JP2005196462A - Management device, software management method, software management program and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a management device, a software management method, a software management program and a recording medium for properly protecting software whose use reservation has been made. <P>SOLUTION: This management device for managing software is provided with a use reservation management means for assigning a reservation list to manage the list of reservation information showing that the use reservation of the software has been made based on a request for the use reservation of the software accompanied with the use start period of the software, and for assigning the reservation information as one element configuring the reservation list. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a management device, a software management method, a software management program, and a recording medium, and more particularly to a management device, a software management method, a software management program, and a recording medium for managing software that is subject to use reservation with a use start time. About.

  There has already been provided a system for enabling the updating operation of firmware and the like of various network devices such as printers and fax machines connected to a network by remote operation via the network.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for updating firmware of a device by remote operation. In FIG. 1, it is assumed that a system 500 includes a terminal 501, a device management server 502, a file server 503, a network device 504, and the like, which are connected by a network such as a LAN.

  The terminal 501 is a terminal used directly by the user. The device management server 502 is a computer that uploads firmware and the like to the network device 504 based on a request from the terminal 501. The file server 503 is a computer that manages various types of firmware as files. The network device 504 is a device such as a printer or FAX that can be a firmware update target.

  First, the device management server 502 downloads necessary firmware from the file server 503 (S11).

  When updating of the firmware of the network device 504 is requested from the terminal 501 (S12), the device management server 502 uploads the firmware designated by the terminal 501 to the network device 504 (S13).

  When the network device 504 to which the firmware has been uploaded executes the update process for the uploaded firmware, the network device 504 executes a reset process for the device itself, and reflects the firmware update in the subsequent operation of the device (S14).

  In this way, the firmware of the network device 504 can be easily updated from the terminal 501 via the device management server 502. Further, maintenance work such as deletion of firmware downloaded from the file server 503 to the device management server 502 can be performed from the terminal 501.

  By the way, printers, faxes, and the like are generally shared by many users, but firmware update work involves resetting the network device 504 (power OFF / ON), during which the use of the network device is restricted. Will be. Therefore, it is necessary to perform the firmware update work on a late night or holiday, avoiding the daytime on weekdays when the network device 504 is frequently used.

  However, if the user in charge of the work remains until midnight or needs to work on a holiday, it is difficult to say that the user can fully enjoy the benefit of being able to easily update the firmware.

  Therefore, in order to enable execution of firmware update work in an unattended state, a function generally called a timer function, a schedule function, a reservation function, or the like has been implemented in the device management server 502.

  That is, when requesting upload of firmware from the terminal 501 to the device management server 502 (S12), the upload start time can be specified (reserved), and the device management server 502 can update the firmware at the specified time. Upload (S13) is started.

  However, after one user reserves uploading of firmware to the device management server 502, there is a possibility that deletion of the firmware is executed by another user. Since the device management server 502 is open on the network, the device management server 502 can be accessed by a plurality of users, and the device management server 502 does not know that the other user has made an upload reservation by the one user. This is because it is conceivable to delete the firmware as unnecessary for the purpose of freeing the storage area.

  Then, when the device management server 502 tries to upload the firmware at the time reserved by one user, there is a problem that the upload process cannot be executed because the firmware to be uploaded cannot be found. is there.

  Such a problem applies not only to a system for uploading firmware, but also to general software that can be accessed by a timer function, a schedule function, a reservation function, or the like and can be accessed from a plurality of clients.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a management device, a software management method, a software management program, and a recording medium that can appropriately protect software that has been reserved for use. To do.

  Therefore, in order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention provides a management device for managing software, and based on a request for use reservation of the software accompanied by a start time of use of the software, the software related to the use reservation is provided. A reservation list for managing a list of reservation information indicating that the use reservation has been made, and a use reservation managing means for assigning the reservation information as one element constituting the reservation list.

  In such a management apparatus, since information indicating that the use reservation has been made is assigned to the software for which use has been reserved, it is possible to determine whether there is a use reservation based on the information. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately protect the software that has been reserved for use.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a software management method in the management apparatus, a software management program for causing the software management apparatus to execute the software management method, or a recording medium on which the software management program is recorded. Also good.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a management device, a software management method, a software management program, and a recording medium that can appropriately protect software that has been reserved for use.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the software architecture of the device management system in the embodiment of the present invention.

  The device management system 1 updates the firmware of a network device such as a FAX or printer connected to a network from a terminal such as a PC (Personal Computer), a PDA (Personal Digital (Data) Assistants), or a mobile phone. It is a system that provides a function that can be easily performed by remote control.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the device management system 1 includes an application layer 110, a service layer 120, a network layer 130, and the like, and is connected to the file server 20 and the image forming apparatus 30 via a network such as a LAN or the Internet. Yes.

  The application layer 110 is a layer that includes various applications (application 111, application 112, application 113, etc.) that use services provided by the service layer 120. The various applications may be Windows (registered trademark) applications or Web applications.

  The service layer 120 is a layer that provides a function for updating the firmware of the network device as a Web service. In the present embodiment, the function of the service layer 120 is provided as a SOAP interface. Therefore, each application in the application layer 30 can call the function of the service layer 120 by SOAP RPC. Even when there is a network boundary between the application layer 110 and the service layer 120, various applications in the application layer 110 can be used. There is no need to change the implementation of an application (hereinafter simply referred to as “application”).

