JP2014178893A - Cooperation processor, program and software updating method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooperation processor, a program and a software update method capable of updating software on operation without stopping the operation of a whole information processing system.SOLUTION: A cooperation processor connected to a cooperation apparatus for executing processing by accepting a processing request from the cooperation apparatus includes: software for executing processing corresponding to the processing request; software management means for performing the management of the software; and processing request transmission means for executing processing by transmitting the processing request from the cooperation apparatus to the software. The software management means allows the processing request transmission means to store the processing request from the cooperation apparatus during the update of the software, and acquires data holding the operation content of the software before update, and starts the updated software, and allows the updated software to restore the operation content of the software before update, and to complete the update of the software.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooperation processing apparatus, a program, and a software update method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a software update program that automates software update work for a plurality of information processing apparatuses including operation check work to reduce the load on a system administrator (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  A conventional software update program includes a file distribution procedure for distributing a test file for checking the operation of software after application of the correction file together with a correction file for updating the software, and information processing in which the file distribution procedure distributes the file A test program execution instruction procedure for instructing execution of the test program after application of the correction file is completed in the apparatus; and after execution of the test program instructed to execute by the execution instruction procedure is completed, The computer is caused to execute a test program execution result acquisition procedure for acquiring an execution result and a result notification procedure for notifying the execution result acquired by the test program execution result acquisition procedure.

  In recent years, users have come to use various electronic devices such as printers, multifunction devices, and projectors that output electronic data, and various terminal devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, and tablet terminals. In the form (system) in which these electronic devices and terminal devices are used, improvement of utility value is expected by linking various electronic devices and terminal devices.

  The process for linking these electronic devices and terminal devices may be performed by an application installed in the cooperation processing apparatus. However, when updating an application installed in the cooperation processing device, the operation of the entire information processing system including the electronic device and the terminal device has to be stopped.

  An embodiment of the present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a cooperative processing apparatus, a program, and a software update method capable of updating operating software without stopping the operation of the entire information processing system. And

  In order to achieve the above object, claim 1 of the present application is a cooperative processing apparatus that is connected to a cooperative device, receives a processing request from the cooperative device, and executes processing, and performs processing corresponding to the processing request. Software, software management means for managing the software, and processing request transmission means for transmitting a processing request from the cooperation device to the software and executing the processing, and the software management means includes the software During the update, the processing request from the cooperation device is stored in the processing request transmission unit, the data holding the operation content of the software before the update is acquired, the updated software is started, and after the update Restoring the operation content of the software before the update to the software and completing the update of the software. And butterflies.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to update the operating software without stopping the operation of the entire information processing system.

It is a lineblock diagram of an example of an information processing system concerning this embodiment. It is a hardware block diagram of an example of the computer system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a processing block diagram of an example of a cooperation processing device concerning this embodiment. It is a flowchart of an example showing the process at the time of starting of a cooperation processing apparatus. It is a flowchart of an example showing the process at the time of normal operation of a cooperation processing apparatus. It is a flowchart of an example showing the process at the time of the program update of a cooperation processing apparatus. It is a block diagram of an example of an application management table. It is explanatory drawing of an example of the data structure serialized. It is a sequence diagram of an example showing the process at the time of normal operation of a cooperation processing apparatus. It is an example sequence diagram (1/2) showing the process at the time of the program update of a cooperation processing apparatus. It is an example sequence diagram (2/2) showing the process at the time of the program update of a cooperation processing apparatus.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.
[First Embodiment]
<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an example of an information processing system according to the present embodiment. In the information processing system 1 of FIG. 1, a cooperation processing apparatus 10 is connected to a network N1 such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet.

  In the information processing system 1, one or more PCs 11, one or more portable terminals 12, one or more multifunction peripherals (MFPs) 13, and one or more projectors 14 are connected to a network N1. Further, in the information processing system 1, a program storage device 15 is connected to the network N1.

  The PC 11 and the mobile terminal 12 are examples of the terminal device 16 operated by the user. The PC 11 may be any device that can be operated by the user, such as a desktop PC or a node PC. The mobile terminal 12 may be any device that can be carried and operated by the user, such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a mobile phone.

  The multifunction device 13 and the projector 14 are examples of an electronic device 17 that performs input / output (printing, imaging, projection, etc.) of electronic data. For example, the electronic device 17 may be any device that can input and output electronic data, such as a printer, a copier, and an image display device, in addition to the multifunction machine 13 and the projector 14.

