JP2004178012A - Communication confirmation system, management objective device, management server, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication confirmation system, management objective devices, a management server, and a program for easily detecting a device not communicating with a management server properly in a network system transmitting management information to the management server from respective management devices. <P>SOLUTION: The device A310 receiving a communication confirmation instruction command from the management server 210 transmits a communication confirmation instruction command instructing operation of communication confirmation to the respective management objective devices connected to a LAN 400. When the respective management objective devices confirm communication to the management server 210, the management server 210 acquires a list of the devices communicating properly. The list is transmitted to the device A310 to be compared with a list of the management objective devices held by the device A310. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a communication confirmation system, a managed device, a management server, and a program in a network system in which a management server and a plurality of managed devices that transmit information to the management server are connected via a network.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, in a so-called intranet environment, various devices such as copiers, printers, and scanners have been connected to a network such as a LAN, and further connected to an external management server via the Internet. A network system to perform is being studied.
[0003]
In such a network system, for example, various management information such as a paper jam of a copying machine, a frequency of use, and consumable information (such as running out of toner) are transmitted to a management server and collectively managed by the management server. It is expected that a more appropriate service can be provided to the user of the device, for example, it is possible to detect a device with a high price in advance and to efficiently perform a business trip business by a service person.
[0004]
When transmitting the various types of management information from various devices to the management server, for example, a protocol such as HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) or SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) can be used. As a method of confirming whether or not information is properly transmitted to the management server using the protocol, test transmission from each device to the management server or test transmission from the management server to each device may be considered. Can be
[0005]
[Non-patent document 1]
Mizuno, Abe, Asano, "Software of Digital MFP (MFP)", Sharp Technical Report, April 2000, No. 76, p. 63-68
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the above-described intranet environment, additional connection of a new device is frequently performed such as introduction of a new printer. In such a case, when performing communication confirmation from a new device, it is preferable to perform a test transmission from a newly connected device (hereinafter, simply referred to as “new device”) to the management server.
[0007]
However, when the management information is transmitted by e-mail transmission using the SMTP protocol, or when the e-mail address is incorrectly set on the new device, the information is appropriately transmitted on the new device side. In spite of recognition that the information has been transmitted, the management server cannot receive the management information and has a problem that the connection of the new device cannot be recognized after all.
[0008]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and provides a communication confirmation system and a program capable of easily detecting a device having a problem in a communication state with a management server. It is intended to provide.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a communication confirmation system according to the present invention provides a communication confirmation system in a network system in which a management server and a plurality of managed devices that transmit information to the management server are connected via a network. Wherein the managed device comprises: a managed device detecting means for detecting another managed device; and a management server for the other managed device when receiving a first command from the management server. A communication confirmation command transmitting means for transmitting a second command instructing that communication confirmation should be performed to the management server, and a communication confirmation to the management server when receiving the second command from another managed device. The management server transmits the second command to one of the managed devices to another managed device. A communication confirmation instruction command transmitting unit for transmitting a first command for instructing the communication, and a communication confirmation successful device detecting unit for detecting a device for which communication confirmation is successful among the other managed devices, The communication confirmation system further includes comparison means for comparing a list of devices detected by the managed device detection means with a list of devices detected by the communication confirmation successful device detection means. .
[0010]
With this configuration, it is possible to obtain a list of the managed devices that can be detected by the managed device detection unit, and a second command is transmitted to the detected managed device, and the second command is transmitted to the detected managed device. The device to be managed that has received the command confirms communication with the management server. On the management server side, it is possible to obtain a list of devices for which communication confirmation was successful. Can be easily detected. The comparing means may be provided in the management server or in the device to be managed. This is because if the device list is transmitted / received to / from each other, comparison can be made on either side.
[0011]
It is preferable that the communication confirmation unit confirms communication using the same protocol used when transmitting information to the management server when using the normal network system. This is because it is possible to more reliably check whether or not the management target device is in a state where it can appropriately transmit information to the management server.
