JP2007214916A - Network device management device, and searching method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten the searching time of a network device when searching a management objective network device. <P>SOLUTION: At least one network address for searching for a network device of a management object is designated, and data is transmitted or received to/from the network address to confirm the existence of the network device with the network address set. This existence confirmation processing is sequentially performed, and during searching for a network device of a management object, the existence confirmation processing is performed to a network address to which the existence confirmation processing is not performed in the previous search processing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a network device management apparatus that manages network devices connected to a network and a search method thereof.

  SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is a protocol for managing a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network). Currently, SNMP is widely used not only as a network based on TCP / IP but also as a network management protocol for networks based on other protocols. Here, TCP is an abbreviation for Transmission Control Protocol, and IP is an abbreviation for Internet Protocol.

  Normally, in network management based on SNMP, management is performed by accessing a MIB of a network device (agent) to be managed from a PC (manager) that manages the network device by using the SNMP protocol. MIB is an abbreviation for Management Information Base and has a tree-structured data structure. Uniquely identifiable identifiers called object IDs are assigned to all nodes. The structure of the MIB is called SMI (Structure for Management Information). And it is prescribed | regulated by the nonpatent literature 1.

  In the SNMP protocol, five PDUs (Protocol Data Units) of GetRequest, GetNextRequest, SetRequest, GetResponse, and Trap are defined. GetRequest is used to acquire the value of the object specified by the object ID. GetNextRequest is used to continuously acquire the value of the object specified by the object ID. SetRequest is used to set the value of the object specified by the object ID. GetResponse is used as a response to GetRequest, GetNextRequest, and SetRequest in order to notify the manager of the action result at the agent. The treatment result is, for example, the value of the object requested by GetRequest. Trap is used when data is actively transmitted from the agent to the manager.

  On the other hand, what is called a “directory service” is provided as a method for efficiently discovering and using various resources (printers, multifunction machines, scanners, etc.) on a network. Here, the directory service is a telephone book related to a network, and is used for storing various information.

  Specific examples of this directory service include LDAP and Novell NDS defined in RFC1777, for example. Here, LDAP is an abbreviation for Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, and NDS is an abbreviation for NetWare Directory Service.

  However, in an environment where such a directory service cannot be used, there is a method of broadcasting an SNMP GetRequest (hereinafter referred to as broadcast search) as a method of searching for a network device to be managed. As another search method, there is a method (hereinafter referred to as unicast search) in which GetRequests are unicast one by one with respect to addresses (or address ranges) of devices to be managed preset by a network administrator.

  The broadcast search has an advantage that the search process is completed in a short time, but there is a problem that the network traffic is concentrated in a short period of time, so that a load is applied to the network. Furthermore, there is a possibility that a response packet may be missed in the network device management system, and a search cannot be performed in an environment beyond the router.

In the above unicast search, the existence of each IP address specified by the network administrator is confirmed one by one, so that a more accurate search than the broadcast search is possible and the search is performed in an environment beyond the router. There is an advantage that you can. However, when the number of IP addresses to be searched increases, there is a problem that it takes a long time to complete the existence confirmation process for all the specified IP addresses.
RFC1155 “Structure and dentification of Management Information for TCP / IP-based Internets”, <URL: ftp://ftp.rfc-editor.org/in-notes/rfc1155.txt>

  As described above, in the search method in which the existence check is performed for each IP address to be searched designated by the network administrator, it may take a long time from the start to the end of the search process. is there. Therefore, it is possible to easily consider a situation in which the search target IP address is changed during the search process, and the search process is executed again for the changed search target IP address.

  Therefore, when the search process is stopped halfway and then the search process is executed again, there is a problem that the time required for the search becomes longer if the search process before the change is included.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to shorten the search time for a network device when searching for a managed network device. Another object is to improve search accuracy.

