JP4322164B2 - Network device management system and network device management device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a network device management system including network devices, particularly office devices such as printers, facsimiles, scanners, and the like, and management devices connected to such network devices, and a management device for such a system. The present invention relates to a network device management apparatus.

  In recent years, office devices such as copiers, facsimiles, scanners, and printers, as well as various office devices such as multifunction devices that integrate these functions, have been systematized and used as network devices connected to a network. In a medium-scale or large-scale system, a considerable number of office devices are connected to the network. For example, in a system used in a large organization, it is not uncommon for 100 or 1000 office devices to be connected.

  By the way, the conventional networked office devices are generally managed individually. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a conventional system in which a plurality of office devices are connected to a network. In such a conventional system, each office device (printer 3, multifunction device 4, facsimile 5, scanner 6) is connected to a network NW such as a LAN line and can communicate with each other. Regardless, for example, when troubles such as running out of toner, running out of paper, and paper jam occur, maintenance inspection and supply of supplies are performed for each office device.

  For example, in the conventional system as shown in FIG. 10, when the user of the personal computer (PC) 2 causes the printer 3 with the office device name A to print a document, the printer 3 runs out of toner. The printer 3 stops when the toner runs out. In such a case, the user of the personal computer 2 contacts the manager by telephone or the like and requests replenishment of toner in the printer 3 or replacement of the toner cartridge. At that time, the administrator is notified of the name of the device and the content of the failure (in this case, the toner has run out). The administrator who has received this notification brings the toner, goes to the place where the printer 3 is installed, replenishes the toner or replaces the toner cartridge, and the trouble is solved.

  However, it is premised that the communication between the user of the personal computer 2 and the administrator is smoothly performed to solve the above-described failure. Specifically, in the above-described case, the name of the office device (in this case, the printer 3) and the content of the failure (in this case, the toner has run out) need to be appropriately transmitted by telephone communication or the like. For example, the supplies such as toner and ink for the three office devices (printer 3, multifunction device 4, facsimile 5) shown in FIG. 10 are likely to be of different types. For this reason, when the name of the office device is not properly communicated, the administrator brings three types of toner and ink suitable for each of the three types of office devices (printer 3, multifunction device 4, facsimile 5). Or, it becomes necessary to reconfirm the user of the personal computer 2 more specifically. As described above, in the conventional system that individually manages each office device, the management cost is high and the burden on the administrator is large.

  It is to be noted that a coping method in which supplies such as toner are stocked in the vicinity of each office device, for example, between the office device and a wall is also generally performed. However, this method also has security problems, and it is necessary for the office equipment manager to circulate all the office equipment installation places to manage these supplies. In any case, managing the office equipment individually has a large management cost and burden on the administrator.

  The method of individually managing office devices as described above does not cause much problem when the number of office devices to be managed is small. However, when there are a large number of office devices to be managed and when it is necessary to manage a large number of office devices, the conventional management method as described above is extremely inefficient.

  For example, when the number of office devices to be managed is as large as 100 or 1000, not only the names of office devices but also information on the buildings and floors on which the devices are installed must be appropriately transmitted. In such a state, it is considered that the number of cases in which an appropriate response cannot be obtained only by communication between humans between the user and the administrator.

  By the way, the difference between office devices such as printers, facsimiles, and multifunction devices as network devices as described above differs from other types of network devices such as network storage devices and router devices. This is a device that handles media (paper, toner, ink, etc.). Therefore, compared to other network devices, in office devices such as printers, facsimiles, multifunction devices, etc., when the above-mentioned physical medium is exhausted, or when the physical medium fails, it is physically Is necessary. For example, when the printer or copier runs out of toner, it is necessary for humans to replenish the toner or replace the toner cartridge. If a paper jam occurs, it must be removed manually. Treatment is required.

  On the other hand, in other network devices such as the above-mentioned network storage device, the network administrator deletes unnecessary files by remote control even when a failure such as the storage capacity becoming full occurs. By taking such measures, it is possible to perform urgent measures quickly without requiring the administrator to go to the place where the device is installed for most obstacles. Of course, in this case as well, it is needless to say that it is necessary to take measures such as expanding the storage capacity as a permanent measure, but from the standpoint of minimizing downtime, it is possible to minimize it by remote control using the network. Even if it is limited, the advantage of being able to take an urgent response is great.

On the other hand, in the above-described office devices such as printers, facsimiles, and multi-function machines, there is often a failure in which a necessary action cannot be taken unless an administrator goes to each installation location. In this case, there is a downtime in which the office device cannot be used until the administrator or the like who can respond goes to the location where the troubled office device is installed and the response is completed. Therefore, the downtime of office equipment that handles such physical media must be longer than other network equipment.
JP 2003-316667 A

  As a conventional technique for solving the above-described problem, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention for efficiently replenishing supplies of office equipment as network equipment. In this prior art, in a system for managing office devices connected to each other on a network, when a failure occurs in any of the devices, the user is contacted to the service man, and the service man is displayed on the device map. The device information is acquired from the management server by specifying the ID of the device. Therefore, in this prior art, only information on the device designated by the service person can be obtained, and comprehensive information on the devices of the entire system cannot be obtained.

  The reason why it is not possible to obtain comprehensive information about the devices of the entire system in the prior art disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is considered to be a large reason for the management system for maintenance companies. That is, when the service person receives a notification of the occurrence of a failure from the user, the main purpose is for the service person to check the office device in which the failure has occurred. Therefore, in the prior art described in Patent Document 1, although the convenience of a contractor who mainly delivers office equipment and performs subsequent maintenance management is improved, from the viewpoint of improving usability from the user side (usability). It is unlikely that the above problems will be solved.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. Management of equipment in order to minimize downtime of an office equipment as a network equipment, that is, time required for recovery when a fault occurs. The main purpose is to improve the efficiency of system management by improving the usability of the system that performs control and monitoring. A specific object of the present invention is to provide a network device management system for achieving such an object and a network device management device as a management device of such a system.

  More specifically, the present invention collects and displays information on office equipment as network equipment scattered on the office network on a single server (office equipment management device), thereby providing office equipment for the entire office. It is an object of the present invention to provide a network device management system and a network device management apparatus that can grasp the situation of the network and enable comprehensive management of network devices of the entire network.