  The service layer 120 includes a software management service 121, a device management service 122, and the like.

  The software management service 121 is a Web service that provides a management function for firmware applied to network devices. The device management service 122 is a Web service that provides functions such as management of information regarding network devices and uploading of firmware to the network devices.

  The network layer 130 is a layer for providing the service layer 120 with an interface (for example, a function interface) for communication with the file server 20 and the network device.

  The file server 20 is a computer that manages various types of firmware. That is, the firmware managed by the software management service 121 is downloaded from the file server 20 based on a request from the application.

  The image forming apparatus 30 is a specific example of a network device. That is, the image forming apparatus 30 is a device whose firmware is updated by the device management system 1.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining details of the service layer and the network layer. As shown in FIG. 3, the software management service 121 in the service layer 120 includes firmware management means 1211, ticket management means 1212, firmware storage unit 1213, ticket management information 1214, and the like.

  The firmware management unit 1211 manages firmware entities, firmware attribute information, and the like, and downloads various firmware from the file server 20 via the HTTP client 131 and responds to requests from various applications in the application layer 110. The firmware entity or firmware attribute information stored in the firmware storage unit 1213 is provided, or the firmware is deleted. Further, the firmware management unit 1211 provides firmware to be uploaded to the image forming apparatus 30 to the update unit 1222.

  The firmware management unit 1211 can accept various requests (deletion, provision, etc. of firmware) through the SOAP interface. Therefore, a client (such as the application 111) for the firmware management unit 1211 can call the function of the firmware management unit 1211 by a function call regardless of whether there is a network boundary with the firmware management unit 1211.

  The firmware storage unit 1213 is a storage area in which firmware downloaded from the file server 20 is stored. Note that the firmware stored in the firmware storage unit 1213 is uniquely identified by the firmware ID. Specifically, the firmware management unit 1211 manages the association between the firmware ID of each firmware and the path in the firmware storage unit 1213 of each firmware.

  The ticket management unit 1212 manages information (ticket management information 1214) related to reservation (use reservation) for use of firmware managed by the firmware management unit 1211. The ticket management unit 1212 receives from the update unit 1222 a use reservation of firmware to be uploaded to the image forming apparatus 30 and registers information indicating that the use of the firmware is reserved in the ticket management information 1214 based on the use reservation. (assign). Further, the ticket management unit 1212 responds to the inquiry from the firmware management unit 1211 as to whether or not there is a reservation for using any firmware.

  The device management service 122 includes a device information management unit 1221, an update unit 1222, a timer unit 1223, a device information storage unit 1224, and the like.

  The device information management unit 1221 manages attribute information (device information) of the image forming apparatus 30 collected from each image forming apparatus 30. The device information management unit 1221 provides or deletes device information stored in the device information storage unit 1224 in response to a request from the application.

  The device information storage unit 1224 is a storage area in which device information collected from each image forming apparatus 30 by the device information management unit 1221 is stored.

  Based on a request from the application, the update unit 1222 performs processing of a list such as uploading of firmware stored in the firmware storage unit 1213 to the image forming apparatus 30 and waiting for firmware application processing in the image forming apparatus 30 (hereinafter, referred to as a list process). , Referred to as “update process”).

  The timer means 1223 is for urging the update means 1222 to start the update process at the time specified in the request from the update means 1222.

  Note that the device information management unit 1221 and the update unit 1222 can accept various requests through the SOAP interface. Therefore, a client (application 111 or the like) for the device information management unit 1221 or the like calls the functions of the device information management unit 1221 and the update unit 1222 by function calls regardless of the presence or absence of a network boundary with the device management service 122. Is possible.

  On the other hand, the network layer 130 includes an HTTP client 131, an FTP client 132, and the like.

  The HTTP client 131 is a client function for performing communication with the file server 20 using HTTP. The HTTP client 131 is mainly used when the firmware management unit 121 downloads firmware from the file server 20.

  The FTP client 132 is a client function for performing FTP communication with the image forming apparatus 30. The FTP client 131 is mainly used when the update unit 1222 uploads firmware to the image forming apparatus 30.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the device management system in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the device management system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a device management server 10, a file server 20, an image forming apparatus (such as the image forming apparatus 31 and the image forming apparatus 32), and a terminal 40. It is configured by being connected via a network 50 such as a LAN or the Internet.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that an application layer 110, a service layer 120, a network layer 130, and the like are mounted on the device management server 10. In that case, each application (application 21 etc.) in the application layer 110 is mounted as a Web application, for example. The Web application provides various Web pages to the terminal, and executes firmware download from the file server 20, firmware upload to the image forming apparatus 31, and the like based on input on the Web page.

  However, the application layer 110, the service layer 120, and the network layer 130 are not necessarily mounted on a single piece of hardware. For example, various applications of the application layer 110 may be mounted on the terminal 40 as a Windows (registered trademark) application or the like.

  The terminal 40 is a terminal such as a PC (Personal Computer), a PDA (Personal Digital (Data) Assistants), or a mobile phone provided with a Web browser for displaying a Web page provided from the device management server 10. Used directly by the user of the management system 1 when using the device management system 1.

