immediately identify which output device has the latest version of updated information.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an information management system and an information management method capable of quickly identifying a newly added information device from a plurality of information devices displayed in a list. To provide.

[0007]

The present invention is a system in which a host device manages a plurality of information devices via a network, and the host device includes acquisition means for acquiring information from the plurality of information devices. A storage unit that stores the acquired information about each device, and information that is newly acquired from the plurality of information devices and the information stored in the storage unit is compared for each device, and whether or not the device has been updated A comparing means for judging whether the updated information satisfies a specific condition when updated, and an information device satisfying the specific condition when the specific condition is satisfied. The information management system is configured by including the notification means indicating the updated information according to a predetermined notification mode.

[0008] Here, the notification information may be posted according to the set notification form, further comprising setting means for setting the notification form.

At least the character display,
The display of the icon or the change of the display position may be included.

The specific condition may include at least information type, information history, user information, or identification information.

The comparison means determines whether or not the information acquired from each device is present in the information previously acquired and displayed as a list on the display screen. As the notification information, information indicating that a new addition has been made at the current display is presented.

The comparing means discriminates the update content of the information acquired from each device, and if there is a specific state transition, presents the information indicating that there is a specific state transition as the notification information. .

It may further include means for selecting whether or not to post the notification information, and means for selecting whether or not to display the notification information that does not include the notification information.

The present invention is an apparatus for managing a plurality of information devices via a network, and an acquisition means for acquiring information from the plurality of information devices, and a storage means for storing the acquired information of each device. Comparing means for comparing the information newly acquired from the plurality of information devices with the information stored in the storage device for each device and determining whether or not the device has been updated; Determination means for determining whether or not the provided information satisfies a specific condition for each device, and, if the specific condition is satisfied, notification information indicating that the information device satisfying the specific condition has been updated is provided in a predetermined notification form. According to the present invention, the information management device is configured by including a presenting means.

The present invention is a method for managing a plurality of information devices via a network, which comprises an acquisition step of acquiring information from the plurality of information devices and storing the acquired information of each device in a storage means. A storing step, a comparing step of comparing information newly acquired from the plurality of information devices with information stored in the storing means for each device, and judging whether or not the device has been updated; , A determination step of determining whether or not the updated information satisfies a specific condition for each device, and, if the specific condition is satisfied, a notification information indicating that the information device satisfying the specific condition has been updated, An information management method is provided by including a presentation step of presenting in accordance with the notification form.

The present invention is a program for managing and controlling a plurality of information devices via a network, the program being recorded on a recording medium readable by a computer, and the information from the plurality of information devices. And a step of storing the acquired information of each device in the storage means, and comparing the information newly acquired from the plurality of information devices with the information stored in the storage means for each device. , A step of determining whether or not it has been updated, a step of determining whether or not the updated information satisfies a specific condition for each device when updated, and a step of determining if the specific condition is satisfied A step of presenting notification information indicating that the information device satisfying the requirements has been updated according to a predetermined notification form,
An information management control program is provided by setting the notification form and posting the notification information according to the set notification form.

The present invention is a medium recording a program for managing and controlling a plurality of information devices via a network, the control program causing a computer to acquire information from the plurality of information devices, and the acquisition. The information of each device thus made is stored in the storage means, and the information newly obtained from the plurality of information devices and the information stored in the storage means are compared for each device to determine whether or not the information has been updated. When judged and updated, it is judged for each device whether or not the updated information satisfies a specific condition, and when the specified condition is satisfied, a notification indicating that an information device satisfying the specified condition has been updated Information is presented according to a predetermined notification form, and when the notification form is set, by posting the notification information according to the set notification form,
A medium on which an information management control program is recorded is provided.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[First Example] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Outline) First, an outline of the present invention will be described.

An outline of the operation of the network management protocol for constructing an environment suitable for the information management system according to the present invention will be described.

As one of the network management protocols suitable for the present invention, a simple network management protocol (S
NMP: Simple Network Management
There is a protocol called "ment Protocol".

