JP5127640B2 - DEVICE MANAGEMENT DEVICE, DEVICE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, MANAGEMENT OPERATION CONTROL METHOD, MANAGEMENT OPERATION CONTROL PROGRAM, AND RECORDING MEDIUM CONTAINING THE PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a device management apparatus and a device management system that manage at least one device connected via a data transmission path such as a network, and in particular, an external system in which the device management device is installed outside a firewall. Is related to a technology for monitoring the status of devices connected to an internal system built inside a firewall and managing the devices based on information about the devices including the status information.

  With the advancement of information processing technology including network communication, for example, a technology for remotely managing an internal system built in a specific area such as a local area from an external system has already been known.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses communication with a management target system in a system environment in which at least one management target system and a management system that remotely manages the management target system using an Internet connection are used together. A connection schedule for establishing a connection can be set, and by issuing a command for establishing a communication connection to the management system according to the set schedule, the management system sets the managed system at an appropriate timing. A management intermediary device that can be managed and operated in a network has been proposed.

  The background of the proposal of the technique described in Patent Document 1 is the realization of an environment in which remote management is performed from an external management system via the Internet without sacrificing the confidentiality of the management target system.

  A LAN (Local Area Network) of a company or the like often has a firewall in order to prevent unauthorized intrusion by a third party through an external network such as the Internet. In such a case, if the conventional management system is applied as it is, it is difficult to remotely manage the LAN from the management system connected via an external network such as the Internet due to the presence of the firewall. Therefore, the technique described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed.

  Examples of the management target system constructed in the local area include a device management system that monitors the state of an image processing apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral or a printer via a predetermined data transmission path such as a LAN. By introducing such a system, the user detects (knows) the abnormality of the managed device without going to a plurality of managed devices (hereinafter referred to as “managed device”). (See, for example, Patent Document 2).

For example, when the device management system is a management target system, the management system can remotely manage the management target device by the technique described in Patent Document 1 above. It is possible to remotely collect information related to the device management system and managed devices installed at the customer's site, and to enhance support services to customers such as operation and maintenance.
JP 2004-310728 A JP-A-2005-182701

  However, in the management system mentioned above, in order to operate the system correctly, a management system (an external system located outside the firewall) and a managed system (an internal system located inside the firewall) There is a problem that the management times need to match.

  For example, when the time of the management target system is behind the time of the management system, the process registered in the schedule is not executed even when the scheduled time comes, and the execution result cannot be obtained. As a result, the management system side determines that the process has failed in the management target system and performs error processing such as a re-execution instruction.

  On the other hand, when the time of the management target system is ahead of the time of the management system, the process registered in the schedule earlier than the scheduled time is executed, and the execution result is returned to the management system. Even in such a case, the management system determines that an erroneous process has been performed in the managed system, and performs an error process.

  Generally, a clock built in an information processing apparatus such as a PC (Personal Computer) is easily distorted, and it is not uncommon for the time to shift. As described above, the time difference between the management system and the management target system may frequently occur.

  Then, considering the time adjustment of the managed system, first, in the case of the managed system, the PC such as a server, which is a component of the managed system, is the customer's asset, and the manufacturer changes the time without permission. (You can't change your hands).

  What is conceivable is a server of the managed system, which is a clock (external clock) that keeps the same time as the time of the management system, apart from the built-in clock (clock included in the internal system: hereinafter referred to as “internal clock” for convenience). A clock provided in the system: hereinafter referred to as “external clock” for the sake of convenience) is operated, and processing is executed in accordance with the time of this clock.

  However, this method uses a separate external clock instead of the internal clock for all processes that operate in the managed system, and displays a time different from the time of the internal clock, such as a time display, May cause confusion.

  Therefore, all processes executed in the managed system are not executed according to the external clock provided separately, but are executed according to the time of the internal clock (such as time display) and the time of the external clock provided separately. It is necessary to separate the processing (device management processing, etc.) to be executed together.