  Next, details of the device management server 10 will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the device management server according to the embodiment of the present invention. The device management server 10 shown in FIG. 5 includes a drive device 100, an auxiliary storage device 102, a memory device 103, an arithmetic processing device 104, and an interface device 105 that are connected to each other via a bus B. Is done.

  A device management program for realizing processing in the device management server 10 is provided by a recording medium 101 such as a CD-ROM. When the recording medium 101 in which the device management program is recorded is set in the drive device 100, the device management program is installed from the recording medium 101 into the auxiliary storage device 102 via the drive device 100.

  The auxiliary storage device 102 stores the installed device management program and also stores necessary files and data. For example, the auxiliary storage device 102 stores information necessary for processing of the device management program.

  The memory device 103 reads the device management program from the auxiliary storage device 102 and stores it when there is an instruction to start the device management program. The arithmetic processing unit 104 executes functions related to the device management server 10 in accordance with the device management program stored in the memory device 103. The interface device 105 includes, for example, a modem, a router, etc., and is used to connect to the network 50 in FIG.

  Hereinafter, a processing procedure of the device management system 1 of FIG. 3 will be described. 6 and 7 are sequence diagrams for explaining firmware update processing by the device management system according to the first embodiment.

  For example, when the web browser of the terminal 40 requests transmission of a web page (hereinafter referred to as “update instruction page”) for selecting firmware and an image forming apparatus to be updated based on an instruction from the user. The application 111 starts processing based on the request.

  In step S101, the application 111 requests the firmware management unit 1211 to provide firmware list information (hereinafter referred to as “firmware list”) already downloaded from the file server 20 to the device management server 10.

  In step S102 following step S101, the firmware management unit 1211 generates a firmware list based on the firmware file name list information stored in the firmware storage unit 1213, and stores the firmware list in the application 111. Output.

  That is, since the firmware is stored as a file having the firmware name as the file name, the list information of the file name becomes the list information of the firmware name. Since the firmware name corresponds to the model name of the model of the image forming apparatus to which the firmware can be applied, the firmware list also corresponds to the model list.

  Proceeding to step S103 following step S102, the application 111 provides list information (hereinafter referred to as “device list”) of image forming apparatuses under the management of the device management server 10 to the device information management unit 1221. Request.

  Progressing to step S104 following step S103, the device information management unit 1221 acquires a device list from the device information storage unit 1224, and outputs the device list to the application 111.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a device list managed in the device information storage unit. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the device list includes information such as an IP address, a MAC address, and a model name for the image forming apparatus 31 and the like managed by the device management server 10. As can be seen from FIG. 8, four image forming apparatuses are under the management of the device management server 10, and the model of the three image forming apparatuses is “AAA” and one model is “BBB”. .

  Therefore, a device list as shown in FIG. 8 is provided to the application 111 by the device information management unit 1221.

  Progressing to step S105 following step S104, the application 111 generates an update instruction page based on the firmware list and the device list. When the update instruction page is generated, the application 111 calculates the logical product of the model name of the firmware list and the model name of the device list, and thereby the image forming apparatus under the management of the device management server 10 from the firmware list. Extract the firmware list information corresponding to the model.

  In other words, the update instruction page needs to display firmware list information so that the user can select the firmware to be updated. However, not all firmwares in the firmware list correspond to image forming apparatuses managed by the device management server 10. This is because the increase / decrease in the number of image forming apparatuses managed by the device management server 10 can be considered, and the increase / decrease in the firmware in the firmware storage unit 1213 is not always performed in synchronization with the increase / decrease.

  Further, firmware for all models under the management of the device management server 10 is not necessarily included in the firmware list. This is because the firmware may not be downloaded from the file server 20 yet.

  Therefore, if a firmware list based on the firmware storage unit 1213 is posted on the update instruction page as it is, the firmware for models that are not under the management of the device management server 10, that is, information on firmware that cannot be subject to update processing, is stored in the user. Can also be presented.

  Therefore, in order to avoid such a situation and to provide only valid firmware information to the user, the application 111 extracts only those corresponding to the image forming apparatuses managed by the device management server 10 from the firmware list. The update instruction page is generated so that only the extracted one is presented. The generated update instruction page is transmitted to the web browser of the terminal 40 by the application 111 and displayed by the web browser.

  Note that since the device list in FIG. 8 is configured by information of model AAA and model BBB, in this embodiment, firmware corresponding to model AAA and model BBB is extracted from the firmware list. . The list of firmware extracted here is hereinafter referred to as “extracted firmware list”.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the update instruction page. As shown in FIG. 9, the update instruction page 410 includes a combo box 411, a table 412, an update time designation area 413, an update button 414, and the like.

  The combo box 411 is used to select firmware that is actually an update target from the extracted firmware list. In the initial state, the name of the first firmware in the extracted firmware list (hereinafter referred to as “first firmware”) is displayed.

  The table 412 is an area in which a list of image forming apparatuses belonging to the corresponding model of the firmware selected in the combo box 411 is displayed. That is, when a different firmware from the currently selected firmware is selected in the combo box 411, a list of image forming apparatuses belonging to the model corresponding to the newly selected firmware is displayed in the table 412. In addition, by checking a check button 415 in the table 412, an image forming apparatus that is an object of update processing can be selected.