[0012]
The managed device according to the present invention is a managed device in a network system in which a management server and a plurality of managed devices that transmit information to the management server are connected via a network. A managed device detecting means for detecting a managed device; and a second command for instructing another managed device to perform communication confirmation to the management server when the first command is received from the management server. Communication confirmation command transmitting means for transmitting the second command, and a protocol used when transmitting the information to the management server when using the network system when receiving the second command from another device to be managed Communication confirmation means for confirming communication with the management server using the same protocol as
[0013]
The management server according to the present invention is a management server in a network system in which a management server and a plurality of managed devices that transmit information to the management server are connected via a network. A communication confirmation instruction command transmitting unit for transmitting a first command, and a communication confirmation receiving unit receiving a communication confirmation transmitted from another managed device as a result of transmitting the first command. And a communication-confirmation-successful-device detecting means for detecting, from the results received by the communication-confirmation-receiving means, a device for which communication-confirmation has succeeded among the other managed devices.
[0014]
The program according to the present invention is a program that operates on a management server in a network system in which a management server and a plurality of managed devices that transmit information to the management server are connected via a network. A communication confirmation instruction command transmission process for transmitting a first command to one of the managed devices, and a communication confirmation transmitted from another managed device is received as a result of transmitting the first command. From the result, the management server is configured to execute a process including a communication confirmation successful device detection process of detecting a device for which communication confirmation is successful among the other managed devices.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of a communication confirmation system and the like according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(1) Overall configuration of the network system
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of a network system in which a communication confirmation system according to an embodiment of the present invention operates.
[0016]
As shown in the figure, the network system includes a service center 200 provided with a management server 210 and the like, and a user site 300 where various devices such as a device A 310 are connected to a LAN 400 and used via the Internet 100. Connected.
The service center 200 is further provided with a firewall 220 and a mail server 230, and the user site 300 is also provided with a firewall 360 and a mail server 370. Specific examples of the devices provided in the user site 300 include, for example, image forming apparatuses such as copiers and printers, and devices such as image readers and fax machines. In the present embodiment, devices A310 to D340 are devices to be managed in the network system of the present embodiment (hereinafter, referred to as “managed devices”), and device E350 is managed. The description will be made assuming that the device is not a target (hereinafter, referred to as a “non-management target device”). In FIG. 1, devices such as routers and hubs that are naturally provided in a network system that performs communication via the Internet are not specifically illustrated.
[0017]
In the present embodiment, in a normal state, various types of management information (e.g., HTTP, FTP, or e-mail, that is, SMTP, POP3, etc.) are used from each device provided in the user site 300. Billing information, count information, status information, consumables information, etc.) can be transmitted to the management server 210. An operator of the service center 200 can refer to the transmitted management information or distribute the management information to other departments, which can be used for services to users.
[0018]
(2) Configuration of managed device
Next, a configuration of a managed device provided in the user site 300 will be described. In the network system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to manage devices for a plurality of user sites. However, here, the user site 300 will be described as an example, and device A (this embodiment) will be described as a device to be managed. In the embodiment, the copying machine is assumed.) 310 will be described as an example. In the following description, a configuration for realizing the communication confirmation system according to the present embodiment will be particularly described, and a detailed description of, for example, an image forming unit and an image reading unit provided in a copying machine will be omitted. That is, the communication confirmation system according to the present embodiment can be applied to various devices such as a printer and a scanner by providing the same configuration as that described below.
[0019]
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a portion related to the present embodiment in device A310. As shown in the figure, the device A 310 includes a communication IF (interface) unit 311 and a control unit 312. The communication IF unit 311 is an interface unit for communicating with the outside via the LAN 400. Specifically, a NIC (network interface card) can be used. The control unit 312 is configured around a CPU, and although not particularly shown, a non-volatile memory such as a flash ROM in which a program (a so-called firmware) operated by the CPU is stored, and when the firmware is actually executed. In addition to being loaded, a storage device such as an SRAM used as a work area is connected.
[0020]
Functionally, the control unit 312 according to the present embodiment includes a signal analysis unit 3121, a transmission control unit 3122, a device detection control unit 3123, a device detection unit 3124, a private MIB 3125, a communication confirmation unit 3125, a device comparison unit 3126, and an output. A portion 3127 is provided.
The signal analysis unit 3121 analyzes the content of a signal transmitted from the outside via the LAN 400 as necessary. The transmission control unit 3122 controls transmission to the outside via the communication IF unit 311.