  The present invention is a network device management apparatus for managing a network device connected to a network, the designation means for designating at least one network address for searching for a network device to be managed, and the designated network address. Transmitting and receiving data, presence confirmation means for performing presence confirmation processing of the network device for which the network address is set, search means for sequentially performing the presence confirmation processing and searching for the network device to be managed, A determination means for determining whether or not the network address has been confirmed in the previous search processing; and as a result of the determination, the presence confirmation processing is performed on the network address that has not been confirmed, and the network device to be managed Perform search process And having a control means for controlled so.

  The present invention is also a search method for a network device management apparatus that manages network devices connected to a network, the specifying step of specifying at least one network address for searching for a network device to be managed, The presence check step of performing data transmission / reception with respect to the network address and performing the presence check process of the network device to which the network address is set and the presence check process are sequentially performed to search for the network device to be managed. A search step; a determination step for determining whether or not the network address has been confirmed in a previous search process; and a result of the determination to perform the presence check process for a network address that has not been confirmed for existence, and Target network device Characterized by a control step of controlling to perform search process.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when searching for a management object network device, the search time of a network device can be shortened. In addition, search accuracy can be improved.

  The best mode for carrying out the invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

  In the present embodiment, the operation of the network device management software and the system in which the software operates will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a network in which the network device management system of the present embodiment can operate. A network device to be managed, a server device for network management, and a client device for network management are all connected to the LAN 100. In FIG. 1, 101a to 101c are color printers, 102a to 102d are monochrome printers, 103a to 103c are multifunction devices (devices having both a copy function, a fax function, and a printer function), and 104 is a scanner. Each is connected to the LAN 100 by mounting a network interface card or the like.

  These network devices are network devices that can be managed by the network device management system of this embodiment, can be searched by a method such as a directory service, and can acquire and set information by SNMP / MIB.

  Reference numerals 105a to 105e denote personal computers (PCs) that can be connected to a network. These PCs are PCs on which the network device management software in this embodiment can operate. When the network device management system is implemented as a Web-based application, the network device management software is run on any one PC (server device). The network device management system can be used by accessing the network management software running on the server device via a Web browser from another PC (client device).

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a PC on which the network device management software operates. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 200 denotes a PC on which the network device management software operates, and is equivalent to 105a to 105e in FIG. The PC 200 includes a CPU 201 that executes network management software supplied from a recording medium, and comprehensively controls each device connected to the system bus 204. As recording media, a ROM 202HD (hard disk / hard disk drive) 211, an FD (flexible disk drive) 212, a CD (CD-ROM drive) 213, and a DVD (DVD-ROM drive) 214 are used.

  Reference numeral 203 denotes a RAM which functions as a main memory and work area for the CPU 201. Reference numeral 205 denotes a KBC (keyboard controller), which controls an instruction input from a KB (keyboard) 209 or a pointing device (not shown). Reference numeral 206 denotes a CRTC (CRT controller), which controls display on a CRT (CRT display) 210. Reference numeral 207 denotes a DKC (disk controller) that controls access to the HD 211, FD 212, CD 213, and DVD 214 storing a boot program, various applications, editing files, user files, network management software, and the like.

  Reference numeral 208 denotes a NIC (network interface card) which exchanges data with other network devices via the LAN 100 in both directions.

  In this embodiment, unless otherwise noted, the execution subject is the CPU 201 on the hardware, and the software control subject is the network device management software installed in the hard disk 211 in this embodiment. .

  The network management software installed in the HD 211 includes at least a management target IP address designation module 211a, a network device presence confirmation module 211b, and a management target network device search module 211c.

  Hereinafter, an example of device search in the network device management system of the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing search range setting processing for setting a search target IP address for searching for a network device. This search range setting process is started when a page for setting a search target IP address is displayed in the network device management system.

  First, in step S301, an input from a user is received on a page for setting a search target IP address in the network device management system. This input from the user indicates a process of inputting an arbitrary IP address to a form for inputting an IP address to be searched, or pressing an arbitrary button arranged on the page.