  The update time designation area 413 is an area for selecting a timing (time) for starting the update process. For example, it is possible to specify whether to perform the update process immediately or to execute the update process by specifying a time.

  The update button 414 is a button for transmitting an instruction to execute update processing to the device management server 10.

  In the update instruction page 410, when the firmware and the image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “target firmware” and “target device”, respectively) to be updated are selected and the update button 414 is clicked, the Web of the terminal 40 is displayed. An update processing execution request is transmitted from the browser to the application 111. The request from the Web browser includes the IP address of the target device (hereinafter referred to as “device address”), the firmware ID of the target firmware, the version information of the target firmware, and the timing for executing the upload (hereinafter “schedule information”). Etc.)).

  In step S106, the application 111 requests the update unit 1222 to execute the update process using the device address, firmware ID, version information of the target firmware, schedule information, and the like as arguments based on a request from the Web browser.

  Proceeding to step S107 following step S106, the update unit 1222 requests the ticket management unit 1212 to reserve the use of the target firmware (use reservation) with the firmware ID as an argument prior to the update process.

  Proceeding to step S108 following step S107, the ticket management unit 1212 executes a usage reservation registration process, and updates the data for verifying the usage reservation (hereinafter referred to as “ticket”) generated as a result. Is output (issued).

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the use reservation registration processing by the ticket management means.

  First, the presence of the target firmware is confirmed with reference to the firmware storage unit 1213 (S108a). If the presence of the firmware can be confirmed, it is confirmed whether or not use reservation list information (hereinafter referred to as “reservation list”) is associated with the target firmware. Here, the reservation list is data for managing a list of information (hereinafter referred to as “reservation information”) indicating that there is a use reservation assigned to each use reservation (that a ticket has been issued). Assigned to each firmware. A set of reservation lists assigned to each firmware corresponds to the ticket management information 1214.

  The reservation list can be implemented by, for example, an array or a list. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a reservation list is implemented by an array. In FIG. 11, an array is associated with each firmware. Here, each array corresponds to a reservation list, and a value stored in each element of the array corresponds to reservation information. The value stored in each element is information for identifying each use reservation and is called a reservation ID. That is, in the first embodiment, the reservation information is composed only of the reservation ID.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a reservation list is implemented by a list. In FIG. 12, a list is associated with each firmware. Here, the entire list corresponds to the reservation list, and the value stored in each element of the list corresponds to ““ information indicating that there is a use reservation ”.

  In FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the firmware D is not associated with an array or a list, but this indicates that no usage reservation is made for the firmware D. Note that the association between each firmware and the array or list may be specifically implemented as an association between information that uniquely identifies the firmware, for example, firmware ID, firmware name, or firmware path, and the array or list. .

  When the reservation list is not assigned to the target firmware (for example, in the case of firmware D), the process proceeds to step S108c, and a reservation list is generated (S108c). The generation of the reservation list is equivalent to the generation of the array when the reservation list is implemented by an array, and the generation of the root element is the same when the reservation list is implemented by the list. Here, the root element is an element that stores an address for the first element, which is indicated by reference numeral 81, 82, or 83 in FIG. In the case of an array, all elements are initialized with a value (for example, “0”) indicating that the element is unused.

  Progressing to step S108d following step S108b or step S108c, reservation information is assigned to the reservation list of the target firmware. When the reservation list is implemented by an array, the reservation information is assigned by registering a reservation ID in the first element among unused elements. When a reservation list is implemented by a list, a new element is generated and a reservation ID is registered in the element. The value of the reservation ID may be, for example, an increment of the maximum value among the reservation IDs already registered.

  Progressing to step S108e following step S108d, a ticket for the target firmware is generated.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a ticket data structure. As shown in FIG. 13, the firmware ID and reservation ID of the target firmware are recorded in the ticket.

  Progressing to step S108f following step S108e, the generated ticket is encrypted, and the encrypted ticket is issued to the update means 1222.

  The reservation information (reservation ID) for the target firmware is now registered in the ticket management information 1214, and the update unit 1222 that requested the use reservation has obtained the ticket issued for the use reservation. become.

  Returning to FIG. Progressing to step S109 following step S108, the update unit 1222 uses the schedule information as an argument to the timer unit 1223 at the time indicated in the schedule information (hereinafter referred to as “update start time”) (update). Means 1222) to instruct the start of the firmware update process (set timer), and responds to the application 111 that the update request (S106) has been accepted (S110).

  The timer unit 1223 with the timer set waits until the update start time is reached, and when the update start time is reached, instructs the update unit 1222 to start the firmware update process (S111).

  Progressing to step S112 following step S111, the upload unit 122 requests the firmware management unit 1211 to provide the target firmware with the ticket for the target firmware as an argument based on an instruction from the timer unit 1223.

  Progressing to step S113 following step S112, the firmware management unit 1211 inquires of the ticket management unit 1212 about the firmware ID of the target firmware using the ticket as an argument. The reason why the ticket management unit 1212 is inquired about the firmware ID is that the ticket is encrypted only by the ticket management unit 1212, so that only the ticket management unit 1212 can check the contents of the ticket. This is because the means 1211 needs to know the firmware ID in order to specify the target firmware that is requested to be provided.