  The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and the object of the present invention is to perform scheduled processing in a remotely managed system (managed system) without causing user confusion. To provide a device management apparatus, a device management system, a management operation control method, a device control program, and a recording medium on which the program can be recorded that can be operated normally.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a device connected to an external system constructed outside the firewall via a predetermined data transmission path and connected to the internal system constructed inside the firewall. A device management device that monitors the status of the device and manages the device based on information about the device including the status information; and a first clock means for measuring the time of the internal system, and a time that is the same as the time of the external system. Of the second clock means for timing, the first clock means, and the second clock means, the clock means used at the time of processing execution is selected and determined according to the processing executed when managing the device. An apparatus comprising: a clock selection unit; and a management operation execution unit that executes a process of managing the device according to a time measured by the clock unit selected by the clock selection unit It is the gist that there.

  With such a configuration, the device management apparatus according to the present invention has two clock functions of a clock (external clock) of an external system (remote management side) and a clock (internal clock) of an internal system (management target side), In accordance with the process to be executed (software component (program)), an appropriate clock function used at the time of executing the process is selected and determined, and a predetermined process is executed according to the determined time of the clock function.

  In order to achieve the above object, the device management apparatus according to the present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires time information of the external system, and the second clock unit acquires the time information of the external system acquired by the acquisition unit. Update the time to be measured based on the time information.

  In order to achieve the above object, the device management apparatus according to the present invention updates the time counted by the second clock means based on a difference value between the time of the external system and the time of the internal system. .

  In order to achieve the above object, in the device management apparatus according to the present invention, the clock selection unit selects and determines the clock unit used at the time of execution of the process for each process of managing the device.

  As a result, the device management apparatus according to the present invention can perform internally scheduled processing with the external system (remote management side) in the internal system (management target side) without causing user confusion due to time display or the like. It can be operated normally at an appropriate synchronized timing.

  In order to achieve the above object, a device management system according to the present invention is connected to an external system constructed outside a firewall via a predetermined data transmission path, and is connected to an internal system constructed inside the firewall. A device management system that monitors the status of a device to be managed by a device management device and manages the device based on information about the device including status information, wherein the device management device counts the time of the internal system. Of the timepiece means, the second timepiece means for measuring the same time as the time of the external system, and the processing executed when managing the device among the first timepiece means and the second timepiece means According to the clock selection means for selecting and determining the clock means to be used at the time of processing, and according to the time measured by the clock means selected by the clock selection means. A management operation execution means for executing the process of managing and having a.

  In order to achieve the above object, a management operation control method according to the present invention is connected to an external system built outside a firewall via a predetermined data transmission path and connected to an internal system built inside the firewall. A method in a device management apparatus for monitoring the status of a device to be managed and managing the device based on information on the device including status information, the first clock means for measuring the time of the internal system, and the external A clock selection procedure for selecting and determining a clock means to be used at the time of execution of processing according to a process executed when managing the device among the second clock means for measuring the same time as the system time; A management operation execution procedure for executing processing for managing the device according to the time measured by the clock means selected by the procedure. .

  By such a procedure, the management operation control method according to the present invention enables the clock (external clock) and internal clock of the external system (remote management side) included in the device management apparatus according to the processing (software component (program)) to be executed. A control operation of selecting and determining an appropriate clock function to be used at the time of processing execution from the two clock functions of the clock (internal clock) of the system (management target side) and executing a predetermined process according to the time of the determined clock function. Realize.

  As a result, the management operation control method according to the present invention allows the internally scheduled processing to be performed in the external system (remote management) without causing user confusion by the time display in the remote management target system (internal system). Environment that can be operated normally at an appropriate timing synchronized with the other side.

  According to the present invention, processing to be executed among two clock functions of the clock (external clock) of the external system (remote management side) and the clock (internal clock) of the internal system (management target side) provided in the device management apparatus ( By selecting and determining the appropriate clock function to be used at the time of processing execution according to the software component (program)), the remote management target system (internal system) can be scheduled without causing confusion for the user. The process can be operated normally.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiments”) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
<System configuration>
The configuration of the remote management system according to the present embodiment and the device management system (management target system) that is a remote management target will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a remote management system CNT and device management systems A to C according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the remote management system CNT is connected to at least one or more device management systems A to C that are remote management targets via an external network I such as the Internet.