  In addition, when displaying network device information for the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention displays it in a list format that can be easily and quickly understood by humans, thereby improving the visibility of humans managing network devices and improving management efficiency. An object of the present invention is to provide a network device management system and a network device management apparatus that can be used.

  Furthermore, the present invention includes a status display indicating the status of a device including a failure occurrence of each network device in the displayed network device information when displaying in a list format for the above-described purposes, thereby causing a toner outage, a failure occurrence, etc. It is an object of the present invention to provide a network device management system and a network device management apparatus that can promptly and accurately cope with the occurrence of a failure by displaying the above information on a display device.

  Further, the present invention is set to prohibit the use of a tray, for example, by displaying the setting status of each device on the display device including information that can be arbitrarily set for each network device in the information of the network device. In such cases, information such as the nickname of the network device, the date of introduction, and remarks should be included so that an appropriate response can be made to the trouble such as trying to feed paper from the tray. An object of the present invention is to provide a network device management system and a network device management apparatus that can improve the management efficiency and quality of network devices.

  Further, the present invention is to quickly extract a target network device and display the information by narrowing down the network device under some condition in a system in which a large number (at least two) of network devices are connected to the network. It is an object of the present invention to provide a network device management system and a network device management apparatus capable of improving management efficiency.

  Further, according to the present invention, as a condition for extracting network equipment, for example, when network equipment is managed for each department in a large organization, each network equipment is grouped for each department, and a network belonging to a designated group An object of the present invention is to provide a network device management system and a network device management apparatus capable of quickly extracting devices and displaying the information and improving management efficiency.

  Furthermore, the present invention uses information (for example, manufacturer name, model name, IP address, MAC address, etc.) previously assigned to each network device as a condition for extracting the network device, as described above. Network device management system and network device management apparatus capable of quickly extracting a specific network device under a predetermined condition and displaying the information without the need of grouping and registering and improving management efficiency The purpose is to provide.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, as a condition for extracting network devices, it is possible to narrow down strictly by extracting network devices according to whether or not the information given in advance to each network device completely matches. In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a network device management system and a network device management apparatus that enable flexible narrowing down by extracting network devices according to whether or not they partially match.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides a network device management system that can narrow down more flexibly by performing regular expression matching on information previously given to each network device as a condition for extracting network devices. It is another object of the present invention to provide a network device management apparatus.

A network device management system according to the present invention includes a network device connected to a network via a communication unit, a network device connected via a communication unit, and device information of the network device via the communication unit. In a network device management system including an information acquisition means for acquiring identification information uniquely identified on a network and a network device management apparatus provided with a display means, the network device is in its own state including a failure occurrence. Status information indicating , location information regarding the installation location, and means for storing incidental information including management information regarding the introduction date, maintenance date, and part replacement date in the database, and status information stored in the database the supplementary information through the communication means to send to the network And means, the network device management apparatus includes means for receiving the status information and supplementary information that are sent from the network device via the network, the state information and supplementary information received, the state information and supplementary information Storage means for associating and storing the transmitted network device identification information and device information in a database, and a network in which the state information is in a predetermined state based on information on a plurality of network devices stored in the storage means equipment, or maintenance due date of the management information in which the supplementary information includes, means for extracting the network device maintenance cycle is imminent based on replacement date of the part, of the information the storage means is storing said means contacting the extracted information of the network device to said display means and / or the network Characterized by comprising a data converting means for converting a data format that can be displayed on the display device being.

The network device management apparatus according to the present invention is connected to a network via communication means, and acquires information about device information of the network device connected to the network and identification information uniquely identified on the network. In the network device management apparatus including an acquisition unit and a display unit, the communication unit includes status information indicating a status of the device including a failure occurrence stored in the network device , and a position related to the installation location of the device. information and introduction date, maintenance due date, Yes so as to receive the additional information including the management information about the replacement date of the part, the information acquiring unit acquires identification information, device information, and the received state information and supplementary information storage means for storing in a database in association with, a plurality of the storage means is storing Internet Network equipment whose status information is in a predetermined state, or network equipment whose maintenance cycle is approaching based on the maintenance date of the management information and the replacement date of parts included in the incidental information is extracted Among the information stored in the storage means and the information stored in the storage means , the network device information extracted by the means is in a data format that can be displayed on the display means and / or the display device connected to the network. And a data conversion means for conversion.

In such a network device management system and network device management apparatus according to the present invention, status information indicating the status of the device including the failure occurrence transmitted by the network device via the network , position information regarding the installation location of the device, and The incidental information including the management date related to the introduction date, the latest maintenance timing, and the part replacement date is stored in the database in association with the status information and the identification information and device information of the network device that transmitted the incidental information . Then, the network device management device is approaching the information on each network device stored in the database , especially the network device in a predetermined state, for example, the state where a failure has occurred or the remaining amount of consumable parts is low, or the maintenance cycle. It is possible to appropriately display information on the network device being displayed on the display means and / or the display device connected to the network.

  The network device management system according to the present invention is the network device management system invention described above, wherein the data conversion means associates the device information and identification information of the network device stored in the storage means in a list format. It is configured to convert to a data format to be displayed.

  The network device management apparatus according to the present invention is the network device management device invention described above, wherein the data conversion means associates device information and identification information of the network device stored in the storage means in a list format. It is configured to convert to a data format to be displayed.

  In the network device management system and the network device management apparatus according to the present invention as described above, in the above-described invention, the device information and identification information of the network device stored in the storage unit are displayed in a list format in association with each other.

  The network device management system according to the present invention is the network device management system according to any one of the above-described network device management systems, wherein the network device management apparatus further includes arbitrary information receiving means for receiving information that can be arbitrarily set in the network device, The means is configured to store the information received by the arbitrary information receiving means in association with the identification information of the network device.

  The network device management apparatus according to the present invention further includes arbitrary information receiving means for receiving information that can be arbitrarily set in the network device in each of the above-described network device management apparatuses, and the storage means receives the arbitrary information The information received by the means is configured to be stored in association with the identification information of the network device.

  In such a network device management system and network device management apparatus according to the present invention, in each of the above-described inventions, the information received by the arbitrary information receiving unit is stored in the storage unit in association with the identification information of the network device.