  Progressing to step S114 following step S113, the ticket management unit 1212 decrypts the ticket and responds to the firmware management unit 1211 with the firmware ID recorded in the ticket. Here, the ticket management unit 1212 refers to the reservation list (array or list) of the target firmware to check whether or not the reservation information (element) corresponding to the ticket exists. Also good.

  Progressing to step S115 following step S114, the firmware management unit 1211 acquires the target firmware from the firmware storage unit 1213 based on the firmware ID, and outputs the acquired target firmware to the update unit 1222.

  Progressing to step S116 (FIG. 7) following step S115, when the update unit 1222 requests the FTP client 132 to upload the target firmware, the FTP client 132 uses the put command to specify the target firmware (for example, an image). Upload to the forming device 31).

  In the target device, the target firmware is updated, and the processing result is notified to the update unit 1222 via the FTP client 132 (S118, S119). The update unit 1222 notifies the processing result to the device information management unit 1221 (S120), and the processing result is managed by the device information management unit 1221.

  When a plurality of devices are selected as target devices on the update instruction page 410 (FIG. 9), the same processing as in steps S112 to S120 is repeated for other target devices (S121 to S129). .

  When the update process for all target devices is completed, the update unit 1222 requests the ticket management unit 1212 to cancel the use reservation of the target firmware with the ticket as an argument (S130).

  Progressing to step S131 following step S131, the ticket management unit 1212 invalidates the reservation information corresponding to the presented ticket.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining reservation information invalidation processing by the ticket management means.

  First, the ticket is decrypted, and the target firmware is specified based on the firmware ID recorded in the ticket (S131a). An element storing the reservation ID recorded in the ticket is searched from the reservation list for the target firmware (S131b), and the reservation information stored in the element is invalidated (S131c).

  Here, when the reservation list is implemented by an array, the reservation information is invalidated by setting the value of the reservation ID of the corresponding element to a value (for example, “0”) indicating that the element is unused. That's fine. If the reservation list is implemented by a list, the corresponding element may be deleted and the link may be re-established.

  Progressing to step S131d following step S131c, it is determined whether reservation information exists for the target firmware. That is, when the reservation list is implemented by an array, for example, it is determined whether there is an element storing a value other than 0. When the reservation list is implemented by a list, elements other than the root element are determined. It is determined whether or not exists.

  If reservation information still exists for the target firmware, the process ends. On the other hand, if there is no reservation information for the target firmware, the reservation list for the target firmware is invalidated. The invalidation of the reservation list corresponds to the deletion of the array itself when the reservation list is implemented by an array, and the deletion of the root element when the reservation list is implemented by a list. However, invalidation of the reservation list is not essential. That is, it suffices if it can be identified that there is no reservation information in the target firmware, which may be expressed by the absence of an array or list for the target firmware, or there is an array or list for the target firmware, but those elements You may express by not existing.

  As described above, the ticket management unit 1212 manages whether or not each firmware is reserved for use. Therefore, when there is a firmware deletion request, etc., it is possible to determine whether or not the deletion request is permitted based on whether or not there is a reservation for use of the firmware, and to prevent deletion of firmware reserved for use, etc. it can.

  For example, it is assumed that the application 112 requests the firmware management unit 1211 to delete the target firmware based on a request from a terminal different from the terminal 40 in step S141 in FIG. The firmware management unit 1211 requests the ticket management unit 1212 to confirm whether or not the target firmware is reserved for use with the firmware ID as an argument (S142).

  The ticket management unit 1212 refers to a reservation list for the target firmware and checks whether reservation information is registered in the target firmware. Here, since the reservation information has already been registered in step S108, the ticket management unit 1212 responds to the firmware management unit 1211 that the target firmware is reserved for use (S143).

  Based on the response from the ticket management unit 1212, the firmware management unit 1211 responds to the application 112 that the target firmware cannot be deleted (S144). In this way, the deletion request from the application 112 is rejected, and deletion of the target file is prevented.

  Details of processing executed by the ticket management unit 1212 when confirmation of the use reservation of the target firmware is requested in step S142 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining use reservation confirmation processing by the ticket management means.

  First, it is confirmed whether there is a reservation list of the target firmware specified by the firmware ID (S143a). If there is no reservation list (array or list) (No in S143a), or there is a reservation list, the reservation list is reserved. If no ID is registered (No in S143b), a response is made that the target firmware is not reserved for use (S143c). On the other hand, if the reservation list is associated with the target firmware (Yes in S143a) and at least one reservation ID is registered in the reservation list (Yes in S143b), a response indicating that the target firmware is reserved for use. (S143d).

  Incidentally, in the first embodiment, the ticket management unit 1212 manages only the reservation ID as reservation information. In this case, it cannot be identified which user has made each use reservation based on an instruction from which user. Therefore, a situation may occur in which a use reservation based on an instruction from one user is illegally canceled by another user. Thus, as a second embodiment, an example will be described in which a user related to a use reservation can be identified.

  16 and 17 are sequence diagrams for explaining firmware update processing by the device management system according to the second embodiment. Since the flow of processing in the second embodiment is basically the same as that in the first embodiment, here, each step will not be followed, and only the differences will be described.