  The device management systems A to C are systems that are installed at a customer site and are constructed in a specific area, while the remote management system CNT is a system that is built on the manufacturer side, and the remote management device 400 is connected to the external network I. The device management systems A to C introduced to each customer are remotely managed. Further, as described above, a firewall (not shown) is installed between the device management systems A to C and the external network I in order to ensure the confidentiality of the device management systems A to C.

Device management system A~C is, MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) 200 ₂ and LP (Laser Printer) 200 ₁ and at least one or more managed devices 200 and said at least one or more client PC 300 (hereinafter, simply "PC And the device management apparatus 100 are connected to each other via an internal network 90 such as a LAN.

  With such a system configuration, the device management apparatus 100 manages the management target device 200 by monitoring the status of the management target device 200 and collecting information about the management target device 100 using a device management function that operates in the device. . In addition, the PC 300 is provided with various types of information regarding the state of the management target device 200.

  The device management apparatus 100 is connected to an external network via a firewall, and transmits, for example, various information collected by the apparatus to the remote management system CNT. Furthermore, the device management apparatus 100 receives an operation instruction from the remote management system CNT, and changes the setting of the management target device 200.

  In the above description, the configuration in which the firewall is installed between the device management apparatus 100 and the external network I has been described. However, the device management apparatus 100 may have a firewall function. Good.

<Hardware configuration>
Next, a hardware configuration of the device management apparatus 100 that performs device management in the device management system 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the device management apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the device management apparatus 100 includes an input device 101, a display device 102, a drive device 103, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 104, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 105, a CPU (Central Processing). Unit) 106, interface device 107, and HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 108, which are mutually connected by a bus.

  The input device 101 includes a keyboard and a mouse, and is used to input each operation signal to the device management apparatus 100. The display device 102 is configured by a display or the like, and displays a processing result by the device management device 100 (for example, “various information related to a state acquired from the management target device 200”).

  The interface device 107 is an interface that connects the device management apparatus 100 to a network (including both internal and external networks). As described in the above system configuration, the device management apparatus 100 performs data communication with the management target device 200, the PC 300, the remote management system CNT, and the like via the interface device 107.

  The HDD 108 controls the entire device management apparatus 100 and provides an information processing system (for example, an OS (Operating System) that is basic software such as “Windows (registered trademark)” and “UNIX (registered trademark)), Non-volatile storage of data and programs (such as “application program” and “application data”) that provide various functions (eg, “device management function” and “data communication function”) on the information processing system Is a sex storage device. The HDD 108 manages the stored programs and data by a predetermined file system or DB (Data Base).

  The program and data are provided to the device management apparatus 100 by a recording medium 103a such as a CD (Compact Disk), or downloaded from the data transmission path 90 such as a network via the interface apparatus 107. For example, when provided from the recording medium 103a, it is installed in the HDD 108 via the drive device 103 that can read the recording medium 103a.

  The ROM 105 is a nonvolatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that can retain internal data even when the power is turned off. The ROM 105 stores data such as a basic input / output system (BIOS) that is executed when the device management apparatus 100 is activated, and system settings and network-related settings of the device management apparatus 100.

  The RAM 104 is a volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that temporarily holds programs and data read from the various storage devices, and the CPU 106 executes a program read on the RAM 104 to execute a device management device. Various functions installed in the overall control 100 and the device management apparatus 100 are operated.

  With such a hardware configuration, the device management apparatus 100 executes, for example, a program for realizing a device management function read from the HDD 108 onto the RAM 104 by the CPU 106 to monitor the status of the management target device 200 and collect various information. In addition, it is possible to provide information to the PC 300 and transmit information to the remote management system CNT.

<Management operation control function>
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a time difference between the clock of the remote management system CNT and the clocks of the device management systems A to C according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the problems in the conventional system are the time of the clock provided in the remote management system CNT (“time 10:00” in the figure) and the timepieces provided in the device management systems A to C. This is a point in which a time difference occurs between times (“time 10:05”, “time 9:00”, and “time 11:00” in the figure).

