JP4277696B2 - Information processing apparatus and directory configuration change program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus connected to a network together with a directory server that manages device information on the network. More specifically, the present invention relates to an information processing that changes a directory configuration representing a configuration status of device information managed by the directory server. Relates to the device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a system for searching for devices by registering information on devices connected to a network in a directory server and accessing the directory server. In this system, registration and update of device information managed by the directory server is normally performed by individual devices using a predetermined protocol. For example, the device itself has a function of performing registration and update. In order to make it possible to register and update information on devices that do not exist, a system has been proposed in which information on each device is acquired and that information is registered and updated in a directory server instead of the device (Patent Document 1). ).

JP 2001-202316 A

  By the way, for example, when managing a plurality of devices by a directory server in a network installed in an office of a company or the like, the directory configuration showing the configuration status of the information of the devices managed by the directory server is a form according to the organization in the company Generally, it is set to take In this case, if the organization is changed, the directory structure itself may need to be significantly changed according to the increase / decrease or movement of devices on the network. However, in the system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the directory configuration itself in the directory server cannot be easily changed as necessary. For this reason, when there is a change in the network environment in which the directory configuration changes significantly, the administrator user may be subjected to a great load due to the directory reconfiguration or device information re-registration. Further, it is not easy to reconfigure the directory structure according to the increase / decrease or movement of the device while maintaining consistency with the existing directory structure.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described technical problems, and can process a directory configuration in a directory server that manages device information when the configuration on the network is changed. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a directory configuration change program.

In one form of the present invention, an information processing apparatus connected to a network is provided together with a directory server that manages information on devices on the network. The information processing apparatus has a directory configuration that represents a configuration status of device information managed by the directory server, and means for acquiring the device information from a device connected to the network. Based on the information and the information registered in association with the nodes constituting the directory, the device information obtained, the directory configuration information, and the information registered in association with the nodes, the device Means for deriving a new directory structure by determining a node on which the server is to be arranged, and means for registering the derived new directory structure in a directory server.
In one aspect of the present invention, the device information includes the device network address information, and the information registered in association with the node should be placed directly under the node. The information on the condition of the network address of the device is included, and the means for deriving the new directory structure arranges the node immediately below the node when the network address of the device satisfies the condition of the network address of the node. A new directory structure is derived by determining as a node to be performed .
Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, there may be provided means for accepting settings and changes desired by the administrator user when deriving the new directory structure.

In another aspect of the present invention, a directory configuration change program that can be executed by an information processing apparatus connected to a network is provided together with a directory server that manages device information on the network. The directory configuration change program includes a procedure for acquiring information on a device from a device connected to the information processing apparatus on the network, and information on a device managed by the directory server from the directory server. The directory configuration information indicating the configuration status and the procedure for acquiring the information registered in association with the nodes constituting the directory, the acquired device information, the directory configuration information, and the nodes are registered in association with the nodes. Based on the obtained information, a procedure for deriving a new directory structure by determining a node where the device is to be placed and a procedure for registering the derived new directory structure in the directory server are executed.
In another mode of the present invention, the device information includes the device network address information, and the information registered in association with the node is disposed immediately below the node. Information on the condition of the network address of the device to be included, and the procedure for deriving the new directory structure is that when the network address of the device satisfies the condition of the network address of the node, the node immediately below the node is Includes a procedure for deriving a new directory structure by determining as a node to be placed .
Furthermore, in another embodiment of the present invention, the procedure for deriving the new directory structure may include a procedure for accepting settings and changes desired by the administrator user.
In still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a directory configuration changing method that is executed in an information processing apparatus connected to a network together with a directory server that manages device information on the network. The directory configuration changing method includes a step of acquiring information on a device from a device connected on the network, and a directory configuration representing a configuration status of information on a device managed by the directory server from the directory server. And the step of acquiring the information registered in association with the node constituting the directory and the information of the acquired device, the directory configuration information, and the information registered in association with the node, Deriving a new directory structure by determining a node on which a device is to be placed, and registering the derived new directory structure in a directory server.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the device information includes device network address information, and the information registered in association with the node is arranged immediately below the node. Information on the condition of the network address of the device to be performed, and the step of deriving the new directory structure includes the step of determining a node immediately below the node when the network address of the device satisfies the condition of the network address of the node. Deriving a new directory structure by determining the device as a node to be placed .
Furthermore, in still another embodiment of the present invention, the step of deriving the new directory structure may include a step of accepting settings and changes desired by the administrator user.