  The cooperation processing apparatus 10 employs, for example, a general-purpose OS, and can connect various terminal devices 16 and electronic devices 17 via the network N1. The cooperation processing apparatus 10 has an application installed therein. The cooperation processing apparatus 10 can accept a request from the terminal device 16 or the electronic device 17 by a general protocol such as SMB (Server Message Block) or HTTP request that realizes file sharing. The cooperation processing apparatus 10 processes the received request by the application and returns a result via the network N1.

  The multifunction machine 13 is an example of an image forming apparatus. The multifunction machine 13 accesses the cooperation processing apparatus 10 via browser software installed therein. The browser software outputs a request to the cooperation processing apparatus 10 using a general-purpose protocol such as an HTTP request. The multifunction machine 13 supports a file system.

  If the multifunction machine 13 can access the cooperation processing apparatus 10 by SMB, the file stored in the multifunction machine 13 is copied to the network shared folder of the cooperation processing apparatus 10 to perform workflow processing for the cooperation processing apparatus 10. A request can be made.

  The projector 14 is an example of an image projection device. The projector 14 can project an image requested from the terminal device 16 or another electronic device 17 via the network N1. The projector 14 can also select and project an image stored in the cooperation processing device 10, the terminal device 16, and the electronic device 17.

  The terminal device 16 has a browser function. The terminal device 16 outputs a request to the cooperation processing device 10 using a general-purpose protocol such as SMB or HTTP via a browser. The terminal device 16 supports a file system. If the terminal device 16 can access the cooperation processing device 10 by SMB, the file stored in the terminal device 16 is copied to the network shared folder of the cooperation processing device 10 so that the workflow processing for the cooperation processing device 10 can be performed. A request can be made.

  The program storage device 15 stores program update information (update program information) in the cooperation processing device 10 and an update program. For example, the cooperation processing device 10 accesses the program storage device 15 every predetermined period and confirms whether or not an update program exists. The cooperation processing device 10 downloads an update program from the program storage device 15 as necessary.

  The cooperation processing apparatus 10 can execute high-function processing that cannot be processed by the multifunction machine 13 or the projector 14, or can execute processing as a file server. The cooperation processing device 10 can improve the utility value by linking the terminal device 16 and the electronic device 17 together. The cooperation processing apparatus 10 may be configured to be distributed among a plurality of computers.

<Hardware configuration>
The cooperation processing apparatus 10 is realized by, for example, a computer system having a hardware configuration shown in FIG. Note that the terminal device 16 also includes the hardware configuration shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of a computer system according to the present embodiment.

  The computer system 100 of FIG. 2 includes an input device 101, a display device 102, an external I / F 103, a RAM 104, a ROM 105, a CPU 106, a communication I / F 107, an HDD 108, and the like. The input device 101 includes a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, and the like, and is used to input each operation signal to the computer system 100.

  The display device 102 includes a display and the like, and displays a processing result by the computer system 100. The communication I / F 107 is an interface that connects the computer system 100 to the network N1. Accordingly, the computer system 100 can perform data communication with the program storage device 15, the terminal device 16, the electronic device 17, and the like via the communication I / F 107.

  The HDD 108 is a non-volatile storage device that stores programs and data. The stored programs and data include an OS (Operating System) that is basic software for controlling the entire computer system 100, and application software that provides various functions on the OS. The HDD 108 manages stored programs and data by a predetermined file system and / or DB (Data Base).

  The external I / F 103 is an interface with an external device. The external device includes a recording medium 103a. Thereby, the computer system 100 can read and / or write the recording medium 103a via the external I / F 103. The recording medium 103a includes a flexible disk, a CD, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), an SD memory card, an USB memory (Universal Serial Bus memory), and the like.

  The ROM 105 is a nonvolatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that can retain programs and data even when the power is turned off. The ROM 105 stores programs and data such as BIOS (Basic Input / Output System), OS settings, and network settings that are executed when the computer system 100 is started. The RAM 104 is a volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that temporarily stores programs and data.

  The CPU 106 is an arithmetic device that realizes control and functions of the entire computer system 100 by reading a program and data from a storage device such as the ROM 105 and the HDD 108 onto the RAM 104 and executing processing.

  The computer system 100 according to the present embodiment can realize various processes as described later with the above hardware configuration.