  The clock of each system is a clock provided in the remote management device 400 in the case of the remote management system CNT, and a clock provided in the device management device 100 in the case of the device management systems A to C.

  In the remote management system CNT, the operations of various processes related to remote management are scheduled by the clock of the remote management device 400. Therefore, if there is a time difference between the systems, for example, each device management system A to C The transmission processing of various information collected from the device management apparatus 100 is not executed at the time assumed by the remote management system CNT, and the remote management system CNT side determines that an error has occurred.

  Therefore, considering that the device management apparatuses 100 of the device management systems A to C are customer assets, the time of the internal clock included in the device management apparatus 100 is not changed to the time of the remote management system CNT. Apart from the clock, an external clock that measures the same time as the time of the remote management system CNT is provided.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the device management systems A to C according to the first embodiment of the present invention include a clock of the remote management system CNT.

  As shown in FIG. 4, since the device management apparatuses 100 of the device management systems A to C include the external clock, various processes related to remote management can be executed according to the time managed by the remote management system CNT. . Further, since the external clock is a clock different from the internal clock included in the device management apparatus 100 that is the customer's asset, even if a time difference occurs during system operation, the time adjustment operation from the remote management system CNT is performed. It is also possible to perform.

  Therefore, the device management systems A to C periodically communicate with the remote management system CNT, and correct the time of the external clock included in the device management apparatus 100 based on the time managed by the remote management system CNT. . More specifically, time information is acquired from the remote management system CNT, the time of the external clock is changed (updated) to the acquired time information, and the time difference is corrected. Thereby, the time of the external clock advances in synchronization with the time of the remote management system CNT.

  Here, the method for correcting the time difference of the external clock based on the time (acquired time information) managed by the remote management system CNT has been described above, but in addition to this method, the remote management system A method of correcting the time difference of the external clock based on the difference value (time difference) between the time managed by the CNT and the time measured by the internal clock included in the device management apparatus 100 may be used.

  In the method of correcting the time of the external clock, when performing based on the time managed by the remote management system CNT, it is necessary for the external clock to measure the time correctly every second. However, when the difference value is used, it is not necessary for the external clock to measure the time, and the time obtained by adding the difference value to the internal clock may be used as the time of the external clock.

  When the time difference of the external clock is corrected based on the difference value, the device management apparatus 100 calculates the difference value. This is because a system configuration in which a plurality of device management apparatuses 100 are connected to the remote management system CNT is conceivable. In such a case, the remote management system CNT uses the difference values corresponding to all the device management apparatuses 100. This is because it is more efficient to manage and operate each difference value in each device management apparatus 100 than to manage.

  By the way, when it is set as the structure which corrects the time difference of the external clock which was demonstrated above, all the processes of the apparatus management function (including the process regarding remote management) which operate | moves with the apparatus management apparatus 100 are simply external. When executed using a clock, it is expected that confusion will occur when information is provided to the user, such as time display.

  Therefore, in the device management apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, two clocks, that is, an internal clock and an external clock included in the apparatus, according to processing (software component (program) for realizing the function) executed in the device management function. Among the functions, an appropriate clock function used at the time of processing execution is selected and determined. And it has the management operation control function which performs a process according to the time of the determined clock function.

  That is, in the device management apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, in the device management function, a process to be executed using the internal clock and a process to be executed using the external clock are determined before the process is executed. Process using the appropriate clock function.

  Thus, in the device management apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the device management systems A to C can remotely manage various processes related to the internally scheduled device management function without causing user confusion due to time display or the like. The system CNT can be operated normally at an appropriate timing synchronized with the time assumed for management.

  Now, the configuration and operation of the management operation control function will be described.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the management operation control function according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The management operation control function is a function realized mainly by executing a program related to the management operation control function of the device management component (application) installed (installed) in the device management apparatus 100.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the management operation control function mainly includes a process execution command unit 21 and a clock selection unit 22.