[0021]
In the present embodiment, the device detection control unit 3123 should transmit a command (hereinafter, referred to as a “communication confirmation command”) from the management server 210 to instruct another managed device to perform communication confirmation. Is transmitted (hereinafter, referred to as a “communication confirmation instruction command”), a command for detecting another managed device (hereinafter, referred to as a “device detection command”) is transmitted. On the other hand, when the device detection command is transmitted from another managed device, the identifier (MAC address, IP address, or the like may be used) of the device to be managed in response to the command. Send
[0022]
The identifier as the device to be managed can be stored in the private MIB 3125. In this case, an SNMP Get-Request command described later can be used as the device detection command. The private MIB 3125 also stores information indicating whether or not the device is managed. If the information indicates that the device is managed, the private MIB 3125 refers to the information. A process for acquiring the identifier of the target device may be considered. However, when the identifier is not stored in the private MIB, for example, the MAC address can be acquired as the identifier from the item "ifPhysAddress" defined in MIB2 defined in RFC (Request For Comment) 1213.
[0023]
When an identifier is transmitted as a response to the device detection command as described above, the device detection unit 3124 sequentially sends the identifiers of the detected managed devices to the device comparison unit 3127.
The private MIB 3125 stores information indicating whether the device is a management target, information indicating whether communication confirmation should be performed, an identifier of the management target device, and the like. It should be noted that MIB is a management information-based meaning, and refers to an area in which information that can be referred to from other devices using SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is stored. In the present embodiment, a private MIB is used, but another area can be used.
[0024]
The communication confirmation unit 3126 confirms communication with the management server 210 when a communication confirmation command is transmitted from another managed device. Details of the communication confirmation will be described later. The device comparison unit 3127 includes a storage unit such as a memory (not shown), and stores the identifier of the management target device transmitted from the device detection unit 31232 (hereinafter, a list of the management target devices detected as described above is referred to as “management target”). When a communication confirmation successful device list, which will be described later, is transmitted from the management server 210, the management target device list is compared with the communication confirmation successful device list. The communication confirmation successful device list includes the identifiers of the devices for which the communication confirmation with the management server 210 was successful among the managed devices connected to the LAN 400. It is possible to easily detect a device (communication with the management server 210 is not properly performed) for which communication confirmation has not been successful among the devices.
[0025]
(3) Configuration of the management server 210
Next, the configuration of the management server 210 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the management server 210. As shown in the figure, the management server also includes a communication IF unit 211 and a control unit 212. Since the communication IF unit 211 is the same as the communication IF unit 311 of the device A320, the description is omitted. Further, the control unit 212 is mainly configured by a CPU, and stores various application devices (not shown) such as a hard disk drive (HDD) in which an application program for realizing the function of the management server 210 according to the present embodiment is stored. Is connected.
[0026]
The control unit 212 functionally includes a signal analysis unit 2121, a transmission control unit 2122, a mode switching unit 2123, a communication confirmation command transmission unit 2124, a test success device detection unit 2125, and a device detection control unit 2126.
The signal analysis unit 2121 analyzes the content of the signal transmitted from the outside via the Internet 100 as necessary, and sends it to the communication confirmation command transmission unit 2124 and the test success device detection unit 2125. The transmission control unit 2122 controls transmission to the outside via the communication IF unit 211.
[0027]
The mode switching unit 2123 switches from a normal mode to a “communication confirmation mode” described later. The communication confirmation instruction command transmission unit 2124 transmits the communication confirmation instruction command to an external management target device when the mode switching unit 2123 is in the communication confirmation mode and an external management target device accesses the device. .
The test success device detection unit 2125 detects the identifier of the device that has properly received the communication confirmation when there is a communication confirmation from an external management target device as a result of transmitting the communication confirmation instruction command. More specifically, when the communication confirmation is received from the managed device between the time when the communication confirmation instruction command is transmitted and the time measurement by the timer 2127 ends, the identifier of the managed device is sequentially stored. . As a result, the communication confirmation successful device list can be acquired, and the communication confirmation successful device list is transmitted to the device list transmission unit 2126.
[0028]
After the timer 2127 finishes measuring the time, the device list transmission unit 2126 transmits a communication confirmation successful device list to the managed device to which the communication confirmation instruction command was previously transmitted.
(4) Operation of the communication confirmation system
Next, operations of the management server 210 and the device to be managed in the communication confirmation system of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 shows a specific operation in the case of performing processing (hereinafter, referred to as “communication confirmation processing”) for confirming whether communication is properly performed between the management server 210 and each managed device. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing
[0029]
The communication confirmation process described below is executed when the state of the management server 210 is in the “communication confirmation mode”. In the “communication confirmation mode” of the present embodiment, for example, an access to the management server 210 (specifically, transmission of management information) from one of the devices to be managed connected to the LAN 400 is performed. In this case, the mode is a mode in which a communication confirmation instruction command is transmitted from the management server 210 to the device.
