JP2023026094A - Information processing device, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program for recognizing that there is a communication request when the communication request is received during service malfunction.SOLUTION: In an information processing device (MFP), a controller unit includes: provision means (SMB control unit 310) for providing a service for an external device on a network; detection means (service control unit 309) for detecting occurrence of a malfunction in the service; communication recording means (Internet protocol control unit 308) for recording a communication log of a second layer (operating system layer 321), which is a layer different from a first layer (service layer 320) where the service is provided; and notification means (notification unit 312) for giving a notification that there has been a communication request from the outside based on the communication log of the second layer when the occurrence of a malfunction in the service is detected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program that provide application services.

A group of information devices connected to a network realizes various systems by providing various services in response to requests from other devices. For example, in a business system used in an office, a user such as an employee uses a file sharing service provided by a multifunction device in the form of a request from a PC operated by the user. As work performed in an office, there is a work flow of creating contracts, purchase orders, etc., saving files using file sharing services, and printing them at the required timing. File sharing service may fail due to authentication error, capacity over, etc. If you do not notice that the files necessary for your business have not been placed correctly, there is a possibility that contract work will be delayed, or that you will lose business opportunities due to omissions in receiving and placing orders. A business system such as a multi-function machine is provided with a mechanism for immediately recognizing the occurrence of an error when an error occurs. Specifically, for example, a mechanism is provided for notifying the user on the operation unit, recording and confirming the occurrence of an error as a log, and registering the occurrence of an error on an external management server ( For example, see Patent Document 1). If these errors can be recorded and notified, in the event that an error should occur, the user will be able to notice it and restart the work without delaying various tasks.

On the other hand, the usage environment of business systems including MFPs has changed greatly in response to changes in working styles. In the past, it was mostly used in an environment closed physically and network-wise, such as an office. Currently, usage patterns are diversifying, such as easing network isolation for the purpose of active use of cloud-based business services, and sharing the office itself with other companies. Since the environment is no longer closed, the risk of attacks on multifunction devices by third parties outside the company has increased. Attack methods include intentionally sending unauthorized packet data over the network, or sending data with a frequency and size that greatly exceeds the processing capacity of the multifunction device, thereby causing the service to malfunction and interfere with business operations. There is a method to This is generally called a DoS (Denial of Service) attack. As a result, there is a high possibility that the multifunction device will fall into service malfunction.

Japanese Patent No. 4455411

Taking a file-sharing service as an example, there is a mechanism for handling errors that are expected to occur, such as authentication errors and capacity overruns, within the service. Therefore, a log can be recorded and the process can be terminated appropriately. On the other hand, if a malfunction occurs, that is, if an unexpected error occurs, the process cannot be terminated properly. In this case, the service is internally forcibly restarted. The restart process may take several seconds to several minutes, and if a communication request is received during this service malfunction, it will not be possible to record the communication request in the log, and the communication request will not be recorded. I had a problem that I couldn't figure out.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus capable of grasping that a communication request has been received when a communication request is received while a service is malfunctioning. do.

To achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: providing means for providing a service to an external device on a network; detecting means for detecting that a malfunction has occurred in the service; Communication recording means for recording a communication log in a second layer, which is a layer different from the first layer in which the service is provided; and notification means for notifying that there is a communication request from the outside based on the communication log.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing apparatus capable of grasping that a communication request has been received when a communication request has been received while a service function is malfunctioning.

FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram showing a connection form between an MFP and a PC; FIG. 2 is an internal configuration diagram of the controller section of the MFP; FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram of software executed within the controller of the MFP; FIG. 10 is a screen configuration diagram related to notification processing; FIG. 4 is a flow chart for implementing service layer processing of the MFP; FIG. 4 is a flow chart for implementing the processing of the operating system layer of the MFP; FIG. 10 is a flowchart for executing processing related to MFP notification; FIG. 10 is a screen configuration diagram related to notification processing according to the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a flow chart for executing processing of the service layer of the MFP according to the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a flowchart for executing processing of the operating system layer of the MFP according to the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a flow chart for executing processing related to notification of the MFP according to the second embodiment;

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated using drawing. In addition, the following embodiments do not limit the present invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution of the present invention. . In addition, the same reference numbers are given to the same components, and the description thereof is omitted.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram showing a connection form between the MFP 100 and the PC 113. As shown in FIG. Specifically, FIG. 1 shows a connection form between an MFP, a PC, a gateway, an external application for management, and a cloud system for management. MFP is an abbreviation for Multi Function Peripheral. MFP 100 , PC 113 , management application 112 , and management cloud system 121 are connected via LAN 110 , gateway 111 , and Internet 120 . The MFP 100 in this embodiment is an example of an information processing apparatus.