Using this SNMP network management protocol, the user communicates with the agent software on the managed node using the network management utility on the management manager (usually the host computer) and is connected via the network. It is possible to obtain information of an information device (for example, an output device), and change the obtained information.

When a user requests management data for an output device (agent) on the network, the management software puts the object identification information in a management packet or frame and sends it to the target agent.

The agent interprets the object identification information, extracts the data corresponding to the object identification information, puts the data in a packet, and sends it back to the user. Sometimes the corresponding process is called to retrieve the data.

In response to the information request sent from the network management utility, the output device is MIB (Manag.
ent IB Base) information is provided. The network management utility uses the MI provided by the output device.
Information such as the status, name, and function of the output device is read from the B information and presented to the user.

Therefore, in this example, the update of the information of all the output devices is monitored, and the information of the output device having the specific update (device status information or the like) is added to the conventional display, and the user can use the information. It is designed to build a system environment that can quickly identify output devices that have been updated.

That is, a system in which a host computer collects and manages information from a plurality of output devices by using a network management utility, and is a notification form for notifying the host computer of notification information indicating that the host computer has been updated. Setting means, a form storage means for storing the set notification form, an information storage means for storing information acquired from each output device, and the contents of each acquired information previously acquired and stored. Comparing means for comparing with the existing information to determine whether the information is updated, and output control for outputting (presenting) the notification information according to a preset notification mode when the information is updated by the comparison result. And means.

(Specific Example) A specific example will be described below.

<System Configuration> First, the overall configuration of the information management system will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, a printer will be taken as an example of the output device connected to the network that constitutes the system.

FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the information management system.

This system includes a LAN (Local A)
rea Network) 100, LAN110, LA
N120 is provided.

LANs, such as LAN 100, typically serve a rather local group of users, such as a group of users, on one floor in a building or on multiple consecutive floors. For example, a wide area network (WAN) may be created as a user moves away from another user, such as when the user is in another building or another prefecture.

Therefore, as shown in FIG.
, LAN 110, and LAN 120 are connected via a modulation / demodulation (MODEM) / transponder 130 and a backbone 140 to form a WAN. These connections are simple electrical connections with several buses.
Each LAN includes a dedicated host computer,
It also typically, but not necessarily, includes a file server and print server. The configuration of each LAN will be described below.

The LAN 100 will be described. LAN1
At 00, a network board (NB) 101 for connecting the printer to the network is connected to the printer 102 having an open architecture.

The NB 101 connects to a local area network (LAN) 100, for example, an E having a coaxial connector.
Internet (registered trademark) interface 10Ba
L such as se-2 and 10Base-T with RJ-45
It is connected via the AN interface.

Further, a plurality of personal computers (host computers) such as a host computer 103 and a host computer 104 are also connected to the LAN 100, and these host computers 103, 104 are under N control under the control of the network operating system.
It is possible to communicate with B101. In this state,
One of the host computers, for example host computer 103, can be designated for use as a network manager. In addition, the host computer 103
In addition, a printer such as the printer 105 connected to the host computer 104 may be connected.

A file server 106 is connected to the LAN 100, and manages access to files stored in a large-capacity (for example, 10 billion bytes) network disk 107. Print server 108
Causes the connected printers 109a and 109b or a printer such as the printer 105 at a remote place to perform printing. Also, other peripheral devices may be connected to the LAN 100.

The file server 106 serves as a file management unit for receiving, storing, queuing, caching, and transmitting data files among LAN members. For example, the data files created by each of the host computer 103 and the host computer 104 are sent to the file server 106, and the file server 106 arranges these data files in order, and arranges them according to the command from the print server 108. The data file is transmitted to the printer 109a.

The host computer 103 and the host computer 104 respectively generate a data file, send the generated data file to the LAN 100, receive a file from the LAN 100, and display such a file. And / or a normal host computer capable of processing.

Although FIG. 4 shows a personal computer device, other computer devices suitable for executing network software may be included. For example, if one is using UNIX software, UNIX workstations may be included in the network, and these workstations will, under appropriate circumstances, work with the illustrated host computer. Can be used.

