JP2003330801A - Network system, device information register system and service use rights information - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To decrease the load of a device for user authentication by eliminating a service request from a user having no use rights for a device providing service on a network, and to reduce the load of network by preventing generation of wasteful service request packet. <P>SOLUTION: This network system is composed of a directory server, various devices, and various computers which are connected to each other on the network. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network system, and mainly to a method of referring to network device information.

[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, the computer application is provided from the device information registered in the directory server. The service request was made to the corresponding device by referring to the service or status that is specified.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned conventional example has the following drawbacks.

When the device has registered a client which provides its own service, each time an application of a computer as a client requests a service from the device, the device authenticates the user to the client, and a load occurs on the device. It was In addition, if there is a user authentication server on the network, the traffic load on the network increases.

[0005]

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, reference processing of the device information is performed. When performing, the following means are used.

(1) The service use authority information is added to the device information registered in the directory server.

(2) The directory server has an SLP
(Service Location Protocol
l) A directory agent exists and performs registration / update and reference processing of information on each device connected to the network.

(3) The network device has an SLP
A service agent exists, monitors each device information of itself, and updates each device information on the directory server at the following timings.

When the power is turned on, the service use authority information is registered in the directory server as a part of the device information.

In the subsequent steady state, when the service use authority information is set / changed by the user, it is registered / updated in the directory server.

(4) The application on the PC has S
The LP user agent exists and performs the following processing.

Information retrieval to the directory server is performed.

When a service request is issued, reference is made to the corresponding device information. Give service usage right information to the service request application.

By the above means, the following effects will appear.

(1) By obtaining service use authority information before an application on a PC makes a service request to a device, the load on the device due to an unnecessary request from a client without service use authority, that is, user authentication. The load of confirmation / rejection notification is reduced.

(2) Since the service request for the device not authorized to use the service is not transmitted to the network, the network traffic load is reduced.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1
It is a figure which shows the structure of the network with which the device search system of a present Example can operate | move. In FIG. 1, 101 is a color printer and 102 is an MFP (Multi Function).
Tion Peripheral. It ’s a copy machine,
It can also be used as a network printer. ) 1
Reference numerals 03 and 104 denote monochrome printers, and reference numeral 105 denotes a network-connected scanner, which are devices that can be executed by the SLP service agent. 111
And 113 are a desktop PC and a notebook P, respectively.
It is C. These are PCs capable of executing the program of the SLP user agent of this embodiment, and inquire the SLP directory agent for device information, as will be described later. Reference numeral 112 denotes a directory server, which is a PC capable of executing the SLP directory agent program of the present embodiment.
Information about 01 to 105 is stored, and SLP
A user information inquiry inquiry from the user agent 111 or 113 is accepted and the result is returned.

Of these devices, 101, 10
2, 103, 111, 112 and 120 are installed on the second floor, and 104 and 105 are installed on the first floor. Since 113 is a laptop PC, LAN is currently available from the first floor
It is connected to 100, but may be removed.

Further, the network 100 connecting these devices to each other is connected to the Internet 130 via the 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, and the internal configurations of the desktop PC 111, the notebook PC 113, the directory server 112, etc. in FIG. 1 are as described above.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 200 denotes a PC on which SLP user agent software or SLP directory agent software (hereinafter, these are referred to as SLP agent software together with SLP service agent software installed on the device) is operated. It is equivalent to 111, 112 or 113 in FIG. The PC 200 is stored in the ROM 202 or the hard disk (HD) 211, or the floppy (R) disk drive (FD) 21.
A CPU 201 that executes the SLP agent software supplied from S.2, and collectively controls each device connected to the system bus 204. 203 is a RAM,
The CPU 201 functions as a main memory and a work area. A keyboard controller (KBC) 205 controls an instruction input from a keyboard (KB) 209 or a pointing device (not shown). 206 is a CRT controller (CRTC), which is a CRT display (CRT)
Control the display of 210. A disk controller (DKC) 207 is a hard disk (H) that stores a boot program, various applications, edit files, user files, a network management program, and the like.
D) 211 and floppy (R) disk controller (FD) 212 are controlled. 208 is a network interface card (NIC), which is a LAN
Data is bidirectionally exchanged with a network printer, another network device, or another PC via 220.

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

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 300 is an example of the internal configuration of a device on which the SLP service agent software operates, and it is equivalent to 101 to 105 in FIG.