The MFP 100 has an operation unit 102 for input/output with a user. The MFP 100 has a printer section 103 that outputs electronic data to a paper medium. The MFP 100 has a scanner unit 104 that reads a paper medium and converts it into electronic data. The operation unit 102, the printer unit 103, and the scanner unit 104 are connected to the controller unit 101, and implement functions as a multifunction device under the control of the controller unit 101. FIG.

The PC 113 is a client that issues a file storage request to the MFP 100 using a file sharing protocol such as the SMB (Server Message Block) protocol. Management application 112 is an application that is arranged externally from MFP 100 in order to manage MFP 100 , and can remotely monitor the occurrence of an abnormality in MFP 100 . Management application 112 is normally arranged in the form of a server within the same network as an asset of the user of MFP 100 .

Gateway 111 is a network router that relays communication from MFP 100 to and from Internet 120 . Management cloud system 121 , like management application 112 , remotely monitors the state of MFP 100 . Here, the management cloud system 121 is on the cloud and centrally manages the information of the MFPs of the same vendor all over the world, and enables advanced analysis using abundant storage and computational resources.

FIG. 2 is an internal configuration diagram of the controller unit 101 of the MFP 100. As shown in FIG. In the same figure, the details of the controller unit 101 of the MFP 100 are shown in a block diagram. The CPU 201 performs main arithmetic processing within the controller. CPU 201 is connected to DRAM 202 via a bus. The DRAM 202 is used by the CPU 201 as a working memory for temporarily arranging program data representing operation instructions and data to be processed in the course of the CPU 201's operation. CPU 201 is connected to I/O controller 203 via a bus. The I/O controller 203 performs input/output to/from various devices according to instructions from the CPU 201 .

A SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) I/F 205 is connected to the I/O controller 203, and a FlashROM 211 is connected to the end thereof. CPU 201 uses Flash ROM 211 to permanently store programs for realizing the functions of the MFP and document files.

A network I/F 204 is connected to the I/O controller 203 . A wired LAN device 210 is connected to the network I/F 204 . The CPU 201 implements communication on the LAN 110 by controlling the wired LAN device 210 via the network I/F 204 .

A panel I/F 206 is connected to the I/O controller 203 , and the CPU 201 implements input/output for the user with respect to the operation unit 102 via the panel I/F 206 . That is, as the operation unit 102 in the present embodiment, an operation panel including an instruction unit capable of input operation and a display unit such as a screen capable of output necessary for operation will be described as an example.

A printer I/F 207 and a scanner I/F 208 are connected to the I/O controller 203 . The CPU 201 realizes output processing of paper media using the printer unit 103 via the printer I/F 207 .

For example, when implementing the copy function, the CPU 201 reads program data from the FlashROM 211 to the DRAM 202 via the SATA I/F 205 . The CPU 201 detects a copy instruction from the user to the operation unit 102 via the panel I/F 206 according to the program read into the DRAM 202 . When the CPU 201 detects a copy instruction, the CPU 201 receives the document as electronic data from the scanner unit 104 via the scanner I/F 208 and stores it in the DRAM 202 . The CPU 201 performs color conversion processing suitable for output on the image data stored in the DRAM 202 . The CPU 201 transfers the image data stored in the DRAM 202 to the printer unit 103 via the printer I/F 207, and executes output processing to a paper medium.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of software executed within the controller unit 101 of the MFP 100. As shown in FIG. All software executed by the controller unit 101 is executed after the CPU 201 loads the program stored in the FlashROM 211 into the DRAM 202 .

The operating system layer 321 is a layer that implements general-purpose basic functions independent of specific services. For example, it is software implemented as a Linux (registered trademark) operating system. Operating system layer 321 includes data store 302 , network controller 307 , and internet protocol controller 308 .