<Software configuration>
<< Cooperation processing device >>
The cooperation processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is configured as shown in FIG. 3, for example. FIG. 3 is a processing block diagram of an example of the cooperation processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. The cooperation processing apparatus 10 executes the program, thereby allowing the common framework 20, the Web API processing unit 21, the WEB control unit 22, the authentication processing unit 23, the image processing unit 24, the setting information management unit 25, the data management unit 26, and application management. 27, an update processing unit 28, a message processing unit 29, a data storage unit 30, a program storage unit 31, and a message storage unit 32 are realized.

  The common framework 20 is a mechanism for a plurality of software in the cooperation processing apparatus 10 to communicate, and is used for sending and receiving requests and data. The web API processing unit 21 controls access from the terminal device 16 and the electronic device 17 connected to the network N1 via the web API. The Web API (Application Programming Interface) is a predefined interface provided for receiving a request from the terminal device 16 or the electronic device 17, and is configured by, for example, a function or a class. The WebAPI processing unit 21 notifies the received request to the WEB control unit 22. The WEB control unit 22 converts the request notified from the Web API processing unit 21 into a message that can be interpreted by the common framework 20, and transmits the message to various processing units.

  The authentication processing unit 23 authenticates user information. For example, the authentication processing unit 23 accesses account information stored in the data storage unit 30 to authenticate user information. Alternatively, the authentication processing unit 23 authenticates user information using an authentication server (not shown) via WebAPI. For example, when account information is stored in the data storage unit 30, the authentication processing unit 23 accesses the account information via the setting information management unit 25.

  The image processing unit 24 performs necessary image processing in response to a request from the WEB control unit 22. The image processing unit 24 also has a character reading function such as OCR (Optical Character Reader). When the necessary image processing is completed, the image processing unit 24 notifies the various processing units of the result of the image processing. The image processing unit 24 also converts the data into another format in response to a request from the WEB control unit 22. The image processing unit 24 supports various applications, document formats such as PDF and XPS, and image formats such as JPEG, TIFF, and PNG.

  The setting information management unit 25 manages account information, system information, user settings associated with a user, and the like in the data storage unit 30. The data management unit 26 manages data stored in the cooperation processing apparatus 10 by the user using the data storage unit 30. All data is managed by assigning a unique document ID as accumulated data. When accessing the stored data in the cooperation processing apparatus 10, the access is made based on the document ID.

  The application management unit 27 manages programs in the cooperation processing apparatus 10 with the program storage unit 31. When the common framework 20 is activated, the application management unit 27 loads and activates the program read from the program storage unit 31. When there is a request from the update processing unit 28 to update the program, the application management unit 27 unloads the program to be updated.

  The update processing unit 28 periodically inquires of the program storage device 15 whether there is program update information (update program). If there is program update information, the update processing unit 28 downloads the update information from the program storage device 15 and stores it in the program storage unit 31. The state maintenance data stored in the program storage unit 31 will be described later.

  The message processing unit 29 manages the message queue of the common framework 20 with the message storage unit 32. If the request cannot be accepted due to the state of the program (for example, updating), the request is temporarily accumulated in the message queue. When the program is ready to accept a request (in operation), the request is sequentially transmitted from the message queue to the program.

<Details of processing>
Below, the detail of the process of the information processing system 1 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated.

<< Processing at startup of the collaboration processing device >>
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing when the cooperative processing apparatus is activated. In step S1, the cooperation processing apparatus 10 starts up an OS (system). In step S2, the cooperation processing apparatus 10 activates the common framework 20 from the OS. The common framework 20 starts processing of the application management unit 27.

  In step S3, the application management unit 27 sequentially reads and activates the programs stored in the program storage unit 31. In step S4, the activated program performs an initialization process. In step S <b> 5, the cooperation processing apparatus 10 starts providing a service using the activated program. After starting the provision of the service, the update processing unit 28 proceeds to step S6, and starts an update program confirmation process.

  The update program confirmation processing in step S6 is processing for periodically confirming whether the program storage device 15 has the program update program in the cooperation processing device 10 or not. If the program storage device 15 has an update program for the program in the cooperative processing device 10, the update processing unit 28 downloads the update program from the program storage device 15 and stores the update program in the program storage unit 31. Then, the update processing unit 28 requests the application management unit 27 to update the program.