  In the second embodiment, when the application 111 requests the update unit 1222 to execute the update process, the application 111 also specifies the user name of the user who instructed the update process as an argument (S206). The user name specified as the argument is, for example, a Web page (hereinafter referred to as “login page”) for inputting user information such as a user name and a password before the application 111 transmits the update instruction page 410 to the terminal 40. ) May be transmitted to the terminal 40, and the user name input on the login page may be used.

  The update unit 1222 requested to execute the update process designates the user name as an argument in addition to the firmware ID when requesting the use reservation of the target firmware to the ticket management unit 1212 (S207).

  When registering the reservation information for the target firmware, the ticket management unit 1212 registers not only the reservation ID but also the user name in the reservation information. Therefore, when implemented by an array, the reservation list is configured as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a reservation list is implemented by an array in the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 18, in the second embodiment, each element of the array is configured as a structure including a reservation ID and a user name.

  Further, when implemented by a list, the reservation list is configured as shown in FIG. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a reservation list is implemented by a list in the second embodiment. When implemented by a list as shown in FIG. 19, each element is configured as a structure including a reservation ID and a user name.

  However, the information recorded in the ticket issued from the ticket management unit 1212 in step S208 is only the reservation ID and the firmware ID of the target firmware as in the first embodiment.

  Thereafter, based on the update processing start instruction from the timer unit 1223 (S211), when the update unit 1222 requests the firmware management unit 1211 to provide the target firmware, the user name is specified as an argument together with the ticket ( S212).

  When the firmware management unit 1211 inquires the ticket management unit 1212 about the firmware ID of the target firmware using the ticket and the user name as arguments, the ticket management unit 1212 responds to the firmware management unit 1211 with the firmware ID in the ticket. At this time, the ticket management unit 1212 specifies a reservation list (array or list) for the target firmware based on the firmware ID recorded in the ticket, and searches for the reservation ID recorded in the ticket from the reservation list. It is possible to confirm whether there is a use reservation corresponding to the ticket, but by comparing the user name stored in the same element as the reservation ID with the user name specified in the argument, It can be confirmed whether or not the user requesting the provision is the user who made the use reservation.

  Therefore, for example, in step S221 in FIG. 17, the update unit 1222 requests the firmware management unit 1211 to provide the target firmware based on a request from another user (user B) who illegally obtained a ticket for the target firmware. And In this case, “User B” is notified to the firmware management unit 1211 as the user name, and the firmware management unit 1211 makes an inquiry about the firmware ID to the ticket management unit 1212 by designating “User B” as an argument. Become. Then, the ticket management unit 1212 may detect that the requesting user is not a valid user because the user name stored in the element specified by the firmware ID and the reservation ID is not “user B”. A response indicating that the presentation of the firmware ID is rejected is made (S223). The firmware management unit 1211 rejects the provision of firmware based on the rejection response from the ticket management unit 1212 (S223).

  Similarly, when a request for canceling a use reservation is made to the ticket management unit 1212 based on a request from an unauthorized user (user B) in step S226, the ticket management unit 1212 receives an argument at the time of the cancellation request. By comparing the user name specified in (User B) with the user name registered in the reservation list, it is detected that the user related to the cancellation request is not the user who made the usage reservation, and the usage reservation is canceled. Is rejected (S227).

  In this way, the reservation information in the second embodiment is managed including the user name, and when the user tries to access the firmware or the reservation information, the user name must be presented. When an unauthorized user obtains a ticket illegally, it is possible to prevent the unauthorized user from accessing the firmware.

  By the way, in the above, once a ticket is issued, even after the processing intended for use reservation, that is, after the firmware update processing is completed, the ticket receiving side (update means 1222) explicitly. Unless a use reservation cancellation request is made, access to the firmware based on the ticket is permitted. The occurrence of such a situation is not preferable from the viewpoint of security. Therefore, as a third embodiment, the ticket is treated as valid for a long time beyond the target range by invalidating the reservation information after the time necessary for executing the target processing has elapsed. An example of preventing this from happening will be described.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of the software management service in the third embodiment. FIG. 20 shows only the software management service 121 extracted from FIG. 3, but in the third embodiment, the ticket timer means 1215 and the firmware meta information table 1216 are newly added as components. ing.

  The ticket timer unit 1215 is for managing the expiration date of the ticket, and notifies the ticket management unit 1212 when the expiration date of the ticket requested to be managed has expired.

  The firmware meta information table 1216 is a table that manages meta information of each firmware.

  Hereinafter, a processing procedure of the device management system 1 having the software management service 121 of FIG. 20 will be described. 21 and 22 are sequence diagrams for explaining firmware update processing by the device management system according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, a description will be given focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

  In the third embodiment, the update unit 1222 uses the schedule information and the number of devices designated as the update target (target device) in addition to the firmware ID when making a reservation for using the target firmware to the ticket management unit 1212. (Number) is specified as an argument (S307).

  Proceeding to step S308 following step S307, the ticket management unit 1212 inquires of the firmware management unit 1211 about the time required for updating the target firmware for one device (update required time) using the firmware ID as an argument.

  Proceeding to step S309 following step S308, the firmware management unit 1211 acquires the update required time of the target firmware from the firmware meta information table 1216 based on the firmware ID, and sends the acquired update required time to the ticket management unit 1212. respond.

  FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the firmware meta information table. As shown in FIG. 23, the firmware meta information table 1216 manages the firmware ID, firmware name, version, firmware path (in the firmware storage unit 1213), update required time, and the like for each firmware.

  Therefore, the firmware management unit 1211 responds to the ticket management unit 1212 with the value registered as the update required time of the target firmware in the firmware meta information table 1216.

  Progressing to step S310 following step S309, the ticket management unit 1212 calculates the expiration date of the ticket (time when the ticket is invalidated) based on the schedule information, the update required time, and the number of target devices. That is, the schedule information is the start time of the update process. Therefore, if the time required for the entire update process is known, the end time of the update process can be calculated by adding the time required for the entire update process to the time indicated in the schedule information. It can be calculated by multiplying the time required for the update process per unit (update required time) by the number of target devices. For safety reasons, the buffer time may be further added.

  Progressing to step S311, following step S310, the ticket management unit 1212 makes its own (ticket management unit 1212) when the time indicated by the expiration date is reached with respect to the ticket timer unit 1215 with the expiration date and the ticket as arguments. Is requested to request the cancellation of the use reservation corresponding to the ticket.

  Following step S311, the process proceeds to step S312. When the ticket management unit 1212 issues a ticket to the update unit 1222 in the same procedure as described above (S108, etc.), update processing is executed under the control of the update unit 1222 (S313). ~ S324).

  On the other hand, the ticket timer means 1215 that has been waiting until the time indicated by the expiration date, that is, the time required for the entire update process, detects the arrival of the expiration date, and uses the ticket for the use reservation of the target firmware as an argument. When the management unit 1212 is requested to cancel the use reservation (S325), the ticket management unit 1212 invalidates the reservation information corresponding to the ticket as in the above-described procedure (S131, etc.).

  Therefore, even if there is a firmware provision request with the same ticket as an argument to the firmware management unit 1211 (S327), the ticket management unit 1212 that has received a firmware ID inquiry from the firmware management unit 1211 Since the reservation information corresponding to is not present, it can be detected that the ticket is invalid (S328, S329), and the firmware management unit 1211 can refuse to provide the firmware.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, the expiration date of the ticket, that is, the use reservation is managed, and the expiration date is calculated based on the time required for the intended processing. Thus, it is possible to prevent the ticket that has achieved the purpose from being treated as valid afterwards while ensuring the execution of the intended processing.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims.・ Change is possible.

It is a figure for demonstrating the procedure to update the firmware of an apparatus by remote operation. It is a figure which shows the example of the software architecture of the apparatus management system in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the detail of a service layer and a network layer. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the apparatus management system in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of the apparatus management server in embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the update process of the firmware by the apparatus management system in 1st embodiment. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the update process of the firmware by the apparatus management system in 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the apparatus list managed by the apparatus information storage part. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of an update instruction | indication page. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the use reservation registration process by a ticket management means. It is a figure which shows the example which mounted the reservation list by the arrangement | sequence. It is a figure which shows the example which mounted the reservation list by the list. It is a figure which shows the example of the data structure of a ticket. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the invalidation process of the reservation information by a ticket management means. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the confirmation process of the use reservation by a ticket management means. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the update process of the firmware by the apparatus management system in 2nd embodiment. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the update process of the firmware by the apparatus management system in 2nd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example which mounted the reservation list by the arrangement | sequence in 2nd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example which mounted the reservation list by the list in 2nd embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the structural example of the software management service in 3rd embodiment. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the update process of the firmware by the apparatus management system in 3rd embodiment. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the update process of the firmware by the apparatus management system in 3rd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a firmware meta information table.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Device management system 10 Device management server 20 File server 30, 31, 32 Image forming device 40 Terminal 100 Drive device 101 Recording medium 102 Auxiliary storage device 103 Memory device 104 Arithmetic processing device 105 Interface device 110 Application layer 111, 112, 113 Application (application)
120 Service layer 121 Software management service 122 Device management service 130 Network layer 131 HTTP client 132 FTP client 1211 Firmware management unit 1212 Ticket management unit 1213 Firmware storage unit 1214 Ticket management information 1215 Ticket timer unit 1216 Firmware meta information table 1221 Device information management Means 1222 Update means 1223 Timer means 1224 Device information storage unit B bus

Claims (28)