  The network device management system according to the present invention is the network device management system according to any one of the above-described network device management systems, wherein the network device management apparatus extracts arbitrary information from information on a plurality of network devices stored in the storage unit. Means for converting information including information extracted by the extracting means out of information stored in the storage means into a data format displayed in a list format. It is characterized by being.

  The network device management apparatus according to the present invention further includes an extraction unit that extracts arbitrary information from information on a plurality of network devices stored in the storage unit in each of the above-described network device management devices, and the data The converting means is configured to convert information including information extracted by the extracting means out of information stored in the storing means into a data format displayed in a list format.

  In the network device management system and the network device management apparatus according to the present invention as described above, in each of the above-described inventions, information including information extracted by the extraction means among the information stored in the storage means is displayed in a list format. .

  Furthermore, the network device management system according to the present invention is the network device management system invention described above, wherein the network device management apparatus further comprises group identifier receiving means for receiving input of arbitrary group identifiers to be assigned to the plurality of network devices. The storage unit is configured to store the group identifier received by the group identifier reception unit in association with identification information for identifying each network device, and the data conversion unit includes: The information including the same group identifier in the stored information is converted into a data format displayed in a list format.

  Further, the network device management apparatus according to the present invention further comprises group identifier receiving means for receiving an input of an arbitrary group identifier to be assigned to the plurality of network devices in the invention of the network device management apparatus described above, and the storage means The group identifier received by the group identifier receiving unit is stored in association with identification information for identifying each network device, and the data conversion unit is configured to store the information stored in the storage unit. The information including the same group identifier is converted to a data format displayed in a list format.

  In such a network device management system and a network device management apparatus according to the present invention, in the above-described invention, information including the same group identifier among the information stored in the storage means is displayed in a list format.

  Still further, the network device management system according to the present invention is the network device management system invention described above, wherein the network device management apparatus includes search information receiving means for receiving input of information for searching for network devices, and the storage means. A determination unit for determining whether at least one of the stored device information or identification information completely or partially matches the information received by the search information receiving unit; The data conversion unit is configured to convert information including information determined by the determination unit to match data stored in the storage unit into a data format displayed in a list format. It is characterized by that.

  Still further, the network device management apparatus according to the present invention is the above-described network device management device invention, wherein search information receiving means for receiving input of information for searching for a network device and device information stored in the storage means or Determination means for determining whether at least one of the identification information matches the information received by the search information receiving means completely or partially matches, and the data conversion means comprises: The information stored in the storage means is configured to convert information including information determined by the determination means to be matched to a data format displayed in a list format.

  In such a network device management system and a network device management apparatus according to the present invention, in the above-described invention, information including information determined by the determination unit among the information stored in the storage unit is displayed in a list format. Is done.

  Furthermore, the network device management system according to the present invention is the above-described network device management system invention, wherein the determination unit uses a regular expression pattern for information stored in the storage unit and information received by the search information reception unit. It is characterized by determining by matching.

  Furthermore, the network device management apparatus according to the present invention is the above-described network device management device invention, wherein the determination means uses a regular expression pattern for information stored in the storage means and information received by the search information reception means. It is characterized by determining by matching.

  In such a network device management system and a network device management apparatus according to the present invention, in the above-described invention, the information stored in the storage means and the information received by the search information receiving means are determined by pattern matching using a regular expression. .

  According to the network device management system and the network device management apparatus according to the present invention, the information on the network devices scattered on the network is collected and displayed on one network device management device. This makes it possible to perform comprehensive management.

  In addition, according to the network device management system and the network device management apparatus according to the present invention, since the information of the network device is displayed in a list format that is easy for humans to understand, human visibility is improved and management efficiency is also improved.

  Further, according to the network device management system and the network device management apparatus according to the present invention, information on the status of each network device, for example, out of toner, failure occurrence, etc. is displayed in the displayed network device information. It is possible to deal with the problem quickly and accurately.

  Furthermore, according to the network device management system and the network device management apparatus according to the present invention, for example, when it is set to prohibit the use of a tray, there is a problem such as trying to feed paper from the tray. It is possible to improve management efficiency and management quality of network devices by including information such as nicknames of network devices, dates of introduction, remarks, etc. so that appropriate measures can be taken.

  Further, according to the network device management system and the network device management apparatus according to the present invention, in a system in which a large number (at least two) of network devices are connected to the network, the target network is narrowed down by some condition. Since equipment is quickly extracted and its information is displayed, management efficiency can be improved.

  Furthermore, according to the network device management system and the network device management apparatus according to the present invention, as a condition for extracting network devices, for example, when network devices are managed for each department in a large organization, each network device Are grouped for each department, network devices belonging to the designated group are quickly extracted and their information is displayed, so that the management efficiency can be improved.

  Furthermore, according to the network device management system and the network device management apparatus according to the present invention, information (for example, manufacturer name, model name, IP address, etc.) given in advance to each network device as a condition for extracting the network device. By using a MAC address or the like, it is possible to quickly extract a specific network device and display the information under a predetermined condition without the need for grouped registration as described above, thereby improving management efficiency. be able to.

  Furthermore, according to the network device management system and the network device management apparatus according to the present invention, as a condition for extracting the network device, the network is determined depending on whether or not it completely matches the information previously given to each network device. Extraction of devices enables strict narrowing, and extraction of network devices according to whether or not they partially match allows flexible narrowing down.

  Furthermore, according to the network device management system and the network device management apparatus according to the present invention, as a condition for extracting the network device, matching with regular expressions is performed on information previously given to each network device. It becomes possible to narrow down more flexibly.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings illustrating embodiments thereof. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a network device management system according to the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a network 3W using a LAN line or the like includes a printer 3 (office equipment name A), a multifunction machine 4 (office equipment name B), a facsimile machine 5 (office equipment name C), and a scanner 6 (office equipment) as network equipment. An office device such as name D) is connected, and a personal computer (PC) 2 capable of controlling these office devices 3, 4, 5, 6 via the network NW is also connected. Furthermore, the network NW is connected with an office equipment management apparatus 1 as a network equipment management apparatus according to the present invention for managing the office equipment 3, 4, 5, 6 described above.