[0030]
The timing at which the management server 210 is set to the “communication confirmation execution mode” can be arbitrarily defined according to the operation of the system. For example, the mode may be changed at a fixed time every morning, or may be switched periodically once a month. In addition to the basic timing, various settings are possible, such as switching by an operator's operation or automatically switching when there is a transmission from a device within a predetermined time range. In this embodiment, mode switching is performed. The operator switches via the unit 2123. If the communication confirmation mode is not set, the management server 210 does not perform any processing other than processing that should be normally performed, such as receiving management information, even when an access is made from a device to be managed.
[0031]
In the following description, a case where the management information is first transmitted from the device A 310 to the management server 210 after the management server 210 enters the communication confirmation execution mode will be described as an example. That is, if management information is transmitted from the device A310 to the management server 210 (C01), the management server 210 transmits the communication confirmation instruction command to the device A310 (C02). In this case, at least the device A310 needs to be in a state where it can appropriately communicate with the management server 210. However, the management server 210 stores the IP address and the like of at least one device (for example, device A310), and transmits a communication confirmation instruction command to the device from the management server 210. Therefore, the communication processing of C01 is not essential.
[0032]
The device A310 that has received the communication confirmation instruction command transmits the device detection instruction to another device connected to the LAN 400 (C03). Hereinafter, other devices connected to the LAN 400 (here, devices E350 that are not managed, as well as managed devices such as device B320 and device C330) are collectively referred to as “device B, etc. 390”. This inquiry can be performed by transmitting an SNMP datagram by broadcast from the device A 310 to the device B 390 or the like, but the specific method is not limited to this.
[0033]
As described above, the device to be managed by the communication confirmation system according to the present embodiment holds information indicating whether or not the device is to be managed in the internal private MIB 3125. The device detection command of the mode is performed by inquiring whether or not the device is a management target using an SNMP Get-Request command.
[0034]
The device to be managed responds to the inquiry from the device A310 that the device is to be managed (C04). The device E, which is a non-managed device, makes a response indicating that the device is not to be managed, or does not make a response.
In the form of the non-managed device, when the MIB indicating that the device is managed is not stored, when the MIB is held but the device is set not to be managed, or when the SNMP agent is set. May not have the function. If the SNMP agent function is not provided, the communication by the SNMP does not succeed and a timeout occurs (no response). If the MIB is not held, a response indicating that "the specified MIB does not exist" is returned. The side that has received the response can determine that it is not a management target. If the setting is made that the MIB is held but is not managed, a response is sent to that effect.
[0035]
The device A 310 that has received the response from each of the managed devices can obtain a list of the managed devices among the devices connected to the LAN 400.
Next, the device A 310 transmits a communication confirmation instruction to the device B or the like 390 (C05). In the present embodiment, the communication confirmation command changes the setting of the private MIB 3125 provided in each managed device by using a set-request command of SNMP (for example, it is initially set to “0”). The value of the predetermined area of the MIB is changed to “1”). When the program running on each device detects the change in the MIB setting, it can execute communication confirmation to the management server 210.
[0036]
In the present embodiment, since the device A310 broadcasts the SNMP datagram as the communication confirmation instruction, the communication confirmation execution instruction is also transmitted to the device E that is not managed in terms of format. The response of the target device is the same as described above. Note that the IP address of the managed device may be acquired at the time of acquiring the device list, and the communication confirmation execution command may be transmitted only to the managed device.
[0037]
Note that the communication confirmation in the present embodiment is performed using the same protocol as that used for transmitting the management information. That is, a device that normally performs management information by e-mail also performs communication confirmation using e-mail. A device using HTTP performs communication confirmation using HTTP. This is because the communication confirmation in the present embodiment focuses on confirming whether the management information can be transmitted appropriately. However, if communication confirmation is performed using an arbitrary protocol and the communication confirmation is successful, it is possible to make settings for transmitting the management information using the protocol whose communication has been confirmed.