  Therefore, according to the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 4, the cooperation processing device 10 can download the update program when the update program is stored in the program storage device 15. Further, after downloading the update program from the cooperation processing apparatus 10, the cooperation processing apparatus 10 can start processing at the time of program update as described later.

<Processing during normal operation of the collaboration processing device>
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing during normal operation of the cooperation processing apparatus. In step S <b> 11, a cooperation device such as the terminal device 16 or the electronic device 17 transmits a WEB message to make a request to the cooperation processing device 10. The request mentioned here is an acquisition request for data stored in the cooperation processing apparatus 10 or a conversion request to a required data format (format), and includes various functions (provided various services provided) ) Is a request to use. Since the exchange of the WEB message between the cooperation device and the cooperation processing apparatus 10 is performed via the Web API, it is performed in a format that does not depend on each hardware.

  In step S12, the Web API processing unit 21 of the cooperation processing apparatus 10 receives a WEB message through the Web API. A WEB message by WebAPI is transmitted and received by a general-purpose protocol such as HTTP or HTTPS.

  In step S13, the WEB control unit 22 converts the received WEB message into a message in a format that can be interpreted by the common framework 20. The common framework 20 transmits and receives messages defined by the XML schema. All programs operating within the common framework 20 use messages in the same format.

  In step S14, the common framework 20 interprets the message and transmits the message to a program that performs processing corresponding to the message. The program that has received the message performs processing corresponding to the message. The processing corresponding to the message includes data acquisition processing stored in the cooperation processing apparatus 10, data format conversion processing, data transmission processing to other cooperation devices, and the like.

  In step S <b> 15, the program that has performed the processing corresponding to the message creates a message for the requesting linked device for the result of the processing. The common framework 20 interprets the message and transmits the message to the WEB control unit 22. The WEB control unit 22 converts the received message into a WEB message in a format that can be transmitted using WebAPI.

  In step S16, the Web API processing unit 21 of the cooperation processing apparatus 10 transmits a WEB message by Web API. In step S <b> 17, the requesting cooperative device receives a WEB message about the result of the processing.

  Therefore, according to the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 5, the cooperation processing apparatus 10 performs the processing requested by the cooperation device by the WEB message, and returns the result of the processing to the requesting cooperation device by the WEB message. Can do.

<Processing when updating the program of the cooperation processing device>
The processing during normal operation of the cooperation processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 5 changes as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 when the program is updated. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing at the time of program update of the cooperation processing apparatus. Here, the description is continued assuming that the update processing unit 28 requests the application management unit 27 to update the program before the cooperation processing apparatus 10 receives the WEB message from the cooperation device.

  In step S <b> 21, the cooperation device transmits a WEB message and makes a request to the cooperation processing device 10. In step S22, the Web API processing unit 21 of the cooperation processing apparatus 10 receives a WEB message through the Web API. The WEB control unit 22 converts the WEB message received by the Web API processing unit 21 into a message that can be interpreted by the common framework 20.

  Step S23 shows a message queuing process at the time of program update, which is performed in the cooperation processing apparatus 10. Message transmission in the cooperation processing apparatus 10 is performed via the common framework 20.

  If the program that performs the processing corresponding to the message is being updated, the message processing unit 29 queues the message in the message queue. A normal message is not transmitted to the program being updated, and a message necessary for program update is exchanged.

  Note that it is possible to determine whether a program that performs processing corresponding to a message is being updated with reference to an application management table as shown in FIG. 7, for example. FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of an example of the application management table. The application management table in FIG. 7 is managed by the application management unit 27, for example.

  The application management table of FIG. 7 includes an application ID, an application name, a state, a storage destination, a related application ID, and the like as items. The application ID is an example of information that identifies a program. The application name is an application name as an example of the program. The state represents the state of the program. The program status includes, for example, updating, running, and stopping. The save destination represents the save destination of the program. The related application ID indicates the application ID of the related application. The message processing unit 29 can determine whether or not the program is being updated by referring to the storage location of the application management table.

  In step S24, the application management unit 27 transmits a program update notification to the update target program. The program to be updated that has received the program update notification grasps that the program update is started. If there is data that is currently being processed, the program to be updated temporarily interrupts the processing and starts serialization (binary data conversion) of the data structure.

  Note that the data structure to be serialized is, for example, as shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a data structure to be serialized. As shown in FIG. 8, the update target application A has a data subset, a thread table, and thread data. The serialization of the data structure performed in step S24 is a preparation process for saving the data structure as shown in FIG.