The LAN 110 and LAN 120 will be described.

In FIG. 4, the LAN 110 includes a host computer 111, a host computer 112, a file server 113, and a network disk 114.
And a print server 115, a printer 116 and a printer 117.

In contrast, LAN 120 includes only host computer 121 and host computer 122.

LAN 100, LAN 110, LAN
The device connected to 120 can access the function of the device of another LAN through the WAN connection.

As an example of mounting the agent on the network board, it is possible to mount the agent on the network board for connecting the printer to the network. As a result, the printer can be targeted for management by the network management utility. The user can obtain the information of the printer to be controlled and change the status by using the network management utility. More specifically, for example, the character string displayed on the liquid crystal display of the printer can be acquired, and the default paper feed cassette can be changed.

An example of connecting a network board (NB) on which an agent is mounted to a printer will be described below.

(Network Connection Device) FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of the multi-function peripheral 200 which is one of the network connection devices.

Reference numeral 207 is a reader section as an image input means for converting a document into image information, and 208 is a recording paper cassette having a plurality of types of recording paper cassettes, and the image information is output as a visible image on the recording paper in response to a print command. The printer unit 206 serving as an output unit is an external device electrically connected to the reader unit 207 and having various functions. The reader unit 207, the printer unit 208, and the core unit 205
Constitutes a copy function unit according to the present invention.

The external device 206 has a computer interface section 2 connected to the host computer 500.
01, and a formatter unit 202 for converting the image information sent from the host computer 500 into a visible image,
An image memory unit 203 for temporarily accumulating image information sent from the host computer 500 and image information from the reader unit 207, a storage device unit 204 as a storage unit for storing various image information, and a reader unit. 20
7, printer unit 208, computer interface unit 201, formatter unit 202, image memory unit 2
03 and a core unit 205 as a control unit for controlling each function of the storage unit 204 and performing information processing.
The transfer paper output from the printer unit 208 is discharged to each bin when the sorting function is working, or to the uppermost bin when the sorting function is not working. The host computer 500, the computer interface unit 201, the core unit 205, and the printer unit 208 form a printer function unit according to the present invention.

(Host Computer) FIG. 6 shows a configuration of a host computer 500 capable of operating a network management utility.

Reference numeral 500 denotes a host computer on which the network management utility operates, which is equivalent to 103 in FIG. The host computer 500 is an R
A CPU 501 that executes a network management utility stored in the OM 502 or the hard disk (HD) 511 or supplied from the floppy (registered trademark) disk drive (FD) 512 is provided, and each output device connected to the system bus 504 is summarized. Control.

Reference numeral 503 is a RAM, which functions as a main memory, a work area, etc. of the CPU 501. 505 is a keyboard controller (KBC), which is a keyboard (K
B) Control instruction input from 509, a pointing output device or the like (not shown). 506 is a CRT controller (CRTC), which is a CRT display (CRT) 5
Controls the display of 10. A disk controller (DKC) 507 stores a boot program, various applications, edit files, user files, a network management program, etc. in a hard disk (H).
D) 511 and floppy disk controller (FD) 512 are controlled. Fifty
A network interface card (NIC) 8 bidirectionally exchanges data with an agent or a network device via the LAN 100.

(Management unit) 550 is a management unit having the network management utility 600 according to the present invention.

The management unit 550 includes an acquisition unit 560, a storage unit 561, a comparison unit 562, a determination unit 563, a presentation unit 564, and a setting unit 565.

The acquisition unit 560 has a function of acquiring information from a plurality of output devices.

The storage unit 561 stores the acquired information of each device,
It has a function of storing notification information corresponding to the specific condition (that is, information indicating that the output device has been updated), and further information indicating the notification mode set by the setting unit 565.

The comparing unit 562 has a function of comparing the information newly acquired from a plurality of information devices with the information stored in the storage unit 561 for each device and determining whether or not the information has been updated.