  Next, in step S302, it is checked whether or not the input in step S301 is a press of a button for canceling the setting (for example, a cancel button) arranged on the page for setting the search target IP address. . If the setting stop button is pressed (step S302: Yes), this process ends. Otherwise (step S302: No), the process proceeds to step S303.

  In this step S303, it is checked whether or not the input in step S301 is a press of a button (for example, an OK button) arranged on the page for setting the search target IP address to complete the setting. Here, if the setting completion button is pressed (step S303: Yes), the process proceeds to step S304. Otherwise (step S303: No), the process returns to step S301.

  In this step S304, the value of a flag (searching flag) indicating whether or not the management target network device search process is being executed is checked with the setting before changing the search target IP address. Here, if the value of the searching flag is 1 (that is, the search process is being executed) (step S304: Yes), the process proceeds to step S305, and otherwise (step S304: No), the process proceeds to step S308. .

  In step S305, the management target network device search process being executed with the settings before changing the search target IP address is stopped. It is assumed that the search process stop command is processed at a timing at which a process being executed can be normally stopped in the search process shown in FIGS. Further, it is assumed that the process of step S305 is completed when the search is canceled in the search process, and proceeds to the next step S306.

  In step S306, the value of the searching flag is set to 0 to indicate that the search process has been stopped in step S305. In step S307, the value of a flag (search stop flag) indicating that the search process is stopped in step S305 is set to 1, and the process proceeds to step S309.

  On the other hand, in step S308, the value of the search stop flag is set to 0, and the process proceeds to step S309. In step S309, a search target IP address management table shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 to be described later is created based on the search target IP address information input in step S301. In step S310, either a first search process shown in FIG. 6 to be described later or a second search process shown in FIG. 9 is executed, and the process ends.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a search target IP address management table for managing the search target IP address created in step S309 shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, a search target IP address 401 is an area for storing the search target IP address designated by the network administrator in step S301 shown in FIG. When the network device to be searched is designated not in the individual IP address but in the IP address range, the individual IP addresses in the range are individually stored in this area.

  The searched flag 402 is a flag indicating whether or not the network device existence confirmation process corresponding to the IP address stored in the search target IP address 401 has been executed. The flag 402 is set to “0” in the initial state where the existence confirmation process is not executed, and is set to “1” when the existence confirmation process is executed.

  The priority search flag 403 is a flag used to identify a search target IP address 401 that preferentially executes the existence confirmation process in the second search process shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 described later. The flag 403 is set to “1” when the search process is preferentially executed, and “0” when the search process is not preferentially executed.

  The device information pointer 404 is a pointer to an area 405 in which the acquired information is stored when the existence check for each IP address is executed and information acquisition from the network device corresponding to the IP address is successful.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, the search processing (confirmation of the existence of a network device and acquisition of information when the network device exists) for the first to fourth entries of the search target IP address management table 400 has been completed. Indicates the state. For the first to fourth entries, a network device corresponding to the search target IP address 401 exists, and a pointer to an area 405 in which information acquired from the network device is stored is a pointer 404 to device information. Stored.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a method for creating the search target IP address management table created in step S309 shown in FIG. The search target IP address management table 500 shown in FIG. 5 is equivalent to the search target IP address management table 400 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows that when the search process for the fourth entry is executed based on the search target IP address management table 500, the search process is stopped, and the search target IP address is changed as shown in the search target IP address management table 510. An example is shown.

  In this example, it is sequentially checked whether or not an IP address equal to the search target IP address 511 of the search target IP address management table 510 is in the search target IP address 501 of the search target IP address management table 500. If the same IP address exists, the value of the searched flag 502 and the device information pointer 504 is copied to the corresponding searched flag 512 and device information pointer 514 values. In the priority search flag 513 of the search target IP address management table 510, “0” is set when the value of the searched flag 512 is “1”, and “1” is set when it is “0”.

[First Embodiment]
Next, the search process in the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment, when the search stop flag is set, the existence confirmation process is performed for an entry for which the searched flag is not set.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing network device search processing in the first embodiment. This process is executed in step S310 shown in FIG. 3 or by clicking a button for starting a search for a management target network device provided by the network device management system.