  In step S25, the update target program extracts the serialized data structure (data holding the current operation content), and transmits the serialized data structure to the application management unit 27 as state maintenance data. The application management unit 27 stores the received state maintenance data in the program storage unit 31.

  When the state maintenance data received from the update target program is stored, the application management unit 27 unloads the update target program in step S26. The unloading of the program indicates that the program taken in the common framework 20 is once removed from the memory. The removed program cannot be used until it is reloaded.

  When the unloading of the update target program is completed, the application management unit 27 renames the old module of the update target program so that it can be reused when loading of the new module (update program) fails.

  In step S27, the application management unit 27 replaces the old module of the program to be updated with the new module (update program), and reloads the update program into the common framework 20. Since the new module (update program) is stored in a special storage location before the update, it is moved to an appropriate storage location when the old module is renamed. When a new module (update program) is loaded into the common framework 20, the update program is activated and processing is started.

  In step S 28, the application management unit 27 reads state maintenance data from the program storage unit 31. The application management unit 27 transmits the state maintenance data to the update program, and restores the data structure before the program update is started. After the update program is restored to the data structure before the program update is started, the message processing unit 29 proceeds to step S29.

  In step S29, the message processing unit 29 sequentially dequeues the messages queued in the message queue. During the update of the update target program, message queuing is performed by the message processing unit 29 so that the message is not transmitted to the update target program.

  For this reason, since the cooperation processing apparatus 10 can continue to accept messages to the program to be updated even while the program is being updated, it is not necessary to stop the operation of the entire information processing system 1. After restoring the data structure before the program update is started, the update program can resume receiving messages as before.

  In step S30, the common framework 20 transmits a message to the update program that performs processing corresponding to the message. Then, the update program that has received the message performs processing corresponding to the message.

  In step S31, the update program that has performed the processing corresponding to the message creates a message for the requesting linked device regarding the result of the processing. The common framework 20 interprets the message and transmits the message to the WEB control unit 22. The WEB control unit 22 converts the received message into a WEB message in a format that can be transmitted using WebAPI.

  The Web API processing unit 21 of the cooperation processing apparatus 10 transmits a WEB message using Web API. In step S32, the requesting cooperative device receives a WEB message about the result of the processing.

  According to the process of the flowchart of FIG. 6, the cooperation processing apparatus 10 can continue accepting messages to the update target program while the update target program is being updated. Further, the cooperation processing apparatus 10 can restore the data structure of the update program to the data structure before the program update is started. Therefore, according to the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 6, it is possible to update the operating program (operation) without stopping the operation of the entire information processing system 1.

《Sequence diagram of processing during normal operation of the collaboration processing device》
FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing during normal operation of the cooperation processing apparatus. In step S <b> 101, the update processing unit 28 of the cooperation processing apparatus 10 confirms whether an update program for the program in the cooperation processing apparatus 10 exists in the program storage device 15. Here, the description will be continued assuming that the program A update program as an example of the program in the cooperation processing apparatus 10 is not present in the program storage apparatus 15.

  In step S <b> 102, the cooperation device transmits a WEB message and makes a processing request to the cooperation processing device 10. The Web API processing unit 21 of the cooperation processing apparatus 10 receives a WEB message by Web API. The WEB control unit 22 converts the received WEB message into a message that can be interpreted by the common framework 20. The WEB control unit 22 uses the common framework 20 and transmits a message to the message processing unit 29 in step S103.

  In step S <b> 104, the message processing unit 29 requests the application management unit 27 for the state of the program (application A) that performs processing corresponding to the message. The application management unit 27 reads the state of the application A from the application management table as shown in FIG. 7 and returns it to the message processing unit 29. Here, the description will be continued assuming that the state of the app A is in operation.

  In step S105, the message processing unit 29 transmits the message to the application A that performs processing corresponding to the message. In step S106, the application A performs necessary processing corresponding to the received message. Then, the application A notifies the request source cooperation device via the message processing unit 29, the WEB control unit 22, the Web API processing unit 21, and the like.

<Processing when updating the program of the cooperation processing device>
The process during normal operation of the cooperation processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 5 changes as shown in the sequence diagrams of FIGS. 10 and 11 when the program is updated. 10 and 11 are sequence diagrams illustrating an example of processing at the time of program update of the cooperation processing apparatus.