The discriminating unit 563 has a function of discriminating, for each device, whether or not the updated information satisfies a specific condition when it is updated.

The presentation unit 564 is
It has a function of presenting notification information indicating that the information device satisfying the specific condition has been updated according to a predetermined notification form.

The setting unit 565 has a function of setting a notification form, and posts notification information according to the set notification form.

Furthermore, a means for selecting whether or not to post the notification information and a means for selecting whether or not to perform the posting not including the notification information may be added.

Here, the notification form means, for example, a method for notifying the user of character display, icon display, change of display position, etc. on the display screen. The specific condition refers to, for example, the type of information, the history of information, the user information, the identification information, etc., but is not particularly limited, and any information may be used as the condition.

The comparing unit 562 determines whether or not the information acquired from each device is present in the information previously acquired and displayed as a list on the display screen. If the information is not present, a notification is given. The process of presenting information indicating that information has been newly added as information at the time of display or the update content of the information acquired from each device is determined, and if a specific state transition exists, a specific state is provided as notification information. It may be a process of presenting information indicating that there is a transition.

(Network Management Utility) FIG. 7
Shows a module configuration of the network management utility 600. The module mentioned here is configured by hardware or software, and also includes the function of the management unit 550 shown in FIG. 6 described above.

This network management utility is
It is stored in the hard disk 511 in FIG.
It is executed by the CPU 501. At that time, the CPU 50
1 uses the RAM 503 as a work area.

In FIG. 7, reference numeral 601 is called an output device list module, which is a module for displaying a list of output devices connected to the network. Reference numeral 602 is called an overall control module, which controls other modules based on an instruction from the output device list. Reference numeral 603 is called a configurator, which is a module that performs special processing relating to the network settings of the agent.

Reference numeral 604 is called a search module, which is a module for searching for output devices connected to the network. The output devices searched by the search module 604 are displayed in a list by the output device list 601. A print job status 605 is NetWare.
A NetWare job module that is acquired from a network server using API 616.

Reference numerals 606 and 607 denote UI modules for displaying detailed information other than those displayed in the output device list. There is a UI module for each target model for which detailed information is displayed. Reference numerals 608 and 609 are called control modules, and are modules responsible for control peculiar to the target model for which detailed information is acquired. Similar to the UI module, the control module also exists for each target model for which detailed information is displayed. Control A Module 608 and Control B Module 6
09 acquires MIB data from the managed output device using the MIB module 610, converts the data as necessary, and passes the data to the corresponding UI A module 606 or UI B module 607.

The MIB module 610 is a module for converting an object identifier and an object key. Here, the object key is a 32-bit integer that has a one-to-one correspondence with the object identifier. The object identifier is a variable-length identifier and is cumbersome to implement when implementing the network management utility 600. Therefore, in the network management utility 600 according to the present invention, a fixed-length identifier that corresponds one-to-one with an object identifier is internally stored. I am using. MI
Modules higher than the B module 610 handle MIB information using this object key.

Reference numeral 611 is called an SNMP module, and S
It transmits and receives NMP packets. A common transport module 612 is a module that absorbs a difference in a lower protocol for carrying SNMP data. Actually, depending on the protocol selected by the user at the time of operation, the IPX handler 613 or the UDP handler 61
One of the four functions to transfer data. The current protocol 615 used by the configurator 603 indicates either the IPX protocol or the UDP protocol selected by the user during operation.

<System Operation> Next, the operation of this system will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Information Acquisition Display Process) FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the information acquisition display process of the network output device using the network management utility 600.

First, in step S11, when the network management utility 600 is activated, the search module 604 collects MIB objects of all connected devices managed by the network management utility 600.

In step S12, it is determined whether all the objects have been acquired. When all object information has been acquired, the process proceeds to step S13.

In step S13, the output device list module 601 determines that the network management utility 60
A process of updating the information list (update information) of the output device of 0 is executed (see FIG. 2 described later). In this case, the information list of the output device is periodically updated by polling at a constant interval in the collection process of the objects of the output device. After this updating process, the process proceeds to step S14.