  First, in step S601, the value of a flag (searching flag) indicating that the management target network device search process is being executed is set to “1”. In step S602, the search stop flag value set in step S307 or step S308 shown in FIG. 3 is checked. As a result, if the value of the search stop flag is “1” (step S602: Yes), the process proceeds to step S604, and otherwise (step S602: No), the process proceeds to step S603.

  In step S603, search processing 1 shown in FIG. 7 described later is executed, and the process proceeds to step S605. In step S604, search process 2 shown in FIG. 8 described later is executed, and the process proceeds to step S605. In step S605, in order to indicate that the search process being executed has been completed, the value of the searching flag is set to “0”, the process ends, and the process returns to the caller.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the search process 1 in the first embodiment. This process is a process executed in step S603 shown in FIG. 6 and step S903 shown in FIG. Further, when the search process is not stopped, the existence confirmation process is executed for all the management target IP addresses 401 stored in the search target IP address management table 400.

  First, in step S701, a variable i for referring to an index of the entry of the search target IP address management table 400 created in step S309 shown in FIG. In step S702, the value of the variable i is compared with the number of entries in the search target IP address management table 400. If the value of the variable i is smaller than the number of entries (step S702: Yes), the process proceeds to step S703. Otherwise (step S702: No), the process is terminated and the process returns to the caller.

  In step S703, an existence confirmation process shown in FIG. 11 described later is executed for the i-th entry in the search target IP address management table 400, and the process proceeds to step S704. In step S704, 1 is added to the value of the variable i, the process returns to step S702, and the above-described processing is repeated until the value of the variable i becomes equal to the number of entries.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the search process 2 in the first embodiment. This process is a process executed in step S604 shown in FIG. In addition, when the search process is stopped, the existence confirmation process is executed only for an entry that has not been searched for (an entry for which the value of the searched flag 402 is 0).

  First, in step S801, a variable i for referring to the index of the entry of the search target IP address management table 400 created in step S309 shown in FIG. In step S802, the value of the variable i is compared with the number of entries in the search target IP address management table 400. Here, if the value of the variable i is smaller than the number of entries (step S802: Yes), the process proceeds to step S803. Otherwise (step S802: No), this process is terminated and the process returns to the caller.

  In step S803, it is determined whether or not the value of the searched flag 402 is “1” in the i-th entry of the search target IP address management table 400. If “1” (step S803: Yes), the process proceeds to step S805. Otherwise (step S803: No), the process proceeds to step S804.

  In step S804, an existence confirmation process shown in FIG. 11 described later is executed for the i-th entry in the search target IP address management table 400, and the process proceeds to step S805. In step S805, the value of the variable i is incremented by 1, and the process returns to step S802, and the above-described processing is repeated until the value of the variable i becomes equal to the number of entries.

  According to the first embodiment, when searching for a management target network device, control is performed so that the IP address of the search target is not subjected to the presence confirmation process for the IP address whose existence has been confirmed in the previous search process. . As a result, even when the search target IP address is changed during execution of the search process for the designated search target IP address, the time required for searching for network devices for all IP addresses can be reduced.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the search process in the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment, when the search stop flag is set, the existence confirmation process is performed based on the searched flag. In the second embodiment, the existence confirmation process is performed based on the priority search flag. It is.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing network device search processing in the second embodiment. This process is executed in step S310 shown in FIG. 3 or by clicking a button for starting a search for a management target network device provided by the network device management system.

  First, in step S901, the value of a flag (searching flag) indicating that the management target network device search process is being executed is set to “1”. In step S902, the value of the search stop flag set in step S307 or step S308 shown in FIG. 3 is checked. As a result, if the value of the search cancellation flag is “1” (step S902: Yes), the process proceeds to step S904, and otherwise (step S902: No), the process proceeds to step S903.