  The process execution command unit 21 commands the execution of various processes related to the device management function. The process execution command unit 21 commands, for example, the start of polling processing such as information collection from the management target device 200 or the execution of information provision processing according to a request from the user. As described above, the process execution command unit 21 performs a process of executing an instruction when the device management apparatus 100 is activated (polling process or the like), a process of executing an instruction when an execution instruction is received (such as an information providing process), Execution commands for various processes related to the device management function.

  Further, the process execution command unit 21 performs the above execution command and instructs the clock selection unit 22 described later to determine the selection of the clock function to be used when the process is executed.

  The clock selection unit 22 selects and determines an appropriate clock function to be used at the time of execution of processing from the two clock functions of the internal clock and the external clock. The clock selection unit 22 selects and determines an appropriate clock function in accordance with processing related to the device management function (software component (program) for realizing the function).

-Selection of clock function The clock selection unit 22 refers to the clock selection information 51 as shown in FIG. 6, for example, based on the process (software component) instructed to be executed from the process execution command unit 21. The (appropriate) clock function corresponding to the processed processing is selected and determined from the two clock functions of the internal clock and the external clock.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a data example of the clock selection information 51 for selecting a clock to be used according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The clock selection information 51 is held in a predetermined storage area of a storage device (such as the HDD 108) provided in the device management apparatus 100, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the clock selection information 51 has a configuration in which data indicating processing information items related to the device management function is associated with data indicating the clock function used when executing the processing.

  As described above, the various processes related to the device management function include a process group (at least one process) 30 to be executed according to the time of the internal clock and a process group (at least 1) to be executed according to the time of the external clock. More than one process) 40. For this reason, the clock selection unit 22 needs to select and determine the clock function used when executing the process depending on whether the process instructed to execute belongs to the processing group 30 or the processing group 40. In this case, the information 51 in which the process instructed to execute is associated with the clock function used when the process is executed is referred to.

  For example, when the process instructed to execute is “process A30a”, referring to the clock selection information 51 shown in FIG. 6, the process A30a can determine that “internal clock” is used for the clock function at the time of execution.

  On the other hand, in the case of “Process B40b”, referring to the clock selection information 51, the process B40b can determine that “External clock” is used for the clock function at the time of execution.

  As described above, the clock selection unit 22 refers to the clock selection information 51 based on the process (software component) instructed to execute in various processes related to the device management function, and corresponds to the process instructed to execute. Specify the attached clock function. As a result, among the two clock functions of the internal clock 20a and the external clock 20b, the clock function (clock function to be used) 20 used at the time of processing execution is selected and determined.

  The clock function 20 thus selected and determined is used in the operation of the device management function as follows. For example, when the process execution command unit 21 issues a polling process execution command, the polling process belongs to the processing group 40 using the external clock 20b. The polling operation is started according to the time of the external clock 20b. In addition, when the process execution instruction unit 21 issues an information provision process execution instruction, the information provision process belongs to the processing group 30 using the internal clock 20a. Therefore, the information provision process is selected and determined by the clock selection unit 22. Time information, history information, and the like are provided to the request source according to the time of the internal clock 20a.

  In the above description, the clock selection information 51 has been described based on the configuration in which the clock management information 51 is stored in the storage device included in the device management apparatus 100. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration.

  For example, the clock selection information 51 may be configured as an external file. In such a configuration, the clock selection unit 22 includes information on the storage location of the clock selection information 51 (external file) (for example, “file path”, “ It will be referred to when making a selection decision based on “address”.

  Further, a configuration in which the clock selection information 51 is included in the software component that realizes the function of the clock selection unit 22 may be adopted. With this configuration, it is possible to handle as a set of software parts related to the clock selection function, and information can be easily added, deleted, updated, etc., and maintenance is simplified.

<Functional operation>
From here, the operation | movement of the management operation | movement control by each function part demonstrated above is demonstrated. The management operation control function functions as a result of the above-described functional units operating together, and a program for realizing the management operation control function installed in the device management apparatus 100 is stored by the CPU 106 (for example, “ROM 105”). This is realized by reading out from the RAM 104 to the RAM 104 and executing the following processing.