On the other hand, if all the objects have not been acquired in step S12, step S12
Return to 11 and re-acquire the object, step S13
Proceed to.

In step S14, notification information indicating that the output device has been updated is notified according to a predetermined notification form, and the process ends. Examples of this notification form include character display, icon display, and change of display position as described above.

(Output Device Update Process) FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining in detail the output device update process in step S13 of FIG.

In step S21, it is determined whether polling has been executed.

When polling is not executed,
To end the processing. On the other hand, if polling has been executed, the process proceeds to step S22.

In step S22, the update information (information list) collected from each output device is compared with the update information of each output device collected last time.

As a result of the comparison, if the update of the MIB object is not detected, the process returns to and the process ends. On the other hand, as a result of the comparison, when the update of the MIB object is detected, the process proceeds to step S23.

In step S23, it is determined whether the updated information of the MIB object satisfies the specific condition. If the update satisfies the specific condition, step S24
Proceed to. On the other hand, if the update does not meet the specific conditions,
To end the processing.

Here, the specific condition includes, for example, the type of information, the history of information, the user information, the identification information as described above.

In step S24, the notification information corresponding to the specific condition (that is, the notification information indicating that the output device has been updated) is acquired from the storage unit 561. However, the acquisition method is not limited to the acquisition from the storage unit 561, and may be acquired from another area or medium depending on the content of the notification form.

In step S25, it is determined whether or not there is another update satisfying the specific condition. If there is an update, the process returns to step S24.

When all update processing is completed, step S
26, and returns to step S14 in FIG.

In step S14, notification information indicating that the output device has been updated is displayed according to a predetermined display mode.

(Information Display Setting Process) FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the information display setting process by the user on the host computer. Note that this setting process is similar to that shown in FIG.
It may be inserted as a pre-process of step S11 of the update process shown in FIG.

In this setting process, the output device list module 601 requests the user's input on the display screen of the CRT display 510, and the desired setting input is accepted by the user's keyboard 509 key input or mouse click or other input means. Processing.

First, in step 31, on the information display setting dialog screen (not shown), the user receives the information display setting value. As a result, when displaying information, the user makes a setting to display information.

In step S32, it is checked whether the user has selected the setting for displaying information. If there is a setting, the process proceeds to step S33, while if there is no setting, the setting process ends.

In step S33, the setting value of the user is stored in the storage unit 561 and the setting process ends.

The setting process may be incorporated in the utility screen or may be set by displaying a selection screen at the time of installation.

(Practical Example) Next, a practical example will be described.

When the user starts the network management utility 600, the host computer collects the MIB objects of all the output devices at the connection destinations (steps S11 to S12).

After that, the acquired object is compared with the information list of the previous output device to determine whether or not the update information exists (step S22).

When it is determined that the update information is "present",
It is checked whether the detected update information satisfies a specific condition (step S23).

When the specific condition is satisfied, the management unit 550
According to the notification method preset by the user for notification of update information, here, if the icon display is set, the update information icon corresponding to the setting content (that is, the output device has been updated) is displayed. The notification information shown) is acquired from the storage unit 561 (step S24). The icon of the acquired update information is passed to the display unit 564 for display. If there is an update that satisfies other specific conditions, the notification information is acquired again from the storage unit 561 (step S25).

On the list display screen of the network management utility 600, the update information icon for the updated output device is displayed (step S14).

As a result, the user can quickly identify the newly added output device from the plurality of output devices displayed on the list display screen.

[Second Example] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The description of the same parts as those in the first example will be omitted, and the same reference numerals will be given. In this example, an example in which the management unit 550 uses the network management utility 600 to perform update processing will be described.

When the user starts the network management utility 600, the host computer collects the objects of the MIB of the connection destination (steps S11 to S12).

Thereafter, the obtained result is compared with the information list of the output device of the last time, and it is determined whether or not the update information exists (step S22).