  In step S903, search process 1 shown in FIG. 7 is executed, and the process proceeds to step S905. In step S904, search processing 3 shown in FIG. 10 described later is executed, and the process proceeds to step S905. In step S905, in order to indicate that the search process being executed has been completed, the value of the searching flag is set to “0”, and this process ends and the process returns to the caller.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the search process 3 in the second embodiment. This process is a process executed in step S904 shown in FIG. In addition, the existence confirmation process is executed preferentially for an entry that has not been searched (the value of the priority search flag 403 is “1”), and then the remaining entries (the value of the priority search flag 403 is “0”) are executed. And execute existence confirmation processing.

  First, in step S1001, a variable i for referring to the index of the entry of the search target IP address management table 400 created in step S309 shown in FIG. In step S1002, the value of the variable i is compared with the number of entries in the search target IP address management table 400. If the value of the variable i is smaller than the number of entries (step S1002: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1003. Otherwise (step S1002: No), the process proceeds to step S1006.

  In step S1003, it is determined whether or not the value of the priority search flag 403 in the i-th entry of the search target IP address management table 400 is “1”. Here, if “1” (step S1003: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1004, and otherwise (step S1003: No), the process proceeds to step S1005.

  In step S1004, for the i-th entry of the search target IP address management table 400, an existence confirmation process shown in FIG. 11 described later is executed, and the process proceeds to step S1005. In step S1005, the value of the variable i is incremented by 1, and the process returns to step S1002. The above-described processing is repeated until the value of the variable i becomes equal to the number of entries.

  On the other hand, in step S1006, a variable i for referring to the index of the entry of the search target IP address management table 400 created in step S309 shown in FIG. 3 is initialized to 0 again. In step S1007, the value of the variable i is compared with the number of entries in the search target IP address management table 400. Here, if the value of the variable i is smaller than the number of entries (step S1007: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1008. Otherwise (step S1007: No), this process is terminated and the process returns to the caller.

  In step S1008, it is determined whether or not the value of the priority search flag 403 is “0” in the i-th entry of the search target IP address management table 400. If “0” (step S1008: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1009. Otherwise (step S1008: No), the process proceeds to step S1010.

  In step S1009, the presence confirmation process shown in FIG. 11 described later is executed for the i-th entry in the search target IP address management table 400, and the process proceeds to step S1010. In step S1010, 1 is added to the value of variable i, the process returns to step S1007, and the above-described processing is repeated until the value of variable i becomes equal to the number of entries.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the presence confirmation processing according to the embodiment. This process is a process executed in step S703 shown in FIG. 7, step S804 shown in FIG. 8, step S1004 and step S1009 shown in FIG. Here, an SNMP GetRequest is transmitted to the search target IP address 401 stored in the search target IP address management table 400. Then, by receiving GetResponse in response to this, the existence confirmation of the network device having the search target IP address and acquisition of information from the network device are realized.

  In the i-th entry of the search target IP address management table 400, first, in step S1101, an SNMP GetRequest is transmitted to the IP address set in the search target IP address 401. The information acquired here is a MIB object that is mandatory and implemented by the management target network device. Information (MIB object value) returned as a response to this GetRequest can be used by the network device management system to manage the network device.

  Next, in step S1102, a response waiting timer is started to measure a response waiting time until a response is returned from the transmission destination network device in response to the GetRequest transmitted in step S1101. In step S1103, it is checked whether a response (GetResponse) has been received from the destination network device. If GetResponse has been received (step S1103: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1105. Otherwise (step S1103: No), the process proceeds to step S1104.

  In step S1104, it is checked whether or not the response waiting timer started in step S1101 has timed out. If time-out has occurred (step S1104: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1109. Otherwise (step S1104: No), the process proceeds to step S1103.

  On the other hand, in step S1105, the response waiting timer started in step S1102 is stopped, and the process proceeds to step S1106. In step S1106, the received GetResponse error information is checked. As a result, when an error such as NoSuchName is notified (step S1106: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1109, and otherwise (step S1106: No), the process proceeds to step S1107.