(Management operation control processing)
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure example of management operation control according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the device management apparatus 100, the process execution command unit 21 commands execution of processing (software component) related to the device management function when the apparatus is activated or when an execution instruction is received (step S101). ) Instruct the clock selection unit 22 to determine the selection of the clock function to be used at the time of processing execution.

  The clock selection unit 22 refers to the clock selection information 51 held in a predetermined storage area based on the process instructed to execute according to the selection instruction, and the clock function 20 used when executing the process is the internal clock 20a. It is determined whether or not there is (step S102). That is, it is determined whether or not the process instructed to execute belongs to the processing group 30 using the internal clock 20a.

  If it is determined in step S102 that the internal clock 20a is used as the clock function 20 (step S102: YES), the process instructed to execute executes a predetermined process according to the time of the internal clock 20a (step S103). ).

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the internal clock 20a is not used as the clock function 20 (the external clock 20b is used) (step S102: NO), the process instructed to execute is performed according to the time of the external clock 20b. Processing is executed (step S104).

  As described above, in the device management apparatus 100, software components that implement each functional unit are executed, and according to processing executed in the device management function (software component (program) for realizing functions), Of the two clock functions 20 of the internal clock 20a and the external clock 20b provided in the apparatus, an appropriate clock function 20 used at the time of processing execution is selected and determined. Then, the management operation control for executing the process according to the determined time of the clock function 20 is realized.

<Modification of software configuration>
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which processing (various processing related to the device management function) instructed to be executed by the processing execution command unit 21 and the clock selection function including the clock selection unit 22 are configured by different software components will be described. went.

  However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a software configuration as shown in FIG. 8 may be used.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example in which an execution module (software component) that performs processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a clock selection unit.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the software component of the process A 30 a related to the device management function may include a function unit of the clock selection unit 22. With such a configuration, it is not necessary to introduce a clock selection function again.

  In the example shown in FIG. 8, the clock selection information 51 refers to another software component (file). However, as described above, if the clock selection function is integrated, At the part design (module design) stage, the internal clock 20a or the external clock 20b used at the time of processing execution can be selected and determined in advance. As a result, it is possible to adopt a configuration that does not require the clock selection information 51. With such a configuration, it is not necessary to change the clock selection information 51 by adding / deleting a process related to the device management function (the clock selection function is introduced in conjunction with the addition / deletion of the module, so that the change is necessary). No) and can be easily maintained with a simple configuration.

<Summary>
As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the device management apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is based on the process (software component) related to the device management function instructed to be executed by the process execution command unit 21. The clock selection unit 22 refers to the clock selection information 51 and selects and determines an appropriate clock function 20 to be used at the time of processing execution from the two clock functions 20 of the internal clock 20a and the external clock 20b provided in the device. Then, in accordance with the determined time of the clock function 20, the processing instructed to execute is performed.

  Thereby, in the device management apparatus 100, the clock (external clock 20b) of the external system (remote management system CNT side) and the clock (internal clock 20a) of the internal system (device management systems A to C) included in the device management apparatus 100. The two clock functions 20 are selected and determined according to the process to be executed (software component (program)), and an appropriate clock function 20 to be used at the time of executing the process is selected. Thus, it is possible to normally operate the process related to the scheduled device management without causing confusion.

  That is, in the device management apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, in the device management systems A to C, various processes related to the internally scheduled device management function can be performed without causing user confusion due to time display or the like. The CNT can be normally operated at an appropriate timing synchronized with the time assumed for management.

  Up to this point, the present invention has been described based on the above embodiment. However, the “management operation control function” of the device management apparatus 100 according to the above embodiment includes each processing procedure described with reference to the drawings. This is realized by being executed by the CPU 108 as a program coded in a programming language suitable for the operating environment (platform). Therefore, the program can be stored in the computer-readable recording medium 103a.

  The program is stored in a recording medium 103a such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a CD, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), and the device management apparatus can be read via the drive device 103 that can read the recording medium 103a. 100 can be installed. In addition, since the device management apparatus 100 includes the interface device 107, the program can be downloaded and installed using a telecommunication line such as the Internet.