When it is determined that the update information is "transition of output device state (transition from unusable to possible as one example)", it is checked whether the detected update information satisfies a specific condition (step S23).

When the specific condition is satisfied, the management unit 550
If the display method of the update information is set to the icon display here according to the display method preset by the user, the state transition update information icon (that is, the notification information indicating that the output device has been updated) is stored. It is acquired from the unit 561 (step S24) and passed to the display unit 564 for display.

On the list display screen of the network management utility 600, the state transition update icon for the updated output device is displayed (step S14).

As a result, the user can quickly identify the output device that has been previously unusable and has returned to the usable state from the plurality of output devices displayed on the list display screen.

[Third Example] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The description of the same parts as those in the above-described examples will be omitted and the same reference numerals will be given.

In this example, an example in which the management section 550 uses the network management utility 600 to perform update processing will be described.

When the user starts the network management utility 600, the host computer collects MIB objects (steps S11 to S).
12).

Thereafter, the acquired result is compared with the output device information list of the previous time to determine whether or not the update information exists (step S22).

When it is judged that the update information is "present", it is checked whether or not the detected update information satisfies the specific condition (step S23).

When the specific condition is satisfied, the management unit 550
Suppose that the notification of the update information is set to the character string display here according to the notification method preset by the user, and the storage unit stores the character information of the update information (that is, the notification information indicating that the output device has been updated). 561 (step S
24), and passes it to the display unit 564 for display.

On the list display screen of the network management utility 600, the character information of the update information regarding the updated output device is displayed (step S14).

As a result, the user can quickly identify the newly added output device from the plurality of output devices displayed on the list display screen.

[Fourth Example] Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The description of the same parts as those in the above-described examples will be omitted and the same reference numerals will be given.

In this example, an example will be described in which the management section 550 uses the network management utility 600 to perform an update process.

When the user starts the network management utility 600, the host computer collects MIB objects (steps S11 to S).
12).

After that, the acquired result is compared with the previous output device information list to determine whether or not there is update information (step S22).

When it is determined that the update information is "transition of the state of the output device (transition from unusable to possible as one example)", it is checked whether the detected update information satisfies the specific condition (step S23). ).

When the specific condition is satisfied, the management unit 550
If the notification of the update information is set to the character string display here according to the notification method preset by the user, the character string indicating the state transition update (that is, the notification information indicating that the output device has been updated) Is acquired from the storage unit 561 (step S24) and is passed to the display unit 564 for display.

On the list display screen of the network management utility 600, the character string of the state transition update information is displayed for the updated output device (step S14).

As a result, the user can quickly identify the output device which has been previously unusable and has become available again from the plurality of output devices displayed on the list display screen.

[Fifth Example] Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The description of the same parts as those in the above-described examples will be omitted and the same reference numerals will be given.

In this example, an example in which the management unit 550 uses the network management utility 600 to perform the update process will be described.

When the user starts the network management utility, the host computer collects MIB objects (steps S11 to S12).

Then, the obtained result is compared with the information list of the output device last time, and it is determined whether update information exists (step S22).

When it is judged that the update information is "present", it is checked whether or not the detected update information satisfies the specific condition (step S23).

When the specific condition is satisfied, the management unit 550
Suppose that the notification of the update information is set to the character string highlighting according to the notification method preset by the user, and the character string of the device is designated as BOLD (that is, the notification information indicating that the output device is updated) ) (Step S2
4), and hands it over to the presentation unit 564 for display.

On the list display screen of the network management utility 600, the highlighted character information of the update information regarding the updated output device is displayed.

As a result, the user can quickly identify the newly added output device from the plurality of output devices displayed on the list display screen.

[Sixth Example] Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The description of the same parts as those in the above-described examples will be omitted and the same reference numerals will be given.

In this example, an example will be described in which the management section 550 uses the network management utility 600 to perform update processing.

When the user starts the network management utility 600, the host computer collects MIB objects (steps S11 to S).
12).

Thereafter, the acquired result is compared with the information list of the output device last time, and it is determined whether or not the update information exists (step S22).