[0038]
The information transmitted as the communication confirmation includes information indicating that the device A310 is connected to the same environment as the device A310, for example, the identifier of the device A310 (the method of including the identifier of the device A310 in this way includes a method of SNMP However, it is also possible to apply the present invention to other than the case where network information such as an IP address and a subnet mask is used, and it is possible to individually store the information in an area such as an allocated MIB in advance.) The management server 210 that has received the communication confirmation (C06) from each device can acquire a communication confirmation successful device list. In the present embodiment, the management server 210 transmits a communication confirmation successful device list to the device A 320 (C07). At this time, the device A320 acquires both the managed device list and the communication confirmation successful device list, and by comparing the two, it is possible to easily detect a device that is not properly performing communication. it can.
[0039]
(5) Processing contents of management server
Next, processing contents of a program installed on the management server 210 side in the communication confirmation system of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing contents of a program (a subroutine related to the present embodiment) executed by management server 210. Note that the example of FIG. 11 is a part related to the present embodiment in the processing executed in the management server 210, and the description of the other processing will be omitted.
[0040]
The communication confirmation instruction command transmission processing shown in FIG. 5 starts operation when the management server 210 enters the communication confirmation mode. When this routine starts operating, the management server 210 enters a state of waiting for management information transmission from the managed device (S101). When the management information is received (S101: Yes), a communication confirmation instruction command is transmitted to the management target device that has transmitted the management information (S102). When the communication confirmation instruction command is transmitted as described above, the communication confirmation is performed from each managed device. When the communication confirmation is received (S103: Yes), the identifier of the device included in the communication confirmation is changed. These are sequentially stored (S104), and they are performed until a predetermined time elapses, and the actual communication confirmation process is terminated (S105: Yes). After a certain period of time, the communication confirmation successful device list is transmitted to the management target device that first transmitted the management information (S106), and the process returns to the main routine (not shown).
[0041]
In the present embodiment, the communication confirmation success device list is transmitted after a certain period of time. However, the communication confirmation mode state is ended by the operation of the operator of the service center 200, and the communication confirmation success device list is transmitted. You may.
(6) Processing contents of the managed device
Next, in the communication confirmation system according to the present embodiment, processing contents of a program operating on the managed device side will be described.
[0042]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the contents of the communication confirmation processing executed by the managed device. Although the flowchart in FIG. 6 is a single flowchart for convenience of description, it is needless to say that the flowchart can be divided into a plurality of modules. In other words, the processing may be divided into a module that performs transmission processing of the communication confirmation command triggered by reception of the communication confirmation instruction command, a module that performs communication confirmation triggered by reception of the communication confirmation instruction, and the like. .
[0043]
This routine is called periodically from a main routine (not shown). First, it is determined whether or not a communication confirmation instruction command has been received (S201), and if it has not been received (S201: No), proceed to step S204. If it has been received (S201: Yes), the process proceeds to the following, and in the present embodiment, a list of devices to be managed connected to the LAN 400 is obtained (S202). Then, a communication confirmation command is transmitted (S203).
[0044]
On the other hand, since this device may be the side that receives the communication confirmation command, it is next determined whether or not the communication confirmation command has been received (S204). If the communication confirmation command has been received (S204: Yes), the management server A communication confirmation is transmitted to 210 (S205). If the communication confirmation successful device list has been transmitted (S206: Yes), the present embodiment is a case where the communication confirmation instruction command has been received, and the management target device list is held. Then, the comparison with the communication confirmation successful device list is performed (S207), and the comparison result is output (S208). The output of this result may be shown on a display screen, for example, or printed or transmitted by e-mail. From the output information, it is possible to easily determine a device for which communication settings are not properly performed.
[0045]
The program for realizing the communication confirmation system according to the present invention is, for example, a magnetic disk such as a magnetic tape and a flexible disk, an optical recording medium such as a DVD, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, an MO, and a PD, and Smart Media (registered trademark). ), A computer-readable recording medium such as a flash memory recording medium such as COMPACTFLASH (registered trademark), and may be produced or transferred in the form of the recording medium. In the form of a program, the program may be transmitted and supplied via various wired or wireless networks including the Internet, broadcasting, telecommunication lines, satellite communication, and the like.
[0046]
Further, the program according to the present invention does not need to include all modules for causing a computer to execute the above-described processing. For example, information such as a communication program and a program included in an operating system (OS) may be separately stored. Each process of the present invention may be executed by a computer using various general-purpose programs that can be installed in various devices such as a processing device and an image forming device. Therefore, it is not always necessary to record all the modules on the recording medium of the present invention, and it is not necessary to transmit all the modules. Further, in some cases, the predetermined processing can be executed by using dedicated hardware.