The device 300 includes a CPU 301 that executes SLP service agent software stored in a ROM 302 or a hard disk (HD) 310 or supplied from a floppy (R) disk drive (FD) 311 and connected to a system bus 304. Controls each device to be comprehensively controlled. 303 is RAM
Thus, the CPU 301 functions as a main memory and a work area. A user interface controller (UIC) 305 controls display on the user interface (UI) 309 and instruction input from the 309. A function controller (FUNCC) 306 is a function (FUNC) 310 that is a unique function of each device.
Is realized / controlled. A printer is a print engine controller and a print engine, and a scanner is a scan engine controller and a scan engine. In the case of an MFP, the device 300 has a function controller (FUNCC) 306 and a function (FUNC) 310 for each function. A disk controller (DKC) 307 stores a hard disk (HD) 311 and a floppy (R) disk controller (FD) 312 that store various applications, data files, network management programs, and the like.
Control access to and. A network module (NM) 308 bidirectionally exchanges data with another network device or another PC via the LAN 320. In this embodiment, the LAN 320 is shown in FIG.
Is the same as the LAN 100 in FIG.

Since the device can have various configurations, FIG. 3 is merely an example. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of each device function in the present embodiment. The directory server 420, the user PC 410, and the device 430 are connected to the LAN 400. The directory server 420 is equivalent to 112 in FIG.

The user PC 410 is 11 in FIG.
It is equivalent to 1,113. The device 430 is equivalent to 101 to 105 in FIG. LAN300 is
This is equivalent to the LAN 100 in FIG. Device 43
In 0, the SLP service agent 431 makes a device information registration request to the SLP directory agent 422 of the directory server 420 via the LAN 400, and the SLP directory agent 422 registers the device information in the database 421. The application 412 on the user PC 410 uses the SLP user agent 411 to make a search request for information in the database 421 to the SLP directory agent 422 on the directory server 420 by using the LAN.
Via 400 and receive the search results.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of device information stored in the directory server 112 in a table format in the present embodiment. In the directory server 112, database information is physically stored in the hard disk 211.

In the device information 500, one line represents one device. Each column contains the device name (5
01), the network address of the device (502),
Device service type (503), device attribute (504) to attribute 5 (508), and then the service use authority user (509) in this embodiment are added.

To specifically explain the service use authority user of the data shown in FIG. 5, the device named Color-kun is given the use authority to the members of the planning department and the design department, and the second floor high speed machine is used. Can be used by the sales department and the development room printer by the development department members. On the other hand, it can be seen that the first-floor printer is open to all members.

In the present embodiment, the devices from the second line to the fourth line shown in FIG. 5 correspond to 101, 102 and 103 in FIG. 1, respectively, and the devices from the sixth line to the seventh line. Are equivalent to 104 and 105, respectively.

The information shown in FIG. 5 is merely an example, and additional information may be stored as additional information in the directory server 112.

FIG. 6 shows the SL of the directory server 420.
9 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the P directory agent 422. The determination and execution of the series of processes is performed by the CPU 201 inside the directory server in terms of hardware.

When the directory server 420 is activated,
First, in step S501, preprocessing of the SLP directory agent is performed. Next, in step S502,
It waits for the reception of packets from the SLP user agent and SLP service agent. If the packet is received and the message is a registration message, step S503.
Go to. If the message is a search message, the process proceeds to step S504. If the message is an update (delete) message, the process proceeds to step S505. For other messages, the process proceeds to step S507. When the process proceeds to step S503, the device information is registered in the database 421, and the process proceeds to step S508. When the process proceeds to step S504, the device information in the database 421 is searched, and the process proceeds to step S508. When the process proceeds to step S505, it is determined whether or not the device information requested to be updated / deleted has the right to update / delete, and if there is the right, the process proceeds to step S506 to perform the update / delete process, and then the step S5
Go to 08. If the user does not have the authority, the process proceeds to step S508.

When the process proceeds to step S507, a process suitable for the message is performed, and the process proceeds to step S508.
In step S508, the result of the message processing is transmitted to the message sender, and the process proceeds to step S509.
In step S509, if a directory server stop request is issued from outside the SLP directory agent, the flow advances to step S510 to perform SLP directory agent post-processing, and then end. If there is no request to stop the directory server, the process returns to step S502 and waits for a received packet again.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the SLP service agent 431 of the device 430. The determination and execution of the series of processes is performed by the CPU 301 inside the device in terms of hardware.