  In FIG. 1, one of the above four types of office devices is shown, but a larger number of the same type of office devices may be connected, and other types of network devices may be used. Office equipment such as a register may be connected. The LAN line is exemplified as a bus type, but it goes without saying that it may be a star type, a ring type, or the like.

  The office device management apparatus 1 is a general-purpose computer system in which software for managing office devices such as the multifunction machine 4 is installed, but it can of course be configured as a dedicated computer system. Therefore, by installing software (in one of a plurality of personal computers) on a personal computer 2 conventionally connected to the network NW without installing a new office device management apparatus 1, office devices Of course, it is possible to make it function as the management apparatus 1.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of the office device management apparatus 1 as the network device management apparatus according to the present invention and each office device. In FIG. 2, only the multi-function device 4 of the five office devices shown in FIG. 1 is illustrated. As for the internal configuration of the multifunction device 4 as an office device, FIG. 2 shows only the portion related to the present invention, and the unique hardware configuration and software functions as the office device (in this case, the multifunction device 4). Etc. are omitted.

  The office equipment management apparatus 1 communicates with office equipment such as the multifunction machine 4 using some communication means by using installed software (hereinafter referred to as office equipment management software). The office device management apparatus 1 first collects identification information (IP address, MAC address, etc.) for identifying each office device on the network and device information (manufacturer name, model name, etc.) of each office device. As a result, information regarding all office devices connected to the network is obtained. Thereafter, the state of each office device such as the multifunction machine 4 is collected in real time or near real time, and managed in association with identification information for specifying each office device.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the office device management apparatus 1 includes a network module 11 serving as a communication unit that manages communication with a network, and an interface that physically connects the network module 11 to a network NW. 19 and a record management module 12 as information acquisition means for processing various information of each office equipment received by the network module 11 from the network and recording and managing the results in the office equipment information database 13 as storage means. And an office equipment information database 13 as storage means for recording information processed by the record management module 12.

  Further, the office device management apparatus 1 includes an input module 17 as an arbitrary information receiving unit connected to the office device information database 13. The input module 17 has a function of processing additional information regarding each office device input by, for example, an administrator operating the input device 18 such as a keyboard and adding the information to the stored contents of the office device information database 13. .

  The office device management apparatus 1 includes an extraction module 14 as an extraction unit connected to the office device information database 13 and a display generation module 15 as a data conversion unit connected to the extraction module 14. The extraction module 14 has a function of extracting information stored in the office device information database 13 in accordance with, for example, information input by an administrator operating the input device 18 described above. The display generation module 15 converts the information extracted by the extraction module 14 into a data format that can be displayed on the display device 16 attached to the office device management apparatus 1 and outputs the data to the display device. Information extracted from the device information database 13 is displayed on the display device 16.

  Since the data after conversion by the display generation module 15 is in a data format that can be displayed on another general computer display device, it is transmitted from the display generation module 15 to the network NW via the network module 11. By this, it is possible to display on other display devices connected to the network NW, particularly the display device of the personal computer 2. As a realistic configuration, since one user among a plurality of personal computers connected to the network NW is often an administrator, the administrator is not usually the office device management apparatus 1, It is possible to see a display similar to the display state of the display device 16 of the office device management apparatus 1 on the display device of the personal computer dedicated to itself.

  Of the components of the office device management apparatus 1 as described above, the input device 18, office device information database 13, display device 16, interface 19 and the like are hardware, but other network modules 11, The record management module 12, the extraction module 14, the display generation module 15, the input module 17, and the like are functional modules realized by office equipment management software. Each of these functional modules and hardware is controlled according to the office equipment management software by the control module 10 which is a functional module realized by the office equipment management software. However, in terms of hardware, each functional module including the control module 10 is realized by a CPU or MPU (not shown) executing office device management software preinstalled in a hard disk or ROM (not shown). Yes, it is similar to a general-purpose computer system.

  On the other hand, each office device has a network module 41 that manages communication with the network NW and an interface that physically connects the network module 41 to the network NW, as shown in FIG. 44, a device information distribution module 42, and an office device database 43 in which various pieces of information related to the respective office devices are stored in advance. As described above, it goes without saying that each office device is provided with hardware and software functions specific to each office device, and is provided in the above-described multifunction device 4 as the office device. The network module 41, the device information distribution module 42, and the office device database 43 all show only hardware elements and software functions related to the present invention.

  In such a system of the present invention, specifically, the device information distribution module 42 interfaces the network module 41 with various information stored in the office device database 43 provided in the multi-function device 4 that is an office device. The data is transmitted to the network NW via the face 44 and received by the network module 11 of the office equipment management apparatus 1 via the interface 19. The reception management result is processed by the record management module 12, and the processing result is recorded and stored in the office equipment information database 13.

  Since the input module 17 is also connected to the office equipment information database 13, additional information is added to the office equipment information database 13 by an appropriate input operation, for example, an input operation by the administrator through the input device 18. It is also possible to memorize. As additional information, for example, information such as the nickname and location (building, floor, etc.) of each office device can be stored in the office device information database 13 in association with the identification information of each office device.

  The extraction module 14 stores information in the office equipment information database 13 according to the given conditions, for example, the information inputted by the operation input by the administrator of the input device 18 is processed and given by the input module 17 as described above. The information that satisfies the given condition is extracted from the information that is provided. The information extracted by the extraction module 14 in this way is converted into data (display information) that can be displayed on a normal computer monitor or the like, and is displayed on the display device 16 by the display generation module 15.

  On the other hand, the display generation module 15 is also connected to the network module 11. Accordingly, the display information generated by the display generation module 15 is transmitted to the network NW via the network module 11, and can be displayed on a display device of another computer.

  The network module 11 which is a communication means of the office equipment management apparatus 1 may use standard SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) as a protocol for managing network equipment including office equipment. (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol: standard mail transmission method) A protocol or the like can also be used, and other various protocols (communication methods) may be used.

  In the office device information database 13, a manufacturer name, a model name, an IP address, a MAC address, position information, device manager information, and the like are stored in association with each office device. However, information other than these pieces of information may be input by the input device 18 and the input module 17 and stored in association with individual office devices as described above.