When it is judged that the update information is "present", it is checked whether or not the detected update information satisfies the specific condition (step S23).

When the specific condition is satisfied, the management unit 550
According to the notification method preset by the user, if the display position of the output device is set to the top here, the display position of the corresponding output device is set to the top position (that is, the output device has been updated). (Report information indicating) (step S24), and passes it to the display unit 564 for display.

On the list display screen of the network management utility, the updated output device is displayed at the top of the list display (step S14).

As a result, the user can quickly identify the newly added output device from the plurality of output devices displayed on the list display screen.

Even if the present invention is applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, host computer, interface device, reader, printer, etc.),
The present invention may be applied to a device including one device (for example, a small image processing device such as a PDA (personal information management) device, a copying machine, and a facsimile device).

It goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to the case where it is achieved by supplying a program to a system or an apparatus. Then, a storage medium storing a program represented by software for achieving the present invention is supplied to a system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or M of the system or apparatus).
The effect of the present invention can also be enjoyed by the PU) reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk,
Hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-
ROM, CD-R, magnetic tape, non-volatile memory card (IC memory card), ROM (mask ROM, flash EEPROM, etc.) can be used.

Moreover, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by executing the program code read by the computer, but also the OS (operating system) running on the computer based on the instructions of the program code. It is needless to say that this also includes a case where the above) performs a part or all of the actual processing and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Furthermore, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted in the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, It goes without saying that a case where the CPU or the like included in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs some or all of the actual processing and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is also included.

[0148]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Information is acquired from a plurality of information devices via a network, the acquired information of each device is stored in a storage unit, and the information newly acquired from the plurality of information devices and the information stored in the storage unit are acquired for each device. If it is updated, it is determined whether or not the specific condition is satisfied for each device.If the specific condition is satisfied, the information device satisfying the specific condition is checked. Since the notification information indicating that the information has been updated is presented in accordance with the predetermined notification form, for example, the user uses the network management utility to preset the display form of the update information of the output device. It becomes possible to quickly display a newly added information device from among a plurality of information devices displayed in a list in accordance with the display form set by the user. It is possible to quickly identify without buried contributing information on the border improvement in the display of other information are listed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an information acquisition display process of a network output device, which is the first to sixth embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing details of output device update processing.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an information display setting process.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of network connection.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a multifunction machine.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a host computer.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a module configuration of a network management utility.

[Explanation of symbols]

100, 110, 120 LAN 101 Network board 101a Printed circuit board 101b Face plates 102, 105, 109a, 109b, 116, 117
Printer 102a Serial port 102b Parallel port 103, 104 Host computer 105 Printer 106 File server 107 Network disk 108 Print server 109a, 109b Printer 111, 112 Host computer 113 File server 114 Network disk 115 Print server 116, 117 Printer 121, 122 Host computer 130 transponder 140 backbone 150 printer interface card 151 microprocessor 160 printer engine 170 connector 200 shared memory 301 microprocessor 302 RAM 303 ROM 500 host computer 501 CPU 502 ROM 503 RAM 504 system bus 505 keyboard controller LA 506 CRT controller 507 Disk controller 508 Network interface card 509 Keyboard 510 CRT display 511 Hard disk 512 Floppy (registered trademark) disk drive 550 Management unit 560 Acquisition unit 561 Storage unit 562 Comparison unit 563 Discrimination unit 564 Presentation unit 565 Setting unit 600 Network management utility