The service layer 320 is a layer that implements various specialized services for the MFP 100 to implement various functions. For example, it is software implemented as various services and applications running on a Linux-based operating system. The service layer 320 includes an operation control unit 301 , a job control unit 303 , an image processing unit 304 , a print processing unit 305 , a reading processing unit 306 , a service control unit 309 and an SMB control unit 310 . The service layer 320 also includes a management system notification unit 311 and a notification unit 312 .

Since the service layer 320 uses various processes of the operating system layer 321, if the operating system layer 321 malfunctions, the various processes of the service layer 320 will be affected and malfunction. Conversely, since the operating system layer 321 is independent of various processes of the service layer 320, even if the service layer 320 malfunctions, the operating system layer 321 will not malfunction. At this time, the service layer 320 is in an error state, but the operating system layer 321 is in a normal state and continues processing. Thus, the service layer 320 in this embodiment is an example of a first layer in which services are provided, and the operating system layer 321 in this embodiment is an example of a second layer that is a layer different from the first layer. is. For example, the first layer is layers such as an application layer, a presentation layer, and a session layer in the OSI reference model. The second layer is layers such as a transport layer, a network layer, a data link layer, and a physical layer in the OSI reference model.

The operation control unit 301 displays a screen image for the user on the operation unit 102, detects user operations, and executes processing associated with screen components such as buttons displayed on the screen. A data storage unit 302 stores data in the flash ROM 211 and reads the data upon request from another control unit. For example, when the user wants to change some device settings, the operation control unit 301 detects the content that the user has input to the operation unit 102, and the data storage unit 302 stores the setting values in the flash ROM 211 in response to a request from the operation control unit 301. do. The job control unit 303 controls job execution according to instructions from other control units. The image processing unit 304 processes the image data into a format suitable for each application according to instructions from the job control unit 303 . A print processing unit 305 prints and outputs an image on a paper medium via the printer I/F 207 according to an instruction from the job control unit 303 . A reading processing unit 306 reads the placed document via the scanner I/F 208 according to an instruction from the job control unit 303 .

The network control unit 307 performs network settings such as an IP address for the internet protocol control unit 308 at the time of system startup or upon detection of a setting change, according to the setting values stored in the data storage unit 302 .

The Internet protocol control unit 308 performs transmission/reception processing of network packets via the network I/F 204 according to instructions from other controls. When providing some service, the Internet protocol control unit 308 performs only low-level communication processing. It does not process data related to services, but is responsible for transferring data to other modules that perform services. Suppose that various services included in the service layer 320 have some kind of abnormality, and the service layer 320 enters an error state. Even in this case, the Internet protocol controller 308 included in the operating system layer 321 can successfully receive the communication request and record the event. That is, the Internet protocol control unit 308 in this embodiment is an example of communication recording means for recording a communication log in the operating system layer 321 .

The service control unit 309 provides a file sharing service by activating the SMB control unit 310 as a service. The service control unit 309 can receive abnormal termination information when the SMB control unit 310 terminates abnormally. In other words, the service control unit 309 in this embodiment is an example of detection means for detecting that a malfunction has occurred in a service. In a Linux-based operating system, a mechanism for acquiring abnormal termination information is realized by linking processes in a parent-child relationship. Further, the service control unit 309 may be provided with detection means for the case where the SMB control unit 310 is malfunctioning but does not terminate abnormally. Specifically, as the responsibility of the SMB control unit 310, a process for notifying the service control unit 309 of normal operation at regular time intervals is provided, and the service control unit 309 stops receiving this notification for some reason. is detected, and it is determined that a malfunction has occurred. As a phenomenon when receiving a DoS attack, it is quite conceivable that the process does not terminate abnormally, but the process stops or loops infinitely.

The SMB control unit 310 uses the Internet protocol control unit 308 to provide a file sharing service by waiting for communication requests from external devices. In other words, the SMB control unit 310 in this embodiment is an example of providing means for providing services to external devices via a network. For example, when PC 113 issues a file storage request, SMB control unit 310 receives the file storage request and file data through Internet protocol control unit 308 . The SMB control unit 310 executes the file storage request by storing the received file data in the data storage unit 302 in a file format. At this time, if the data storage unit 302 does not have enough free space to store the file data, the file storage is stopped, and a log is recorded in the data storage unit 302 indicating that the file storage has ended with an error due to the lack of free space. do.