  According to the present invention, both the device information on the network and the directory configuration information on the directory server are acquired, so that an administrator user does not need to make troublesome changes according to increase / decrease or movement of devices on the network. The directory structure itself can be easily changed. Further, in the course of the directory configuration change process, it is possible to accept settings and changes from the administrator user as necessary, and a highly flexible directory configuration change can be realized.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network to which information processing terminals according to an embodiment of the present invention are connected. The network 100 includes information processing terminals 10A and 10B, a directory server 20, a color printer 30, and a multi-function device ("MFP" in the figure) 40 having a plurality of functions such as a printing function, a copying function, and a scanning function. have. Each component is connected via the network bus 50 and can transmit and receive data to and from each other.
In addition to the one shown in FIG. 1, an information processing terminal, a printing apparatus, or other devices may be connected to the network 100.

  The directory server 20 has a function of managing various information including management information (device name, network address, service content, user information), employee information, and the like regarding other devices connected to the network 100. A directory structure having a hierarchical structure is adopted to manage these pieces of information. The directory server 20 can refer to the directory configuration in response to a request from a predetermined device, and return the location and information related to the resource corresponding to the device name, for example. As this directory server 20, for example, a general-purpose computer can be used.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of the information processing terminal 10A. This information processing terminal 10A is based on a program such as an operating system (OS) that is basic software, and includes a CPU 1 that controls each component in the information processing terminal 10A and a boot program that is executed when the information processing terminal 10A is activated. ROM 2 for recording, RAM 3 used as a buffer area of a work area necessary for program execution, a hard disk (“HD” in the figure) 4 for storing the OS, application programs, and various data, and other devices ( And an interface unit (“I / F” in the figure) 5 for transmitting / receiving various data to / from the information processing terminal 10B, directory server 20, printer 30, MFP 40, and the like. Although not particularly illustrated, the information processing terminal 10A is, for example, a monitor display, a CD-ROM drive, a floppy (registered trademark) disk drive, or a keyboard or mouse that can visually display various information such as application screens. It may have a configuration of an input device or the like.

Note that the OS and application programs that are the basis of sequence control by the CPU 1 are stored in the hard disk 4. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and these programs are, for example, a CD-ROM 8 or a floppy (registered trademark) disk 9. May be stored in the external recording medium and read out in a timely manner.
Although not specifically shown, the information processing terminal 10B basically has the same configuration as the information processing terminal 10A, and further description thereof is omitted here.

  In this embodiment, the information processing terminal 10 </ b> A has a function of changing the directory configuration in the directory server 20, and the directory configuration can be easily changed according to the change in the configuration of the network 100. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing functions of the information processing terminal 10 </ b> A set to change the directory configuration in the directory server 20. The information processing terminal 10A has a device search function 11, a device information acquisition function 12, a directory information acquisition function 13, a directory configuration derivation function 14, a directory registration function 15, and a user setting input function 16. .

  When changing the directory configuration in the directory server 20, the information processing terminal 10 </ b> A first detects a device (information processing terminal 10 </ b> B, printer 30, MFP 40) connected to the network 100 using the device search function 11. Next, the information processing terminal 10A uses the device information acquisition function 12 to detect the ID (device name, network address, service content, user information, etc.) for the device (information processing terminal 10B, printer 30, MFP 40) detected. Management information is requested (arrow a), and in response to this request, management information is provided from the device (arrow b).

  Furthermore, the information processing terminal 10A uses the directory information acquisition function 13 to inform the directory server 20 of the directory configuration information indicating the configuration status of the device information managed by the directory server, and the actually registered information (registration). Information) (arrow c), and in response to this request, directory configuration information and registration information are provided from the directory server 20 (arrow d). Subsequently, the information processing terminal 10 </ b> A derives an appropriate directory configuration by the directory configuration deriving function 14 based on the information acquired from the device and the directory server 20. Details of the derivation of the directory structure will be described later. Finally, the information processing terminal 10A registers the derived directory configuration and registration information in the directory server by using the directory registration function 15 (arrow e), whereby the directory configuration in the directory server 20 is changed.

  Further, in order to change the directory structure derived by the directory structure deriving function 15, the information processing terminal 10 </ b> A is set with a user setting input function 16 that can accept settings by an administrator user. Further, although not shown in particular, corresponding to the device information acquisition function 12 and the directory information acquisition function 13 on the information processing terminal 10A side, the device side acquires device information from the information processing terminal 10A in addition to the device original function. A function for sending management information in response to a request is set.