  Note that the manufacturer name, model name, etc. of each office device are included in MIB (Media Information Base) which is a standard database used in SNMP. Therefore, office devices that support SNMP (most office printers) If the multifunction device is compatible), the office device management apparatus 1 can acquire the information by communicating with each office device without the need for special processing. Also, the IP address and MAC address of each office device can be acquired by the office device management apparatus 1 using the TCP / IP basic protocol. Further, with regard to the position information (information regarding the installation location), management information (information regarding maintenance time, replacement time, etc.) and other incidental information of each office device, for example, an office which is a nonvolatile storage means in each office device By storing the information in the device database 43 in advance, it is possible for the office device management apparatus 1 to acquire the information by communicating with each office device. As described above, the administrator inputs data by operating the input device 18. Therefore, it can be stored in the office equipment information database 13.

  The display generation module 15 of the office device management apparatus 1 is appropriately used for the purpose of reducing the management burden and cost on the administrator for the information acquired as described above and converted into the database in the office device information database 13. Is configured to provide. As a method therefor, it is also possible to display on the screen of the display device 16 of the office device management apparatus 1 itself, and by transmitting to the network NW via the network module 11, the display device of a personal computer dedicated to the administrator Can also be displayed.

  The present invention has improved the method of displaying information on the screen, among other functions of the office device management apparatus 1 as described above, more specifically, the method of displaying data on the display device 16 by the display generation module 15. Is. This will be specifically described below. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of a list of office devices displayed on the display device 16 of the office device management apparatus 1 as the network device management apparatus according to the present invention. In the display example of the display device 16 in FIG. 3, “device name”, “type”, “IP address”, and “status” are shown.

  Specifically, the “equipment name” of each office device, that is, the model name can be collected from each office device by the office device management apparatus 1 as described above, and the “IP address” is also collected as described above. It can be acquired by the management apparatus 1. Further, regarding the “status”, since it is common that each office device is provided with a sensor for detecting the status (the remaining amount of toner and paper, occurrence of paper jam, etc.), the detection signals of these sensors are detected. Is transmitted to the network module 41 by the device information distribution module 42, so that the office device management apparatus 1 can acquire it. The “type” can be stored in advance in the office device database 43 of each office device and collected by the office device management apparatus 1, or an administrator can individually collect from the input device 18 of the office device management apparatus 1. You may make it input.

  The reason why the present invention attaches importance to such a display state on the display device 16 is that it is difficult to eliminate the person-to-person communication after all when the office device is a management target. Because it is. Specifically, office equipment suddenly fails or fails. Of course, there is no doubt that a system that can respond in advance by grasping the precursors of a failure or failure is the best. However, after all, it is necessary to cope with the assumption that an unpredictable failure occurs in the machine device. If a system that can fully cope with the occurrence of a failure is feasible, the failure will not occur in each office device itself, but in reality it is not possible. I must say that it is essentially impossible. In view of this point, the present invention aims to minimize downtime of office equipment based on the assumption that a failure occurs in a mechanical device and that it occurs suddenly. It is not intended to eliminate any obstacles that occur in the equipment.

  Therefore, as a matter of course, in the present invention, the situation in which the administrator is contacted by a telephone or the like from the user is also within the scope of the assumption. In this case, conventionally, the administrator side only has to trust the content that the user has contacted by telephone. However, according to the system of the present invention, it is possible to confirm information with higher accuracy. Based on such highly accurate information, the administrator can promptly execute an appropriate and accurate response. As a result, the downtime is reduced, the management cost is reduced, and the burden on the administrator is reduced. There is expected.

  For example, in the above case, even if the administrator cannot confirm the printer manufacturer name, model name, etc. by telephone contact from the user, for example, the printer that has run out of toner is displayed in FIG. It is immediately determined that the printer 3 has the device name A in which “out of toner” is displayed as the “status” of the office devices shown on the screen of the device 16. For this reason, the administrator only needs to bring only the toner suitable for the printer 3 and go to the site.

  In some cases, office equipment can be handled before a failure occurs without receiving a notification from the user. For example, in an office device that prints on paper such as a printer 3, a multifunction machine 4, a facsimile machine 5, etc., troubles such as running out of toner and running out of paper inevitably occur. In recent years, printers and the like often have a function for detecting the remaining amount of toner and the remaining amount of paper, and such information is often included in the MIB. By using such information, it is possible to take precautions such as replenishing toner and paper in advance when the remaining amount of toner and paper is low. The possibility of occurrence can be reduced.

  As a matter of course, the present invention does not deny correspondence to the above-described case. Since the basic idea of the present invention is to reduce the downtime of office equipment as much as possible, if it is possible to prevent it before a failure occurs in each office equipment, respond in advance. If it is impossible to respond in advance, it will be as short as possible after a failure occurs, in other words, downtime will be as much as possible. It is configured to provide information that can be handled in a short time.

  Information displayed on the display device 16 by the office device management apparatus 1 can include setting information of each office device. In recent office devices, for example, there is a device that can restrict a sheet feeding tray to be used (forbid use of the tray). The reason is, for example, for provisional measures when the tray breaks down. However, since such a setting is normally performed by an administrator, a user who does not know that such a setting has been made tries to feed paper from a tray that is set to a prohibited state. It is unavoidable to judge that a failure has occurred.

  However, when the display information displayed on the display device 16 of the office device management apparatus 1 includes the setting information as described above, in response to a failure notification from the user due to such setting. On the administrator side, it is possible to take an appropriate response, specifically to notify the user that it is not a failure and notify the user to use another tray.

  Furthermore, various incidental information regarding each office device can be recorded in the office device information database 13 in association with each office device. For example, for management purposes, information such as a nickname, introduction date, and remarks of each office device that is not originally possessed by the office device is stored in the office device information database 13 in association with each office device. It is possible to refer to. For example, by storing the introduction date of each office device in the office device information database 13, it is possible to predict to some extent the next maintenance date or replacement date of each office device.