A management device for managing software,
Assigning a reservation list for managing a list of reservation information indicating that the use reservation has been made for the software related to the use reservation based on a request for use reservation of the software accompanied by a start time of use of the software; A management apparatus comprising use reservation managing means for allocating the reservation information as one element constituting the reservation list. 2. The management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the use reservation management unit assigns reservation identification information for identifying the use reservation for each use reservation, and includes the reservation identification information in the reservation information. The use reservation management means, when the reservation list is already assigned to the software related to the use reservation, assigns the reservation information as an element of the reservation list already assigned. The management apparatus according to 1 or 2. The management device manages a plurality of the software,
The management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the use reservation management unit assigns the reservation list for each software. The usage reservation management means, based on the software deletion request, refers to the reservation list for the software to be deleted in the deletion request and determines whether the software deletion is permitted or not. The management apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4. The usage reservation management means determines whether or not the software can be deleted by referring to the reservation information assigned to the reservation list for the software to be deleted in the deletion request based on the software deletion request The management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein The use reservation management means does not permit deletion of the software when at least one reservation information is assigned to the reservation list for the software to be deleted in the deletion request. The management device according to claim 6. The usage reservation management means is configured to determine whether to use the reservation identification for the software specified by the software identification information based on the request for canceling the usage reservation accompanied by the software identification information for identifying the software and the software identification information. The management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the reservation information specified by the reservation identification information is invalidated. If the reservation information is not assigned to the reservation list for the software specified by the software identification information as a result of invalidating the reservation information, the use reservation management means invalidates the reservation list. The management apparatus according to claim 8, wherein When the reservation information is assigned to the reservation list for the software specified by the software identification information as a result of invalidating the reservation information, the use reservation management unit invalidates the reservation list. The management apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the management apparatus is not. A required time management means for managing required time information indicating a required time for a predetermined process using the software;
Timer means for making a request for canceling the use reservation to the use reservation management means at a time designated by the use reservation management means;
The usage reservation management means designates the timer means based on the usage reservation request and a time calculated based on the software usage start time and the required time information. 11. The management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reservation information related to the use reservation is invalidated in response to a use reservation cancel request. The use reservation is accompanied by request source identification information for identifying a request source of the use reservation,
12. The management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the use reservation management unit includes the request source identification information together with the reservation identification information in the reservation information. The use reservation management means is configured to identify the software specified by the software identification information based on a request for providing the software including the request source identification information, the reservation identification information, and software identification information for identifying the software. Comparing the value of the request source identification information included in the reservation information specified by the reservation identification information in the reservation list with respect to the value of the request source identification information included in the provision request 13. The management apparatus according to claim 12, wherein whether the provision of the software is permitted or not is determined. A software management method in a management device for managing software,
A reservation that allocates a reservation list that manages a list of reservation information indicating that the use reservation has been made for the software related to the use reservation based on a request for use reservation of the software accompanied by a start time of use of the software List assignment procedure;
A software management method comprising: a reservation information assignment procedure for assigning the reservation information as one element constituting the reservation list. 15. The software management method according to claim 14, wherein the reservation information assigning step assigns reservation identification information for identifying the use reservation for each use reservation, and includes the reservation identification information in the reservation information. The reservation information assigning step, when the reservation list is already assigned to the software related to the use reservation, assigns the reservation information as an element of the reservation list already assigned. The software management method according to 14 or 15. The management device manages a plurality of the software,
The software management method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein in the use list assignment procedure, the reservation list is assigned for each software. And a deletion permission / rejection determination procedure for determining whether to delete the software based on the software deletion request with reference to the reservation list for the software to be deleted in the deletion request. The software management method according to claim 14. The deletion permission / prohibition determination procedure determines whether or not the software is deleted based on the software deletion request with reference to the reservation information assigned to the reservation list for the software to be deleted in the deletion request. The software management method according to claim 18, wherein: The deletion permission / prohibition determination procedure does not permit deletion of the software if at least one reservation information is assigned to the reservation list for the software that is the target of deletion in the deletion request. The software management method according to claim 19. Based on the reservation reservation cancellation request accompanied by the reservation identification information and the software identification information for identifying the software, the reservation identification information is specified in the reservation list for the software specified by the software identification information. The software management method according to any one of claims 15 to 20, further comprising a reservation cancellation procedure for invalidating the reservation information. The reservation canceling procedure invalidates the reservation list if no reservation information is assigned to the reservation list for the software specified by the software identification information as a result of invalidating the reservation information. The software management method according to claim 21, wherein: If the reservation information is assigned to the reservation list for the software specified by the software identification information as a result of invalidating the reservation information, the reservation cancellation procedure invalidates the reservation list. The software management method according to claim 21 or 22, wherein the software management method is not performed. An expiration date calculating procedure for calculating an expiration date of the use reservation based on the use start time of the software and a time required for a predetermined process using the software based on the request for use reservation;
An expiration date detection procedure for detecting the arrival of the expiration date calculated in the expiration date calculation procedure;
24. A reservation information invalidation procedure for invalidating the reservation information related to the use reservation based on detection of arrival of the expiration date in the expiration date detection procedure. The software management method described. The use reservation is accompanied by request source identification information for identifying a request source of the use reservation,
25. The software management method according to claim 15, wherein the reservation information allocation procedure includes the request source identification information together with the reservation identification information in the reservation information. The reservation in the reservation list for the software specified by the software identification information based on a request to provide the software including the request source identification information, the reservation identification information, and the software identification information for identifying the software By comparing the value of the request source identification information included in the reservation information specified by the identification information with the value of the request source identification information included in the provision request, the provision of the software 26. The software management method according to claim 25, further comprising a provision permission / rejection determination procedure for determining permission / rejection. In the management device that manages the software,
A reservation that allocates a reservation list that manages a list of reservation information indicating that the use reservation has been made for the software related to the use reservation based on a request for use reservation of the software accompanied by a start time of use of the software List assignment procedure;
A software management program for executing a reservation information assignment procedure for assigning the reservation information as one element constituting the reservation list. A computer-readable recording medium on which the software management program according to claim 27 is recorded.

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