  The functions set in the information processing terminal 10 are realized by executing predetermined programs installed in the hard disk 4.

FIG. 4 shows an example of device management information. In this example, the management information includes an ID, a device name, a network address, and service contents. The upper and lower management information shown in FIG. 4 corresponds to the management information of the color printer 30 and MFP 40 shown in FIG. 1, respectively. As an ID of management information for identifying each device, a physical address (MAC (Media Access Control) address) unique to a network card (not shown) installed in each device is used so that duplication does not occur.
In addition, it is preferable that the management information of the device can be automatically generated in each device in order to save labor for the administrator user.

  FIG. 5 schematically shows a directory structure having a hierarchical structure managed in the directory server 20. Circles “●” and “◯” in the figure represent directory nodes, and a straight line connecting the nodes represents the vertical relationship between the nodes. Starting from the highest route (“root” in the figure), various information is registered in each node together with an identification name. As can be seen from FIG. 5, for example, “Ichiro Tanaka” belongs to KM Corporation, Development Department, Development 1 Division located in Japan (JP). The directory structure may be arbitrarily set, but normally, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, a structure having a hierarchical structure according to the organization in the company is used.

Assuming the directory structure shown in FIG. 5, consider a case where a new device (for example, a color printer) is introduced in “Development 1”. That is, in FIG. 1, it is considered that the color printer 30 is a newly introduced device. Regarding the management information of the color printer 30, as shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that the ID is “PRT123456” and the device name is “MODEL A-1”. The color printer 30 prepares management information automatically or manually by an administrator user, and then detects the request by the device information acquisition function 12 of the information processing terminal 10A when detected by the device search function 11 of the information processing terminal 10A. In response, the management information is transmitted to the information processing terminal 10A.
In this case, if there is an information request from the information processing terminal 10A to the color printer 30 when the management information is not prepared, the information request is transmitted to the information processing terminal 10A that the information is being prepared. May be set on the color printer 30 side.

  The information processing terminal 10 arranges a node corresponding to the color printer 30 on the directory configuration based on the management information acquired from the color printer 30 and the directory configuration information acquired from the directory server 20 by the directory configuration derivation function 14. Decide. Here, a method for allocating nodes corresponding to the color printer 30 using a network address already assigned to a department will be described. That is, it is assumed that a network address is set in “Development 1 Section” and this network address is already registered in the “Development 1 Section” node in the directory structure. Normally, a continuous range is assigned as a network address registered in each node, and in this case, the address range is “192.168.100.1” to “192.168.100.254”. . On the other hand, it is determined from the management information of the color printer 30 that the network address is “192.168.100.10”. The information processing terminal 10A determines from the address structure derivation function 14 that the color printer 30 exists in “Development 1 Section” from these address information, and arranges the corresponding node immediately below “Development 1 Section”. Set the directory structure as follows. Then, the directory configuration set in this way is newly set in the directory server 20 by the directory registration function 15 of the information processing terminal 10A. FIG. 6 schematically shows a directory structure in which nodes corresponding to the color printer 30 are newly set.

  As another example, consider a case where the color printer 30 is moved from “Development 1 Section” to “Development 2 Section”. The range of the network address assigned to the node of “Development 2” is “192.168.200.1” to “192.168.200.254”, and the network address set in the color printer 30 is “192”. .168.200.50 ". In this situation, according to the directory structure derivation function 15 of the information processing terminal 10A, the color printer 30 uses the ID of the color printer 30 from the acquired information as identification information, and the color printer 30 changes from “Development 1” to “Development 2”. It is recognized that the directory structure information has been moved, and after deleting the corresponding node directly under “Development 1 Section”, the directory configuration information is set assuming that the area directly under Development 2 is appropriate. FIG. 7 schematically shows a directory structure in which a node corresponding to the color printer 30 is newly set when the color printer 30 is moved from “Development 1 Section” to “Development 2 Section”.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, for example, when the directory configuration in the directory server 20 needs to be changed in accordance with the change in the network configuration accompanying the organizational change, the device and the directory server 20 respectively By acquiring information and directory structure information, a new directory structure can be automatically derived, and can be easily handled without requiring a burden on the administrator user.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments, and it goes without saying that various improvements and design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the network address assigned to the department is used as a condition for determining the arrangement of the node corresponding to the device to be newly changed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The node corresponding to the device to be changed is always placed directly under the node corresponding to that server, or the node associated with the specific administrator user is associated with the department to which the user belongs. A node corresponding to the device to be changed may be arranged directly under the node.