  In an organization that uses a large number of office devices, a group that uses each office device is often determined. For example, the general affairs department rarely or rarely uses a human resources department printer. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example when the network device management system according to the present invention is applied to an organization using such a large number of office devices.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, office devices used in two departments, the general affairs department and the human resources department, are connected to one network NW, and the office equipment management apparatus 1 is also connected to this network NW. As in the example shown in FIG. 1, the general affairs department includes a printer 3-1 (office equipment name A) and a multifunction machine 4-1 (office equipment name B) as office equipment in addition to the personal computer 2-1. , Facsimile 5-1 (office equipment name C) and scanner 6-1 (office equipment name D) are connected to the network NW. Similarly, in the personnel department, in addition to the personal computer 2-2, as office equipment, a printer 3-2 (office equipment name E), a multifunction machine 4-2 (office equipment name F), and a facsimile machine 5-2 (office) Device name G) and scanner 6-2 (office device name H) are connected to the network NW.

  The general affairs department is assigned a department manager Y as an administrator of office equipment in the general affairs department, and the HR department is assigned a department manager Z as an administrator of office equipment in the HR department. In this case, the manager of the office device management apparatus 1 serves as the general manager X, and deals with a failure that cannot be dealt with by both department managers Y and Z.

  In this way, the general manager X will not go to troubles that can be solved easily by ordinary users such as out of paper or toner supply, except for troubles such as equipment failures that cannot be solved by ordinary users. Since it is difficult to think in reality, each office device is grouped into departments such as the general affairs department and human resources department, and department managers Y and Z are arranged for each department. Each department manager Y, Z responds to the troubles that can be solved easily as described above. However, it is assumed that the general manager X handles failures that cannot be solved by the department managers Y and Z.

  When realizing such a system, the office device management apparatus 1 needs to have a function of grouping and managing a plurality of office devices. For example, it is assumed that the general affairs department reports to the general manager X that a problem has occurred in the printer 3-1. In this case, the general manager X needs to quickly display the list of office devices in the general affairs department by the office device management apparatus 1 and identify the office device in which the failure has occurred. At this time, if the office devices to be managed are in units of 100 or 1000 and are not grouped by department, it is very difficult to identify the corresponding office devices in a short time.

  Therefore, the office device management apparatus 1 is provided with a grouping function. Grouping is a function for classifying and grouping a set of arbitrary office devices by giving a specific group name. In the case of the example shown in FIG. 4 described above, the printer 3-1 for office device name A, the multifunction device 4-1 for office device name B, the facsimile 5-1 for office device name C, and the scanner for office device name D. 6-1 are classified into the same group as the general affairs department group, the printer 3-2 of the office equipment name E, the multifunction machine 4-2 of the office equipment name F, the facsimile 5-2 of the office equipment name G-2, the office equipment name H The scanner 6-2 is classified into the same group as the personnel department group, and each group is registered in the office device information database 13.

  As described above, for a plurality of office devices, for example, the general manager X operates the input device 18 of the office device management apparatus 1 to perform group registration, and the input module 17 as a group identifier receiving means performs the office device information database. 13, for example, when the general affairs department reports that a failure has occurred, the group (in this example, the general affairs department group and the human resources department group) is selected as shown in FIG. It is possible to quickly narrow down the office devices displayed on the display device 16 by performing (search). The group selection is given from the input module 17 to the extraction module 14 when the general manager X operates the input device 18. In this case, the input module 17 functions as search information reception means, and the extraction module 14 functions as determination means.

  5 is a schematic diagram showing information displayed by the display generation module 15 on the display device 16 of the office device management apparatus 1 when a large number of office devices as shown in FIG. 4 are grouped by department. is there.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5A, since “all” is selected, information regarding all office devices connected to the network NW is displayed in a list on the display device 16. Of course, since it is not possible to display the information of all the office devices on the screen of the display device 16 at the same time, it goes without saying that the display must be scrolled. However, since “General Affairs Department” is selected as shown in FIG. 5B, the offices that are classified in advance into the General Affairs Department group among all office devices connected to the network NW. Only the information relating to the device (the printer 3-1 of the office device name A, the multifunction device 4-1 of the office device name B-1, the facsimile 5-1 of the office device name C-1, the scanner 6-1 of the office device name D) is displayed on the display device 16. Are listed. However, even in this case, it is needless to say that if all the information of the office equipment grouped in the “General Affairs Department” cannot be displayed on the screen of the display device 16 at the same time, the display automatically scrolls. Thus, compared with the case where the office devices are not grouped, the general manager X can quickly confirm from the information displayed in the list on the display device 16 related to the office devices used only by the general affairs department. Therefore, it is possible to quickly and reliably identify the office device in which the failure has occurred and the content of the failure that has occurred.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5A, the printer 3-1 whose “device name” is “office device A” among the office devices grouped in the general affairs department has an out-of-toner failure. Although it is displayed at the top of the screen of the display device 16 that this has occurred, this is only a coincidence, and it is usually necessary to scroll the screen of the display device 16 to find the corresponding office device. . On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 5B, since only the office devices grouped in the general affairs department are listed on the display device 16, even if scroll display is displayed, It is easily found that the printer 3-1 whose “device name” is “office device A” has an out-of-toner failure.

  If the failure that has occurred is, for example, out of paper or out of toner, which can be solved by the department managers Y and Z, the general manager X requests the department manager Y of the general affairs department to take action. In this case, of course, this screen can be displayed on the personal computer 2-2 installed in the general affairs department, and the department manager Y of the general affairs department can confirm it. Further, the office equipment management apparatus 1 classifies and registers in advance the faults that the department managers Y and Z can handle and faults that cannot be handled by the general manager X, so that the office equipment management apparatus 1 Can be configured to automatically contact each department manager Y, Z by e-mail or the like.

  By the way, in order to group and manage a plurality of office devices as described above, as shown on the right end side of the schematic diagram of the screen of the display device 16 of FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b). It is necessary to register grouping in advance for each office device. Such registration of grouping may be registered in advance in the office equipment database 43 of each office equipment and collected by the office equipment management apparatus 1, or the general manager X may be registered in the office equipment management apparatus 1. The input device 16 may be operated and registered, or the department managers Y and Z may operate the personal computers 2-1 and 2-2 installed in the respective departments to input the office equipment management apparatus 1. It may be registered in the office equipment information database 13 of.