The notification unit 312 monitors the log recorded in the data storage unit 302 and notifies the user of any event that should be notified. For example, if the data storage unit 302 records a log indicating that file saving has been terminated due to insufficient free space, this is notified. Furthermore, the notification unit 312 notifies the user of an event that a communication request is detected when a malfunction occurs in the service. In other words, the notification unit 312 in this embodiment is an example of notification means for notifying that there is a communication request to the MFP 100 from the outside. The function of the notification unit 312 when a service malfunction occurs will be described later.

Management system notification unit 311 uses Internet protocol control unit 308 to notify management application 112 and management cloud system 121 of the state of MFP 100 . This allows the administrator to remotely recognize that a problem has occurred. There are merits in that the user does not need to go directly to the device of MFP 100, and in the case of owning a large number of MFPs, it is possible to collectively check the status.

The management application 112 and the management cloud system 121 have similar roles, but are different in connection form and device configuration. Therefore, the optimum method and content of notification by the management system notification unit 311 are different. As a notification method, communication is performed as efficiently as possible. For example, when notifying the management application 112 of the device status, it is conceivable to use SNMP, which is a protocol for device management, or to use a unique simple protocol. Here, SNMP is an abbreviation for Simple Network Management Protocol.

On the other hand, for the management cloud system 121, a protocol that can be used for general purposes and that can also perform path encryption is desired in preparation for the case where a firewall or proxy server exists along the path. In this case, HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is often used. As for the contents of the notification, for example, since only this application can be used for the management application 112, the information can be processed to the minimum necessary information on the device side and sent. On the other hand, for the management cloud system 121, in addition to normal management work, the status of equipment in operation is analyzed as big data, and trends are analyzed. Raw information is desired.

FIG. 4 is a screen configuration diagram relating to notification processing. More specifically, it is the communication request screen 401 displayed on the operation unit 102 during service malfunction. The communication request screen 401 is for confirming that there is a communication request during service malfunction. A communication request list 402 displayed on the communication request screen 401 displays a list of communication request information that was in service malfunction. The communication request information includes, for example, the date and time, the IP address of the communication request source, the type of TCP or UDP, and the port number. The information notification unit 403 is used for the purpose of notifying the user using the operation unit 102 of various information detected within the device. For example, when it is detected that there is a communication request during service malfunction, a message is also displayed in this area. The information notification part 403 is an area that can be confirmed in common on each screen other than the communication request screen 401 during service malfunction.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram for implementing the processing of service layer 320 of MFP 100 . The processing flow of the service layer 320 when the MFP 100 causes service malfunction will be described with reference to FIG. All the processing executed by the MFP 100 in FIG. 5 is executed as arithmetic processing of the CPU 201 after the program stored in the FlashROM 211 is loaded into the DRAM 202 by the CPU 201 .

This processing flow starts when an abnormality occurs in the SMB control unit 310 while the SMB control unit 310 is using the Internet protocol control unit 308 to provide the file sharing service to the LAN 110 .

In S<b>1001 , the service control unit 309 detects abnormal termination of the SMB control unit 310 .

In S<b>1002 , the service control unit 309 instructs the Internet protocol control unit 308 to enable logging of the protocol corresponding to the file sharing service provided by the SMB control unit 310 .

In S<b>1003 , the service control unit 309 restarts the SMB control unit 310 . In a Linux-like operating system embodiment, this is done by restarting the process.

In S1004, the SMB control unit 310 notifies the service control unit 309 that activation has been completed.

In S1005, the service control unit 309 disables the log acquisition requested in S1002 to the Internet protocol control unit 308. FIG. When S1005 is completed, this processing flow ends.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart for implementing the processing of the operating system layer 321 of the MFP 100. As shown in FIG. The processing flow of the operating system layer 321 when the service of the MFP 100 malfunctions will be described with reference to FIG. All of the processing performed by the MFP 100 in FIG. 6 is performed as arithmetic processing by the CPU 201 after the program stored in the FlashROM 211 is loaded into the DRAM 202 by the CPU 201 .