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. A system in which a host device manages a plurality of information devices via a network, the host device acquiring means for acquiring information from the plurality of information devices, and the acquired information of each device. A storage unit that stores the information, a comparison unit that compares information newly acquired from the plurality of information devices with information stored in the storage unit for each device, and determines whether or not the device has been updated; Determination means for determining whether or not the updated information satisfies the specific condition for each device, and notification information indicating that the information device satisfying the specific condition is updated if the specific condition is satisfied. And a presenting means for presenting in accordance with a predetermined notification form. 2. The information management system according to claim 1, further comprising setting means for setting the notification form, wherein the notification information is posted according to the set notification form. 3. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the notification form includes at least character display, icon display, or change of display position. 4. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the specific condition includes at least information type, information history, user information, or identification information. 5. The comparing means determines whether or not the information acquired from each device exists in the information acquired last time and displayed in a list on the display screen, and when the information does not exist, The information management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the notification information presents information indicating that a new addition has been made at the current display. 6. The comparison means determines the update content of the information acquired from each device, and when a specific state transition exists, the comparison information includes information indicating that there is a specific state transition. The information management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is presented. 7. The method further comprising means for selecting whether or not to post the notification information, and means for selecting whether or not to display the notification that does not include the notification information. Through 6
Information management system described in any of. 8. An apparatus for managing a plurality of information devices via a network, an acquisition unit for acquiring information from the plurality of information devices, a storage unit for storing the acquired information of each device, A comparison unit that compares information newly acquired from a plurality of information devices with the information stored in the storage unit for each device and determines whether or not the device has been updated; Discrimination means for discriminating whether or not information satisfies a specific condition for each device, and, in the case of satisfying the specific condition, presenting notification information indicating that the information device satisfying the specific condition has been updated, in accordance with a predetermined notification form. An information management device, comprising: 9. The information management apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising setting means for setting the notification form, and posting the notification information according to the set notification form. 10. A method of managing a plurality of information devices via a network, the obtaining step of obtaining information from the plurality of information devices, and the storing step of storing the obtained information of each device in a storage means. And a comparison step of comparing the information newly acquired from the plurality of information devices with the information stored in the storage unit for each device, and determining whether or not the device has been updated; A determination step of determining whether or not the updated information satisfies a specific condition for each device, and, if the specific condition is satisfied, notification information indicating that the information device satisfying the specific condition has been updated is given a predetermined notification. An information management method comprising a presentation step of presenting according to a form. 11. The information management method according to claim 10, further comprising a setting step of setting the notification form, and posting the notification information according to the set notification form. 12. The information management method according to claim 10, wherein the notification form includes at least character display, icon display, or change of display position. 13. The information management method according to claim 10, wherein the specific condition includes at least information type, information history, user information, or identification information. 14. The comparison step determines whether or not the information acquired from each device is present in the information acquired last time and displayed as a list on the display screen, and if the information is not present, The information management method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that, as the notification information, information indicating that a new addition has been made is currently displayed. 15. The comparison step determines the update content of the information acquired from each device, and when a specific state transition exists, information indicating that the specific state transition has occurred is provided as the notification information. The information management method according to claim 10, wherein the information management method is presented. 16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: a step of selecting whether or not to post the notification information, and a step of selecting whether or not to perform a posting that does not include the notification information. An information management method described in any one of 1 to 15. 17. A program for managing and controlling a plurality of information devices via a network, the program being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, wherein information is acquired from the plurality of information devices. And a step of storing the acquired information of each device in a storage means, comparing information newly acquired from the plurality of information devices and information stored in the storage means for each device, and updating And a step of determining whether the updated information satisfies a specific condition for each device when updated, and a step of determining whether the updated information satisfies the specific condition when the specific condition is satisfied. A step of presenting notification information indicating that the information device has been updated according to a predetermined notification mode; a step of setting the notification mode; and the notification according to the set notification mode. Information management control program characterized by posting distribution. 18. A medium in which a program for managing and controlling a plurality of information devices via a network is recorded, the control program causing a computer to acquire information from the plurality of information devices and causing the computer to acquire the information. The information of each device is stored in the storage device, and the information newly acquired from the plurality of information devices and the information stored in the storage device are compared for each device to determine whether or not the device has been updated. , When it is updated, it is determined whether or not the updated information satisfies a specific condition for each device. When the specific condition is satisfied, notification information indicating that the information device satisfying the specific condition is updated is displayed. The information management control program is characterized in that the notification information is presented according to a predetermined notification form, and when the notification form is set, the notification information is posted according to the set notification form. Medium recording the ram.