  In step S <b> 201, the update processing unit 28 of the cooperation processing apparatus 10 confirms whether the application “a” that is an update program of the application A in the cooperation processing apparatus 10 exists in the program storage device 15. Here, the description will be continued assuming that the app a, which is an update program for the app A in the cooperation processing device 10, is in the program storage device 15.

  In step S202, the update processing unit 28 downloads the app a from the program storage device 15. In step S203, the update processing unit 28 stores the downloaded application a in the program storage unit 31. In step S <b> 204, the update processing unit 28 notifies the application management unit 27 of a program update notification for the application a.

  In step S205, the cooperation device transmits a WEB message and makes a processing request to the cooperation processing apparatus 10. The Web API processing unit 21 of the cooperation processing apparatus 10 receives a WEB message by Web API. The WEB control unit 22 converts the received WEB message into a message that can be interpreted by the common framework 20. The WEB control unit 22 uses the common framework 20 and transmits a message to the message processing unit 29 in step S206.

  In step S207, the message processing unit 29 requests the application management unit 27 for the state of the program (application A) that performs processing corresponding to the message. The application management unit 27 reads the state of the application A from the application management table as shown in FIG. 7 and returns it to the message processing unit 29. Here, the description will be continued assuming that the state of the application A was before being changed from being operated to being updated.

  In step S208, the message processing unit 29 transmits the message to the application A that performs processing corresponding to the message. In step S209, the application A performs necessary processing corresponding to the received message. As described above, the message processing unit 29 transmits a message to the application A and causes the application A to perform processing necessary before receiving a program update start notification described later from the application management unit 27.

  In step S <b> 210, the application management unit 27 changes the state of the application A from operating to updating, and transmits a program update start notification to the message processing unit 29. After receiving the program update start notification, the message processing unit 29 starts queuing processing of a message to be transmitted to the application A.

  In step S <b> 211, the application management unit 27 transmits a program update notification to the application A. The application A that has received the program update notification grasps that the program update is started. At this time, it is assumed that the application A has not finished the necessary processing corresponding to the message received in step S208.

  In step S212, the application A temporarily stops processing. In step S213, the application A serializes data (data structure) currently being processed. In step S214, the application A transmits the serialized data to the application management unit 27 as state maintenance data. The application management unit 27 stores the received state maintenance data in the program storage unit 31.

  When the state maintenance data received from the application A is stored, the application management unit 27 unloads the application A in step S215. After the unloading of the application A is completed, the application management unit 27 replaces the old module (application A) with the new module (application a) in step S216.

  In step S <b> 217, the application management unit 27 reloads the application a into the common framework 20. When the application a is loaded into the common framework 20, the application management unit 27 reads state maintenance data from the program storage unit 31. In step S218, the application management unit 27 transmits the state maintenance data to the application a. In step S219, the application a uses the state maintenance data to restore the data structure before the program update is started.

  In step S220, the application a notifies the application management unit 27 that the data structure has been restored. In step S <b> 221, the application management unit 27 transmits a program update completion notification to the message processing unit 29. The message processing unit 29 receives the program update completion notification to recognize that the program update has been completed. The application “a” whose data structure has been restored restarts the processing in step S222.

  In step S223 before receiving the program update completion notification, the cooperation device transmits a WEB message to make a processing request to the cooperation processing device 10. The Web API processing unit 21 of the cooperation processing apparatus 10 receives a WEB message by Web API. The WEB control unit 22 converts the received WEB message into a message that can be interpreted by the common framework 20. The WEB control unit 22 uses the common framework 20 and transmits a message to the message processing unit 29 in step S224. Since the program update completion notification has not been received, the message processing unit 29 queues the message received in step S224.

  In step S226, the application “a” ends the necessary processing corresponding to the message received in step S208, and the processing result is transmitted to the requesting cooperative device via the message processing unit 29, the WEB control unit 22, the WebAPI processing unit 21, and the like. Notify

  In step S227, the message processing unit 29 sequentially dequeues the messages queued in the message queue and transmits them to the application a. In step S228, the application a performs necessary processing corresponding to the received message. Then, the app a notifies the request source linkage device of the processing result via the message processing unit 29, the WEB control unit 22, the Web API processing unit 21, and the like.