In S<b>1101 , the Internet protocol control unit 308 detects a log acquisition request for a communication request to the SMB control unit 310 . Specifically, log acquisition of communication in the reception direction for port 445 of TCP is enabled. In this embodiment, as means for realizing the Internet protocol control unit 308, a configuration using iptables, which is standardly installed in Linux-based operating systems, is used. As a result, information on packets that have passed through the IP layer of the protocol stack can be recorded in the data storage unit 302 as a log file. In this state, when an SMB communication request is received from the outside, the Internet protocol control unit 308 can record that the SMB control unit 310 has received a communication request even if the SMB control unit 310 is not operating.

At S1102, the Internet protocol control unit 308 checks whether there is a communication request from the outside.

In S1103, the Internet protocol control unit 308 executes S1104 if a communication request from the outside is detected, and executes S1105 if not detected.

In S1104, internet protocol control unit 308 records in data storage unit 302 that there is a communication request from the outside.

In S1105, if the internet protocol control unit 308 detects a request to stop saving the log, it stops saving the log and ends this processing. Since multiple services may malfunction at the same time, this cancellation is done only for the corresponding port number of the corresponding protocol. If not detected, the process of S1102 is performed again.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for executing processing related to notification of MFP 100. As shown in FIG. A processing flow related to notification when the MFP 100 malfunctions in a service will be described with reference to FIG. 7 . All the processing executed by the MFP 100 in FIG. 7 is executed as arithmetic processing of the CPU 201 after the program stored in the FlashROM 211 is loaded into the DRAM 202 by the CPU 201 . The notification unit 312 checks whether or not there is a log of external notification requests recorded by the Internet protocol control unit 308 at regular intervals.

In S1201, the notification unit 312 detects that there is a communication request log. In this embodiment, the communication request log is recorded only during service malfunction. Therefore, detection of a communication request log means that a communication request was made during service malfunction.

In S1202, the notification unit 312 displays on the information notification unit 403 a notification to the effect that a communication request has been detected while the service malfunction is occurring. This display is for informing the user of the event that the communication request was detected during the occurrence of the service malfunction, even after the service malfunction has been resolved. Therefore, the deletion condition of this display is that a more serious error occurs when a predetermined period such as 24 hours has passed, or when it is detected that the communication request screen 401 during service malfunction has been displayed. case etc.

Furthermore, the management system notification unit 311 notifies the management application 112 and the management cloud system 121, which are notification destinations registered in advance in response to a request from the notification unit 312, of the communication request information during service malfunction.

At this time, when the user displays the service malfunctioning communication request screen 401 , communication request information recorded by the Internet protocol control unit 308 is displayed in the communication request list 402 .

According to the flow described above, even if there is a malfunction in the service, the user can confirm that there was a communication request during the malfunction. Therefore, by redoing the task for which the communication request was made, the possibility of causing serious omission of work can be avoided.

Note that in the present embodiment, an image forming apparatus has been described as an example of the MFP 100, but the present technology is generally applicable to information processing apparatuses.

In addition, in the present embodiment, a file sharing service has been described as an example, but the technology can also be applied to services that handle other documents such as Internet FAX, and services that handle various types of information that do not take the form of documents. .

[Second embodiment]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an embodiment in which the Internet protocol control unit 308 always records communication request information will be described. The present embodiment presents to the user and management cloud system 121 more detailed information such as communication requests during normal operation and service restoration time, thereby making it possible to check the state of MFP 100 more precisely. For example, in the first embodiment, there is no way to know whether or not the service has been restored at a certain point in time, but it is possible in the present embodiment.

1 to 3 have the same configuration as the first embodiment. The same reference numerals are used for the same parts as in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted. Differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described below.

FIG. 8 is a screen configuration diagram relating to notification processing according to the second embodiment. More specifically, it is a communication request log screen 501 displayed on the operation unit 102 . A communication request log screen 501 is for confirming that a communication request has been made. A communication request list 502 displays a list of communication request information. When a service malfunctions, the communication request list 502 displays information indicating when the service corresponding to which port number of which protocol stopped and restarted.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for performing processing of the service layer 320 of the MFP according to the second embodiment. A processing flow of the service layer 320 when the MFP 100 records that a service has malfunctioned in association with a communication request log will be described with reference to FIG. 9 . All of the processing performed by MFP 100 in FIG. 9 is performed as arithmetic processing of CPU 201 after CPU 201 loads the program stored in FlashROM 211 into DRAM 202 .