In the above-described embodiment, the method of automatically deriving the directory structure has been described. However, even if there is an optimum condition determined in advance, only the portion where the administrator user exists in the process of deriving the directory structure. It is also possible to make different settings for.
For example, before applying the directory structure derived by the directory structure deriving function 14, it is also possible to present the contents of the structure to the administrator user so that changes by the administrator user can be accepted.

It is a figure which shows the network with which the information processing terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention was connected. It is a block diagram which shows the basic composition of an information processing terminal. It is explanatory drawing showing the function of the information processing terminal set up to change the directory in a directory server. It is a figure which shows an example of the management information of a device. It is a figure which shows typically the directory structure which makes | forms the hierarchical structure managed within a directory server. It is a figure which shows typically the directory structure in which the node corresponding to a color printer was newly set. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a directory structure in which nodes corresponding to color printers are newly set when a color printer is moved from “Development 1 Section” to “Development 2 Section”.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... CPU
2 ... ROM
3 ... RAM
4 ... HD
5 ... I / F
8 ... CD-ROM
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 ... Floppy disk 10A, 10B ... Information processing terminal 11 ... Device search function 12 ... Device information acquisition function 13 ... Directory information acquisition function 14 ... Directory structure derivation function 15 ... Directory registration function 16 ... User setting input function 20 ... Directory server 30 ... Printer 40 ... MFP
100 ... Network

Claims (6)

In an information processing apparatus connected to a network together with a directory server that manages information on devices on the network,
Means for acquiring information of the device from devices connected on the network;
Means for acquiring, from the directory server, information on a directory structure representing a configuration status of information on devices managed by the directory server, and information registered in association with nodes constituting the directory;
Means for deriving a new directory structure by determining a node on which the device should be placed based on the acquired device information, directory structure information, and information registered in association with a node;
Means for registering the derived new directory structure in a directory server;
Have,
The device information includes the device network address information,
The information registered in association with the above node includes information on the condition of the network address of the device to be placed directly under the node,
The means for deriving the new directory structure determines a new directory by determining a node immediately below the node as a node where the device is to be placed when the network address of the device satisfies the condition of the network address of the node. An information processing apparatus characterized by deriving a configuration . 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for accepting settings and changes desired by an administrator user when deriving the new directory structure . Information processing devices connected to the network together with a directory server that manages device information on the network
A procedure for acquiring information on the device from the devices connected to the network;
A procedure for acquiring from the directory server information on a directory structure that represents a configuration status of information on devices managed by the directory server, and information registered in association with nodes constituting the directory;
A procedure for deriving a new directory structure by determining a node on which the device is to be placed based on the acquired device information, directory structure information, and information registered in association with a node;
A procedure for registering the derived new directory structure in the directory server;
And execute
The device information includes the device network address information,
The information registered in association with the above node includes information on the condition of the network address of the device to be placed directly under the node,
The procedure for deriving the new directory structure is that, when the network address of the device satisfies the condition of the network address of the node, the new directory structure is determined by determining the node immediately below the node as the node where the device is to be placed. A directory structure change program characterized by including a procedure for deriving a structure. 4. The directory structure changing program according to claim 3, wherein the procedure for deriving the new directory structure includes a procedure for accepting settings and changes desired by an administrator user . In a directory configuration change method executed in an information processing apparatus connected to a network together with a directory server that manages information on devices on the network,
Obtaining information on the device from devices connected on the network;
Obtaining, from the directory server, information of a directory configuration representing a configuration status of information of a device managed by the directory server, and information registered in association with a node constituting the directory;
Deriving a new directory structure by determining a node on which the device should be placed based on the acquired device information, directory structure information, and information registered in association with a node;
Registering the derived new directory structure in the directory server;
Have
The device information includes the device network address information,
The information registered in association with the above node includes information on the condition of the network address of the device to be placed directly under the node,
In the step of deriving the new directory structure, when the network address of the device satisfies the condition of the network address of the node, a new directory is determined by determining a node immediately below the node as a node where the device is to be placed. A directory structure changing method comprising a step of deriving a structure. 6. The directory structure changing method according to claim 5, wherein the step of deriving the new directory structure includes a step of accepting settings and changes desired by the administrator user .

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