  In step S1107, the network device information stored in GetResponse received in step S1103 is stored in the work area of the RAM 203 or HD 211 shown in FIG. In the subsequent step S1108, a pointer to the area where the network device information is stored is stored in the pointer 404 to the device information of the i-th entry of the search target IP address management table 400, which is secured in step S1107.

  Next, in step S1109, the value of the searched flag 402 is set to “1” for the i-th entry of the search target IP address management table 400, this process is terminated, and the process returns to the caller.

  In FIG. 11, the retry process when there is no response to the transmission in step S1101 is omitted, but it goes without saying that the accuracy of the search is improved by implementing an appropriate retry process.

  According to the second embodiment, when the search target IP address has not been confirmed in the previous search process of the management target network device, the presence check process is preferentially performed. Thereby, it is possible to preferentially execute the existence confirmation process for the IP addresses that have not been searched in the previous network device search process.

  Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time required to complete at least one search process for all designated IP addresses.

  Furthermore, the search accuracy can be improved by performing the existence confirmation process again for the IP address that has been searched in the previous search process.

  Even if the present invention is applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), it is applied to an apparatus (for example, a copier, a facsimile machine, etc.) composed of a single device. It may be applied.

  In addition, a recording medium in which a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is recorded is supplied to the system or apparatus, and the computer (CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus stores the program code stored in the recording medium. Read and execute. It goes without saying that the object of the present invention can also be achieved by this.

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

  As a recording medium for supplying the program code, for example, a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

  In addition, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also the following cases are included. That is, when the OS (operating system) running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  Further, the program code read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. After that, based on the instruction of the program code, the CPU of the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by the processing. Needless to say.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the network in which the network device management system of this embodiment can operate | move. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of PC in which network device management software runs. It is a flowchart which shows the search range setting process which sets the search object IP address for searching a network device. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the search object IP address management table for managing the IP address of search object produced by step S309 shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the preparation method of the search object IP address management table created by step S309 shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the network device search process in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the search process 1 in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the search process 2 in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the network device search process in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the search process 3 in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the presence confirmation process in embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

100 LAN
101 Color Printer 102 Monochrome Printer 103 Multifunction Machine 104 Scanner 105 Personal Computer (PC)
200 PC
201 CPU
202 ROM
203 RAM
204 System bus 205 KBC
206 CRTC
207 DKC
208 NIC
209 KB
210 CRT
211 HD
211a Managed IP address designation module 211b Network device existence confirmation module 211c Managed network device search module 212 FD
213 CD
214 DVD

Claims (4)

A network device management apparatus for managing network devices connected to a network,
A designation means for designating at least one network address for searching for a network device to be managed;
Existence confirmation means for performing data transmission / reception with respect to the designated network address, and performing existence confirmation processing of the network device in which the network address is set,
Search means for sequentially performing the existence check process and performing a search process for the network device to be managed;
Determining means for determining whether the network address has been confirmed in the previous search process;
As a result of the determination, control means for performing the presence check process on the network address that has not been confirmed, and performing a search process for the network device to be managed;
A network device management apparatus comprising:   The control means performs control so that the presence check process is preferentially performed on a network address that has not been confirmed, and then the presence check process is performed on a network address that has been confirmed. The network device management apparatus according to claim 1.   The network device management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the network address is an IP address. A search method for a network device management apparatus that manages network devices connected to a network,
A designation step for designating at least one network address for searching for a network device to be managed;
Existence confirmation step of performing data transmission / reception with respect to the designated network address and performing existence confirmation processing of the network device in which the network address is set;
A search step of sequentially performing the existence confirmation process and performing a search process of the network device to be managed;
A determination step of determining whether or not the network address has been confirmed in a previous search process;
As a result of the determination, a control step of performing control to perform the presence check processing on the network address that has not been checked for presence and search for the network device to be managed;
A search method for a network device management apparatus, comprising:

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