Internet protocol control unit 308 constantly records in data storage unit 302 incoming requests for all ports for all protocols. The management system notification unit 311 monitors service malfunction occurrence and recovery logs recorded by the service control unit 309 and communication request information recorded by the Internet protocol control unit 308 . If there is a new record, the management system notification unit 311 notifies the management cloud system 121 one by one. On the other hand, since the information is unnecessary for the management application 112 , the management system notification unit 311 does not notify the management application 112 .

This processing flow starts when an abnormality occurs in the SMB control unit 310 while the SMB control unit 310 is using the Internet protocol control unit 308 to provide the file sharing service to the LAN 110 .

In S<b>2001 , the service control unit 309 detects abnormal termination of the SMB control unit 310 .

In S2002, the service control unit 309 records in the data storage unit 302 that the file sharing service provided by the SMB control unit 310 has stopped.

In S<b>2003 , the service control unit 309 restarts the SMB control unit 310 .

In S2004, the SMB control unit 310 notifies the service control unit 309 that activation has been completed.

In S2005, the service control unit 309 records in the data storage unit 302 that the file sharing service provided by the SMB control unit 310 has been restarted. When S2005 is completed, this processing flow ends.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for executing processing of the operating system layer 321 of the MFP according to the second embodiment. The processing flow of the operating system layer 321 will be described with reference to FIG. 10 when the MFP 100 records that the service has malfunctioned in association with the log of the communication request. All of the processing performed by the MFP 100 in FIG. 10 is performed as arithmetic processing by the CPU 201 after the program stored in the FlashROM 211 is loaded into the DRAM 202 by the CPU 201 . The Internet protocol control unit 308 confirms whether or not there is a notification request from the outside at regular intervals.

At S1101, the Internet protocol control unit 308 detects a communication request from the outside.

In S1102, internet protocol control unit 308 records in data storage unit 302 that there is a communication request from the outside. The information recorded here includes at least the type of protocol indicating whether it is TCP or UDP, the number of the port, and whether it is in the receiving direction. When S1102 is completed, this processing flow ends.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for executing processing related to notification by the MFP 100 according to the second embodiment. A processing flow related to notification when the service of the MFP 100 malfunctions will be described with reference to FIG. 11 . All of the processing performed by the MFP 100 in FIG. 11 is performed as arithmetic processing by the CPU 201 after the program stored in the FlashROM 211 is loaded into the DRAM 202 by the CPU 201 . The notification unit 312 confirms whether or not there is a service malfunction occurrence and restoration log recorded by the service control unit 309 at regular intervals, and a notification request log from the outside recorded by the Internet protocol control unit 30 . .

In S2201, the notification unit 312 confirms whether or not a new service error occurrence log has been recorded.

In S2202, if the notification unit 312 detects that a new service error occurrence log has been recorded, it performs S2203. If not detected, this processing flow ends. At this time, for example, the malfunction of the file sharing service is specified.

In S2203, the notification unit 312 confirms whether or not a new communication request log has been recorded. At this time, if it is specified in S2202 that the file sharing service is malfunctioning, it is checked whether or not there is a log of the reception direction communication with respect to port 445 of TCP corresponding to the file sharing service. In this embodiment, all communication logs are recorded regardless of the malfunctioning state of the service. Therefore, there is a possibility that communication logs unrelated to the malfunctioning service are recorded. Ignore it because it is not the information you are looking for.

In S2204, if the notification unit 312 detects that there is a communication request log, it executes S2205. If not detected, S2206 is executed.

In S2205, the notification unit 312 displays on the information notification unit 503 a notification that a communication request has been detected while the service malfunction is occurring.

The communication request list 502 displays service stop/restart time information recorded in the service control unit 309 and communication request time information recorded by the Internet protocol control unit 308 . The time information is displayed as time-series integrated information according to the order of occurrence.

The display of the communication request log screen 501 may be automatically displayed on the operation unit 102 in this processing step, or may be displayed by user's operation.