When the SLP service agent 431 of the device 430 is activated, first in step S701,
Pre-process the SLP directory agent. Next, in step S702, the directory server 420 is searched. In step S703, step S702 is repeated until the directory server 420 is detected. If the directory server is detected, the next step S
Proceed to 704. The processing in step S704 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. After the processing of step S704 ends, step S7
If it is determined that the SLP service agent is requested to be stopped, the process proceeds to step S706, SLP service agent post-processing is performed, and the SLP service agent is processed.
The service agent S700 is ended. Step S
If it is determined in step 705 that the SLP service agent has not been requested to stop, step S704.
Return to.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the SLP user agent 412 of the user PC 410. The determination and execution of the series of processes is performed by the CPU 201 inside the device in terms of hardware.

When the SLP service agent 412 of the user PC 410 is activated, first, in step S801, preprocessing of the SLP directory agent is performed.
Next, in step S802, the directory server 42
Search for 0. In step S803, step S802 is repeated until the directory server 420 is detected. If the directory server is detected, the process proceeds to the next step S804. If there is a received packet in step S804, the received packet is processed in step S80.
5, or proceeds to step S806, and if there is no received packet, proceeds to step S807. If the received packet is a search response message, the process proceeds to step S805, search packet reception processing is performed, and step S807.
Go to. If the received packet is another message, the process proceeds to step S806, appropriate processing is performed, and then the process proceeds to step S807. In step S807, it is checked whether or not there is a device information search request from the application,
If there is the request, the process proceeds to step S808, and if there is no request, the process proceeds to step S809. When the processing in step S808 ends, the process proceeds to step S809. In step S809, it is checked whether or not there is a request to stop the SLP user agent. If there is the request, the process proceeds to step S810, SLP user agent post-processing is performed, and the SLP user agent is terminated. If there is no such request, the process returns to step S804 and the presence / absence of a received packet message is checked again.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the application 412 on the user PC 410. The determination and execution of the series of processes is performed by the CPU 201 inside the user PC in terms of hardware.

Application 41 of user PC 410
2 starts and executes a service request job for a network device, first in step S901.
Get device information from the directory server with. Next, in step S902, it is confirmed whether or not the device has service use authority, that is, whether or not the own address is registered in the service use authority item, and if it is registered, step 9
At 03, a service request job for the device is sent. If you do not have the service use authority, in step S904,
From the device information obtained earlier, a device that can provide the same service as the requested service and that has the usage right is searched for. If there is an alternative device, step S
Step S90 after obtaining the approval of the job issuer in step 905.
At 6, the service request job is sent to the alternative device.
If there is no alternative device, the job issuer is notified in step S906 that there is no service use authority, and the process ends.

The present invention may be applied to a system or an integrated device composed of a plurality of devices (for example, host computer, interface device, reader, etc.),
You may apply to the apparatus which consists of one apparatus.

Further, a storage medium recording the program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to the system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus is stored in the storage medium. Needless to say, the object of the present invention can be achieved by reading and executing the program code.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the novel function of the present invention, 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 (R)
A disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DC-R, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, a ROM, etc. can be used. In addition to the functions of the above-described embodiments being realized by executing the program code read by the computer, the OS or the like running on the computer performs part of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code. Alternatively, the functions of the above-described embodiments can be realized by performing all the processes and the processing thereof.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted into the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, A CPU or the like included in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs a part or all of the actual processing, and the processing can also realize the functions of the above-described embodiments.

The present invention is applicable to the case where the program is distributed from the storage medium recording the program code of the software which realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment to the requester through a communication line such as personal computer communication. It goes without saying that it is also applicable.

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The device can reduce the burden of unnecessary user authentication. Also, the network associated with user authentication is reduced. Furthermore, the application on the user PC can search for the serviceable (permitted) device that is centrally managed by accessing the directory server.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a network configuration in which a device information registration / retrieval system of this embodiment can operate.

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

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an internal configuration of a device.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a directory server, a device, and a user PC according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of device information held by a directory server according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the SLP directory agent on the directory server.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the SLP service agent on the device.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of an SLP user agent on a user PC.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of an application on a user PC.

[Explanation of symbols]

100, 130, 140 networks 111, 113, 410 User PC 112, 420 Directory server 101, 102, 103, 105, 430 devices

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. 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 service use authority information for the device is registered / updated. A device provided with means. 2. In a network system in which a directory server, various devices and various computers are connected, a means for acquiring service use authority information for the device when an application on the computer searches the directory server for information. A network system characterized by being provided. 3. A means for notifying whether or not the service of the device intended to be used by the application is notified based on the service use authority information of various devices obtained by the application of the application of claim 2 through the information search of the directory server. A network system characterized by being provided. 4. The means for changing the device used by the application based on the service use authority information of various devices obtained by the information search of the directory server by the application of claim 2. Network system.