  The information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment periodically checks whether the cooperation processing apparatus 10 has an update program in the program storage apparatus 15, but can also notify the cooperation processing apparatus 10 from the program storage apparatus 15. It is. The configuration of the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment is an example, and it goes without saying that there are various system configuration examples depending on the application and purpose.

<Summary>
The cooperation processing device 10 is expected to improve the utility value by linking various cooperation devices such as the terminal device 16 and the electronic device 17. On the other hand, the increase in the number of cooperation devices increases the maintainability and reliability of the entire system.・ The impact on availability is increasing. In addition, the software installed in the cooperation processing apparatus 10 has a short program update cycle for function addition and correction due to improvement in technical capabilities and customer demand. Conventionally, it is necessary to stop the operation of the entire information processing system 1 in order to update software, which is not convenient for the user.

  The information processing system 1 of the present embodiment does not need to stop the operation of the entire information processing system 1 in order to update the software. Therefore, even if the information processing system 1 of this embodiment is compatible with a short program update cycle, it does not lack convenience for the user.

  The information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment can continue to accept messages to the software being updated. Further, the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment can restore the data structure of the updated software to the data structure before the update is started. Therefore, according to the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the operating software can be updated without stopping the operation of the entire information processing system 1.

  The present invention is not limited to the specifically disclosed embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the claims. The software management means described in the claims corresponds to the application management unit 27. The processing request transmission unit corresponds to the message processing unit 29. Data holding the operation content of the software before update corresponds to state maintenance data. The software storage device corresponds to the program storage device 15. The update processing means corresponds to the update processing unit 28.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information processing system 10 Cooperation processing apparatus 11 PC
12 Mobile Terminal 13 Multi Function Peripheral (MFP)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 Projector 15 Program storage apparatus 20 Common framework 21 WebAPI processing part 22 WEB control part 23 Authentication processing part 24 Image processing part 25 Setting information management part 26 Data management part 27 Application management part 28 Update processing part 29 Message processing part 30 Data preservation | save Unit 31 Program storage unit 32 Message storage unit 100 Computer system 101 Input device 102 Display device 103 External I / F
103a Recording medium 104 RAM
105 ROM
106 CPU
107 Communication I / F
108 HDD
B bus N1 network

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-119848

Claims (7)

A cooperation processing apparatus that is connected to a cooperation device, receives a processing request from the cooperation device, and executes a process.
Software for performing processing corresponding to the processing request;
Software management means for managing the software;
Processing request transmission means for transmitting a processing request from the cooperation device to the software and performing processing;
The software management means, while the software is being updated, causes the processing request from the cooperation device to be stored in the processing request transmission means, obtains data holding the operation content of the software before the update, A cooperative processing apparatus, wherein the software is activated, causes the updated software to restore the operation content of the software before the update, and completes the update of the software. The processing request transmission means is configured to transmit processing requests from the cooperation device stored during the software update to the software sequentially after the software update is completed. The cooperation processing apparatus according to claim 1. When the software before update receives an update notification from the software management unit, the software temporarily stops processing, generates data holding the operation content of the software before update, and transmits the data to the software management unit The cooperation processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The cooperation according to claim 3, wherein the updated software receives data holding the operation content of the software before the update from the software management unit, and restores the operation content of the software before the update. Processing equipment. The update processing means for acquiring the updated software from a software storage device and requesting the software management means to update the software before the update from the software before the update. The cooperation processing apparatus as described in any one of thru | or 4. A cooperation processing apparatus that is connected to a cooperation device and receives a processing request from the cooperation device and executes a process.
Software for performing processing corresponding to the processing request;
Software management means for managing the software;
Function as processing request transmission means for transmitting a processing request from the cooperation device to the software and performing processing;
The software management means, while the software is being updated, causes the processing request from the cooperation device to be stored in the processing request transmission means, obtains data holding the operation content of the software before the update, A program that activates the software, causes the updated software to restore the operation content of the software before the update, and completes the update of the software. A software update method in a cooperation processing apparatus that is connected to a cooperation device and receives a processing request from the cooperation device and executes a process,
The cooperation processing device
Software for performing processing corresponding to the processing request;
Software management means for managing the software;
Processing request transmission means for transmitting a processing request from the cooperation device to the software and performing processing;
The software management means storing the processing request from the cooperation device in the processing request transmission means while the software is being updated;
After obtaining data holding the operation content of the software before update, starting the software after update;
And a step of restoring the operation content of the software before the update to the software after the update and completing the update of the software.

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