Furthermore, the management system notification unit 311 notifies the management application 112, which is a notification destination registered in advance by the request from the notification unit 312, of the communication request information during service malfunction. The management system notification unit 311 always notifies the management cloud system 121 of the communication request information recorded by the Internet protocol control unit 308 regardless of this processing step. In this way, the management system notification unit 311 in this embodiment is an example of what functions as a notification selection unit that selects a notification method according to a notification destination. As a notification method, there is a method of notifying communication request information during service malfunction (first notification method), and a method of always notifying communication request information linked to time information (second notification method). . Note that the method of notifying the management application 112 and the method of notifying the management cloud system 121 may be reversed from the present embodiment.

In S2206, the notification unit 312 confirms whether or not a service failure restoration log has been recorded, and if detected, this flow ends. If not detected, S2203 is executed again.

According to the flow described above, the user can confirm that there is a communication request during the service malfunction. Furthermore, it is possible to check the service restoration time. Further, appropriate data can be transmitted between the management application 112 and the management cloud system 121 respectively.

[Other embodiments]
The present invention has been described in detail above based on its preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and includes various forms within the scope of the present invention. be Also, some of the above-described embodiments may be combined as appropriate.

In the above-described embodiment, the layer that records the communication log in the malfunctioning state of the service is the operating system layer 321, but it is not limited to this. The layer that records the communication log in the service malfunction state may be a layer different from the service layer 320 .

The present invention supplies a program that implements one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by processing to It can also be implemented by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

100 MFP
102 Operation unit 112 Management application 121 Management cloud system 308 Internet protocol control unit 309 Service control unit 310 SMB control unit 312 Notification unit 320 Service layer 321 Operating system layer

Claims (15)

a providing means for providing services to external devices on the network;
detection means for detecting that a malfunction has occurred in the service;
a communication recording means for recording a communication log in a second layer, which is a layer different from the first layer in which the service is provided;
and notification means for notifying that there is a communication request from the outside based on the communication log in the second layer when it is detected that a malfunction has occurred in the service. information processing equipment. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said communication recording means records said communication log in said second layer only during a period in which it is detected that said service malfunctions. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said communication recording means starts recording said communication log in said second layer when a malfunction occurs in said service. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the communication recording means terminates the recording of the communication log in the second layer when the malfunction of the service is resolved. The communication recording means constantly records the communication log in the second layer, the communication log during the period when the service malfunction is detected, and the period during which the service malfunction occurs. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by linking time information. The communication recording means always records the communication log in the second layer, and when a malfunction occurs in the service, links the communication log with time information during the period in which the service malfunctioned. 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: The communication recording means constantly records the communication log in the second layer, and links the communication log with the time information of the period in which the service malfunction occurs when the malfunction of the service is resolved. 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the attaching is finished. The notification method by the notification means includes a first notification method of notifying the communication log in the second layer only during a period in which malfunction of the service is detected, and a malfunction of the service. a second notification method for always notifying the communication log after associating the time information of the period with the communication log in the second layer;
2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said notification means has notification selection means for selecting said first notification method and said second notification method according to a notification destination. 3. The notification destination includes at least one of an operation unit of an information processing device, an external management application that manages the information processing device, and a management cloud system that manages the information processing device. 9. The information processing device according to 8. The operation unit further has display means for displaying the communication log,
10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said display means displays said communication log notified by said first notification method. The operation unit further has display means for displaying the communication log,
10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said display means displays said communication log notified by said second notification method. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the notification selection means selects the second notification method when notifying the management application or the management cloud system. . The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the notification selection means selects the first notification method when notifying the management application or the management cloud system. . a providing step of providing a service to an external device on the network;
a detection step of detecting that a malfunction has occurred in the service;
a communication recording step of recording a communication log in a second layer, which is a layer different from the first layer in which the service is provided;
and a notification step of notifying that there is a communication request from the outside based on the communication log in the second layer when it is detected that a malfunction has occurred in the service. information processing method. In the computer of the information processing equipment,
a providing step of providing a service to an external device on the network;
a detection step of detecting that a malfunction has occurred in the service;
a communication recording step of recording a communication log in a second layer, which is a layer different from the first layer in which the service is provided;
and a notification step of notifying that there is a communication request from the outside based on the communication log in the second layer when it is detected that the service malfunctions. A program to

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