[0047]
<Modification>
As described above, the present invention has been described based on the embodiments. However, it goes without saying that the content of the present invention is not limited to the specific examples shown in the above embodiments. You can think.
(1) That is, in the above-described embodiment, the management server 210 transmits the communication confirmation successful device list to the device A320, and the device A320 compares the devices. The comparison with the device list may be performed on the management server 210 side. That is, the management target device may transmit the management target device list to the management server 210, and the management server 210 may perform comparison with the communication confirmation successful device list. The result of the comparison may be used in the service center 200, or may be transmitted to the device to be managed, and the user site may output a warning, for example.
[0048]
(2) In the above embodiment, when the managed device receives the communication confirmation instruction command from the management server 210, the managed device connected to the LAN 400 is detected (C03 in FIG. 4). , C04), and this device list can also be acquired, for example, periodically, regardless of the transmission of an instruction from the management server 210, or the like.
[0049]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the communication confirmation system according to the present invention, the communication confirmation system includes means for comparing the management target device list with the communication confirmation successful device list, so that, for example, a new device is frequently connected to the intranet. Even in such a case, there is an effect that a device that is not properly communicating with the management server can be easily detected.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a part related to the present embodiment in a managed device.
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a management server 210.
FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a specific operation when a communication confirmation process is performed between the management server 210 and each managed device.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing contents of a program executed by the management server 210.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the contents of a communication confirmation process executed by a device to be managed.
[Explanation of symbols]
100 Internet
200 Service Center
210 Management Server
220 Firewall
230 mail server
300 user sites
310 Device A
320 Device B
330 Device C
340 Device D
350 Device E
360 firewall
360 mail server
400 LAN

Claims (5)

A communication confirmation system in a network system in which a management server and a plurality of managed devices that transmit information to the management server are connected via a network,
The managed device is
Managed device detection means for detecting another managed device;
A communication confirmation command transmitting unit that transmits, when receiving the first command from the management server, a second command for instructing another management target device that communication confirmation to the management server should be performed;
When receiving the second command from another management target device, the communication device further includes a communication confirmation unit that confirms communication with the management server,
The management server,
A communication confirmation instruction command transmitting unit that transmits, to one of the managed devices, a first command that indicates that the second command should be transmitted to another managed device;
Among the other managed devices, comprising a communication confirmation successful device detecting means for detecting a device for which communication confirmation is successful,
The communication confirmation system further includes:
A communication confirmation system comprising: a comparison unit that compares a list of devices detected by the managed device detection unit with a list of devices detected by the communication confirmation successful device detection unit. The communication confirmation means,
2. The communication confirmation system according to claim 1, wherein the communication confirmation is performed using the same protocol as a protocol used for transmitting information to the management server when using the normal network system. A managed device in a network system in which a management server and a plurality of managed devices transmitting information to the management server are connected via a network,
Managed device detection means for detecting another managed device;
A communication confirmation command transmitting unit that transmits, when receiving the first command from the management server, a second command for instructing another management target device that communication confirmation to the management server should be performed;
When the second command is received from another device to be managed, communication to the management server is performed using the same protocol as that used to transmit information to the management server when using the normal network system. A managed device, comprising: a communication confirmation unit for performing confirmation. A management server in a network system in which a management server and a plurality of managed devices that transmit information to the management server are connected via a network,
A communication confirmation instruction command transmitting unit that transmits a first command to one of the managed devices;
Communication confirmation receiving means for receiving a communication confirmation transmitted from another managed device as a result of transmitting the first command;
A management server, comprising: a communication confirmation success device detecting unit that detects, from the result received by the communication confirmation receiving unit, a device for which communication confirmation has succeeded among the other managed devices. A program that runs on a management server in a network system in which a management server and a plurality of managed devices that transmit information to the management server are connected via a network,
A communication confirmation instruction command transmitting process of transmitting a first command to one of the managed devices;
From the result of transmitting the first command and the result of receiving a communication confirmation transmitted from another managed device, a communication confirmation success of detecting a device for which communication confirmation was successful among the other managed devices A program causing the management server to execute a process including a device detection process.

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