  However, it is possible to quickly identify individual office devices without performing manual grouping as described above. Specifically, the office device in which a failure has occurred is identified from information that does not require manual registration, for example, an IP address, a MAC address, a device manufacturer, a device name, etc. In other words, among many office devices. The office equipment is extracted from the office equipment information database 13 and displayed on the display device 16 (for example, a failure has occurred, the remaining amount of paper, toner, etc. is low, or the maintenance cycle is approaching). Is also possible. This will be specifically described below.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a display example on the display screen of the display device 16 when a specific office device is extracted from information stored in the office device information database 13. As one method, it is possible to use IP address range designation. That is, when IPv4 is used, there is a characteristic that the IP address value is close in a network that is physically close. Therefore, an extraction method using a specific subnet or IP range is effective. FIG. 6A illustrates a state where an IP address range is specified using a wild card described later, and FIG. 6B illustrates an extraction result.

  In this example, as shown in Fig. 6 (a), the IP address range assigned to each office device installed in the General Affairs Department is "10.36.128.nn", which is installed in the Human Resources Department. By specifying that the lowest two digits of the IP address are specified with a wild card “*” by using the IP address range assigned to each office device being “10.36.129.nn”. Office equipment installed in the General Affairs Department is extracted.

  In addition, there is a high possibility that the manufacturer of the device is identified from the MAC address. This is because the upper 3 bytes of the MAC address are manufacturer specific values. Furthermore, in many office devices equipped with SNMP, the manufacturer name and model name are registered as standard. Therefore, it is possible to extract a specific office device using these conditions. Such a method is highly likely to be effective in managing office equipment by the office equipment management apparatus 1. For example, when it is known that the office device in which a failure has occurred is a product of S company, by specifying “S company” as an extraction condition, only the office device that is a product of S company is displayed. The generation module 15 can extract the information from the office device information database 13 and display the list on the display device 16. Such a function is extremely useful for a general manager who manages a large number of office devices.

  When a model name is designated, it is possible to use a wild card as in the case of a normal personal computer, which is a useful method. For example, it is assumed that a printer name “S-XXX” is assigned to a printer manufactured by S company. In this case, “S- *” can be designated as the model name. Here, “*” is a wild card used in a standard OS such as standard MS-DOS or Windows (registered trademark), and matches an arbitrary character string. Therefore, when “S- *” is designated, all printers manufactured by S company can be extracted. As a wild card, in addition to “*” that matches the above-mentioned arbitrary length character string, “?” That matches any one character can be generally used.

  For example, when a wild card is used for the lowest two digits as shown in FIG. 6A for specifying an IP address, office devices belonging to the same subnet (IP address is “10.36.128.nn”) It is possible to extract all of. However, in recent years, with the diversification of needs, even if it is office equipment of the same manufacturer, many types are provided, and there are many cases where one company provides several tens of types of office equipment. For example, assume that company S provides four types of products with model names “S-100”, “S-200”, “S-300”, and “S-400”. However, the first character string of the model name, that is, the so-called prefix is often the same in the same category of office equipment of the same manufacturer.

  The model names are “S-100” and “S-200” as illustrated in the correspondence table between the model (office equipment) names shown in FIG. 7, the matching toners, and the model extraction conditions. Office equipment can use the same toner with the product name "ST-100", but office equipment with the model name "S-300" must use other toner with the product name "ST-300" Shall not be. Note that since the office device whose model name is “S-400” is a scanner, no toner is required. In such a case, when an office equipment administrator orders toner with the product name "ST-100", there is not enough toner for the office equipment with the model name "S-200" that uses the same toner. It is natural that you want to check whether there are any, but when you specify the model name using the wild card as described above, office devices with model names "S-300" and "S-400" are also extracted. It will be.

  Therefore, the office device management apparatus 1 as the network device management apparatus of the present invention can use a regular expression in such a case. The regular expression is a character string designation method common to interpreter languages such as UNIX (registered trademark) OS, Perl such as Linux, and can be designated more flexibly than a wild card. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a display example on the display screen of the display device 16 when a specific office device is extracted from information stored in the office device information database 13 using regular expressions.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8A, in the case similar to the above, by specifying the model name (model name) “S- [12] 00” as the model name, “S-” is used as the prefix. Only the office devices “S-100” and “S-200” in the model names to be extracted can be extracted as shown in FIG. Here, “[ABC]” (square brackets) is a standard regular expression, and matches any one character in the brackets. Since the regular expression is strictly defined by academic (language theory), the detailed description is omitted here.

  Of course, there are other flexible extraction methods than the regular expression as described above. For example, Microsoft's software does not use regular expressions, but the company's software uses a string specification method that is more flexible than wildcards. However, this character string designation method is less flexible than a regular expression, and is considerably inferior when compared with an academically defined regular expression. Moreover, since there is a situation that regular expressions have gained citizenship due to the spread of Linux and Perl, it is considered that it is accepted quite favorably by the administrator.

  The regular expression can be applied not only to the model name described above but also to the specification of the IP address range. When specifying a simple IP address range, for example, if you want to extract by specifying "10.36.100. * / 10.36.105. * / 10.36.110. *", Each software can only use wildcards. It is necessary to specify address ranges individually or to specify multiple addresses. However, if regular expressions are used, the above-described example may be a one-line description of the expression “10 \ .36 \. (100 | 105 | 110) \. [0-9] {1-3}”. Therefore, using such a regular expression greatly improves the usability of the office device management apparatus 1 as the network device management apparatus of the present invention, and greatly reduces the burden on the administrator.

  However, even though regular expressions are becoming a fairly common specification method, it is still not widely recognized. Therefore, it is possible to publish the correspondence between the model name group and the regular expression as shown in FIG. 7 on the homepage of the manufacturer or the like, and the office device management apparatus 1 can acquire the information. It is. For example, the name of the toner (corresponding toner) suitable for each office device is stored in the office device information database 13 in advance in association with each office device, so that the display of the office device management apparatus 1 shown in FIG. If the model name of the corresponding toner is used as the extraction condition in the display example of the office device information on the apparatus 16, a regular expression that matches the corresponding model name is acquired via the Internet and extracted as shown in FIG. 9B. A system configuration that can perform the above is also possible. If such a background is maintained, even users who are not familiar with regular expressions can benefit from it.