  Finally, the present invention is not limited to the requirements shown here, such as combinations of other elements with the shapes and configurations described in the above embodiments. With respect to these points, the present invention can be changed within a range that does not detract from the gist of the present invention, and can be appropriately determined according to the application form.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the remote management system and apparatus management system (remote management object system) which concern on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of the apparatus management apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the time difference of the clock of the remote management system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the clock of an apparatus management system. It is a figure showing an example in which a device management system concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention was provided with a clock of a remote management system. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the management operation control function which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of data of the clock selection information for selecting the clock to be used which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process sequence of management operation control which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example in which the execution module (software component) which performs the process which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention has a clock selection part.

Explanation of symbols

20 Clock functions to be used (a: internal clock, b: external clock)
21 Process execution command part 22 Clock selection part 30 Process group executed according to the time of the internal clock (a: process A)
40 Processing group executed according to the time of the external clock (b: processing B)
51 Clock selection information 90 Internal network (LAN)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Device management apparatus 101 Input apparatus 102 Display apparatus 103 Drive apparatus (a: Recording medium)
104 RAM (volatile semiconductor memory)
105 ROM (nonvolatile semiconductor memory)
106 CPU (Central Processing Unit)
107 Interface device (NIC: Network I / F Card)
108 HDD (nonvolatile storage device)
200 Device to be managed (image processing device)
300 Client PC (information processing device)
400 Remote management device (information processing device)
AC equipment management system (remotely managed systems AC: internal system)
CNT Remote management system (external system)
I External network (Internet)

Claims (8)

Monitors the status of devices connected to an external system built outside the firewall via a predetermined data transmission path and connected to the internal system built inside the firewall, and stores information about the device including status information A device management apparatus for managing the device based on
First clock means for measuring the time of the internal system;
Second clock means for measuring the same time as the time of the external system;
A timepiece selection means for selecting and determining a timepiece means to be used at the time of execution of processing according to a process executed when managing the device among the first timepiece means and the second timepiece means;
A device management apparatus comprising: a management operation executing unit that executes a process for managing the device according to a time measured by the clock unit selected by the clock selection unit. The device management device
Obtaining means for obtaining time information of the external system;
The second clock means includes
The device management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time to be counted is updated based on the time information of the external system acquired by the acquisition unit. The second clock means includes
3. The device management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time to be measured is updated based on a difference value between the time of the external system and the time of the internal system. The clock selection means includes
4. The device management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a clock unit used when executing the process is selected and determined for each process of managing the device. 5. A device management device monitors the status of devices connected to an external system constructed outside the firewall via a predetermined data transmission path and connected to the internal system constructed inside the firewall, and includes status information A device management system for managing the device based on information about the device,
The device management apparatus is
First clock means for measuring the time of the internal system;
Second clock means for measuring the same time as the time of the external system;
A clock selection means for selecting and determining a clock means to be used at the time of execution of processing according to a process executed when managing the device among the first clock means and the second clock means;
A device management system comprising: a management operation execution unit that executes a process for managing the device according to a time measured by the clock unit selected by the clock selection unit. Monitors the status of devices connected to an external system built outside the firewall via a predetermined data transmission path and connected to the internal system built inside the firewall, and stores information about the device including status information A management operation control method in a device management apparatus for managing the device based on
Of the first clock means for clocking the time of the internal system and the second clock means for clocking the same time as the time of the external system, processing is performed according to the processing executed when managing the device A clock selection procedure for selecting and determining a clock means to be used at the time of execution;
A management operation execution procedure for executing a process for managing the device according to a time measured by the clock means selected by the clock selection procedure. Monitors the status of devices connected to an external system built outside the firewall via a predetermined data transmission path and connected to the internal system built inside the firewall, and stores information about the device including status information A management operation control program in a device management apparatus for managing the device based on
Computer
Of the first clock means for clocking the time of the internal system and the second clock means for clocking the same time as the time of the external system, processing is performed according to the processing executed when managing the device A clock selection means for selecting and determining the clock means used at the time of execution;
A management operation control program that functions as a management operation execution unit that executes processing for managing the device according to a time measured by the clock unit selected by the clock selection unit.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 7 is recorded.

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