  Note that the office device management apparatus 1 as the network device management apparatus of the present invention as described above is not limited to use within a single organization, and can be used by a maintenance company outside the organization. is there. In this case, it is possible to further reduce the maintenance cost of the maintenance company.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a network device management system according to the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the example of a function structure of the network equipment management apparatus which concerns on this invention, and each office equipment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of a display of the list | wrist of the office equipment displayed on the display apparatus of the network equipment management apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structural example at the time of applying the network equipment management system which concerns on this invention to the organization which uses many office equipments. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing information displayed on a display device of a network device management apparatus according to the present invention when a large number of office devices as shown in FIG. 4 are grouped by department. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of a display on the display screen of a display apparatus at the time of extracting a specific office apparatus from the information which the office apparatus information database has memorize | stored. It is a correspondence table | surface of the name of a model (office equipment), the toner which suits each, and the extraction conditions of a model. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of a display on the display screen of a display apparatus at the time of extracting a specific office apparatus from the information which the office apparatus information database memorize | stores using a regular expression. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of a display on the display screen of a display apparatus at the time of extracting a specific office apparatus from the information which the office apparatus information database memorize | stores using a regular expression. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structural example of the conventional system which connected the some office apparatus to the network.

Explanation of symbols

1 Office equipment management equipment (network equipment management equipment)
3 Printer (office equipment A)
4 MFP (office equipment B)
5 Facsimile (Office equipment C)
6 Scanner (Office equipment D)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Network module 12 Recording management module 13 Office equipment information database 14 Extraction module 15 Display production module 16 Display apparatus 17 Input module 18 Input apparatus 41 Network module 42 Equipment information distribution module 43 Office equipment database

Claims (14)

Network devices connected to the network via communication means;
An information acquisition unit that is connected to a network via a communication unit and that acquires device information of the network device and identification information uniquely identified on the network via the communication unit, and a display unit In a network device management system including a network device management device,
The network device is:
Means for storing in the database additional information including status information indicating the own status including failure occurrence, location information regarding the installation location, and management information regarding the introduction date, maintenance date, and part replacement date ;
Means for transmitting status information and incidental information stored in the database to the network via the communication means;
The network device management device includes:
It means for receiving the status information and supplementary information that are sent from the network device via the network,
Storage means for storing the received status information and incidental information , the identification information of the network device that transmitted the status information and incidental information , and the device information in association with each other in a database;
A maintenance cycle based on the maintenance date of the management information included in the incidental information and the replacement date of the part based on the information on the plurality of network devices stored in the storage means, or the status information in a predetermined state Means to extract the network devices that are approaching,
Among the information which the storage means stores data for converting the information of the network device said means extracted into a data format that can be displayed on a display device connected to said display means and / or the network A network device management system comprising a conversion means.   The data conversion unit is configured to convert the device information and identification information of the network device stored in the storage unit into a data format displayed in a list format in association with each other. Item 4. The network device management system according to Item 1. The network device management apparatus further includes arbitrary information receiving means for receiving information that can be arbitrarily set in the network device,
The network device management system according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit is configured to store information received by the arbitrary information reception unit in association with identification information of the network device. . The network device management apparatus further includes an extraction unit that extracts arbitrary information from information about a plurality of network devices stored in the storage unit,
The data conversion unit is configured to convert information including information extracted by the extraction unit from information stored in the storage unit into a data format displayed in a list format. The network device management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The network device management apparatus further comprises group identifier receiving means for receiving an input of an arbitrary group identifier to be given to the plurality of network devices,
The storage means is configured to store the group identifier received by the group identifier reception means in association with identification information for identifying each network device,
The data conversion unit is configured to convert information including the same group identifier in the information stored in the storage unit into a data format displayed in a list format. 5. The network device management system according to 4. In the network device management apparatus, the search information receiving unit receives at least one of a search information receiving unit that receives input of information for searching for a network device, and device information or identification information stored in the storage unit. And a determination means for determining whether or not the information completely matches or partially matches,
The data conversion means is configured to convert information including information determined by the determination means to match data stored in the storage means into a data format displayed in a list format. The network device management system according to claim 5.   The network device management system according to claim 6, wherein the determination unit determines the information stored in the storage unit and the information received by the search information reception unit by pattern matching using a regular expression. An information acquisition unit that is connected to a network via a communication unit and acquires device information of the network device connected to the network and identification information uniquely identified on the network, and a display unit In network device management equipment,
The communication means includes status information indicating the status of the device including the failure occurrence stored in the network device , location information regarding the installation location of the device, and management related to an installation date, a maintenance date, and a component replacement date. To receive incidental information including information,
Storage means for storing in a database in association the information acquiring unit acquires identification information, device information, and the received state information and supplementary information,
A maintenance cycle based on the maintenance date of the management information included in the incidental information and the replacement date of the part based on the information on the plurality of network devices stored in the storage means Means to extract the network equipment that is approaching,
Among the information which the storage means stores data for converting the information of the network device said means extracted into a data format that can be displayed on a display device connected to said display means and / or the network A network device management apparatus comprising: a conversion means.   The data conversion unit is configured to convert the device information and identification information of the network device stored in the storage unit into a data format displayed in a list format in association with each other. Item 9. The network device management apparatus according to Item 8. Further comprising arbitrary information receiving means for receiving information that can be arbitrarily set in the network device;
The network device management apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the storage unit is configured to store information received by the arbitrary information reception unit in association with identification information of the network device. . Further comprising extraction means for extracting arbitrary information from information on a plurality of network devices stored in the storage means,
The data conversion unit is configured to convert information including information extracted by the extraction unit from information stored in the storage unit into a data format displayed in a list format. The network device management apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 10. A group identifier receiving means for receiving an input of an arbitrary group identifier to be given to the plurality of network devices;
The storage means is configured to store the group identifier received by the group identifier reception means in association with identification information for identifying each network device,
The data conversion unit is configured to convert information including the same group identifier in the information stored in the storage unit into a data format displayed in a list format. 11. The network device management apparatus according to 11. Search information receiving means for receiving input of information for searching for network devices;
Determining means for determining whether at least one of the device information or the identification information stored in the storage means is completely matched or partially matched with the information accepted by the search information accepting means. And further comprising
The data conversion means is configured to convert information including information determined by the determination means to match data stored in the storage means into a data format displayed in a list format. The network device management apparatus according to claim 12.   The network device management apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the determination unit determines the information stored in the storage unit and the information received by the search information reception unit by pattern matching using a regular expression.

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