JP5428977B2 - Device management system, remote management device, device management method and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a device management system, a remote management device, a device management method, and a program.

  Conventionally, a remote management system that remotely manages devices connected to a network has become widespread. Then, when a new device is delivered to the delivery destination in the remote device management system, an initial introduction process is performed by the on-site delivery person. Here, the initial installation process is a series of processes performed at the time of initial installation, such as reporting of the installation location of the device, setting of an IP address, and initialization processing.

  However, the conventional remote management system requires an initial introduction process in accordance with the set procedure according to the set procedure for the items set by the delivery person, so that the procedure is complicated and time-consuming. For example, since the initial introduction is registered by a manual operation, it is necessary to manually determine the appropriateness of settings and make adjustments.

  In addition, after the equipment is delivered, the result of the initial introduction process entered by the person in charge of delivery is first sent by the person in charge of delivery to the sales / operation management area via communication, and then the person in charge of the sales / operation management area The received initial installation results were reflected in the remote management system. This causes a time lag from the completion of delivery until the initial introduction result is reflected in the system.

  In addition, since the initial optimal value and delivery are performed separately, firmware updates are performed via the remote management center after registration in the remote management system, even if a problem occurs after delivery of the equipment. . For this reason, the problem cannot be resolved during the period from the response to the problem until the device firmware is updated.

  Furthermore, since the procedure for performing the initial installation process depends on the vendor of each device, there is a problem that the device cannot be initially installed unless a person who is familiar with the procedure determined for each vendor. Therefore, an image forming apparatus that includes a network director that accesses information in an information processing apparatus connected via a network and acquires information related to the image forming apparatus from the information processing apparatus via the network director has been proposed. (For example, patent document 1).

  However, in the method of Patent Document 1, only the device side can acquire information in the information processing apparatus, and information on the initial introduction process corresponding to the device delivered to the information processing apparatus is stored. If not, the initial installation process cannot be performed automatically.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a device management system, a remote management device, a device management method, and a program that can save the time and cost required for the initial introduction process. .

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a device management system according to the present invention includes a device management device that manages connected devices, and a remote management device that is connected to the device management device. In the device management system, the device management apparatus identifies a device from the device when receiving the notification, and a connection notification receiving unit that receives a notification indicating that the device is connected from the device. A device information transmission / reception unit for acquiring device information including device identification information to be performed and software identification information for identifying software installed in the device, and transmitting the acquired device information to the remote management device; and the remote management device A program for initial diagnosis of the software is received from the computer, and the received program is used for initial diagnosis of the device. A diagnostic information transmitting unit that transmits information to the device together with an instruction to execute the program, and the remote management device includes the device information included in the device information when the device information is acquired from the device management device. A program generation unit that generates the program based on identification information and the software identification information, and a program transmission unit that transmits the generated program to the device management apparatus.

  Further, when the remote management device according to the present invention acquires device information including device identification information and software identification information of software installed in the device from a device management device that manages the connected device, the device A program generation unit that generates a program for initial diagnosis of the software based on the device identification information included in the information and the software identification information, and a program transmission that transmits the generated program to the device management apparatus And a section.

  The device management method according to the present invention is a device management method executed by a device management system that includes a device management device that manages connected devices and a remote management device that is connected to the device management device. The device management device receives a notification indicating that the device is connected from the device, and a connection notification receiving step, and when the device management device receives the notification, the device management device receives the notification from the device. A device information transmission / reception step of acquiring device information including device identification information to be identified and software identification information for identifying software installed in the device, and transmitting the acquired device information to the remote management device; An apparatus receives a program for initial diagnosis of the software from the remote management apparatus, and the received program A diagnostic information transmission step for transmitting a program to the device together with an instruction to execute the program as diagnostic information for initial diagnosis of the device, and when the remote management device acquires the device information from the device management device A program generation step for generating the program based on the device identification information included in the device information and the software identification information; and the remote management device transmits the generated program to the device management device And a program transmission step.

  In addition, the device management method according to the present invention, when device information including device identification information and software identification information of software installed in the device is acquired from a device management apparatus that manages the connected device, A program generation step for generating a program for initial diagnosis of the software based on the device identification information and the software identification information included in the information, and program transmission for transmitting the generated program to the device management apparatus And a step.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program that connects a device connected to a device management apparatus that manages a connected device and a remote management device connected to the device management apparatus. A connection notification receiving step for receiving a notification indicating that the device has been received, and device identification information for identifying the device from the device when the device management apparatus receives the notification and installed in the device Acquiring device information including software identification information for identifying software, and transmitting and receiving the acquired device information to the remote management device; and the device management device initializes the software from the remote management device. A program for diagnosing and receiving the program for initial diagnosis of the device Diagnostic information transmission step for transmitting to the device together with the execution instruction of the program as connection information, and the device identification included in the device information when the remote management device acquires the device information from the device management device A program generation step of generating the program based on information and the software identification information; and the remote management device functions as a program transmission step of transmitting the generated program to the device management device. And

  Further, when the computer according to the present invention acquires the device information including the device identification information and the software identification information of the software installed in the device from the device management apparatus that manages the connected device, A program generation step for generating a program for initial diagnosis of the software based on the device identification information included in the device information and the software identification information, and a program for transmitting the generated program to the device management apparatus It is characterized by functioning as a transmission step.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to save time and cost required for the initial introduction process.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a device management system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a software block diagram showing the main functions of the device management apparatus 200. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the device management apparatus 200. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of management setting information. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the “standard MIB” ini file. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an ini file of “extended MIB”. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the remote management device 300. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of remote management information. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the device 100. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the sales server 400. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the initial introduction process of the present embodiment. FIG. 12 is a hardware configuration diagram of the device 100 according to the present embodiment.

  Exemplary embodiments of a device management system, a remote management device, a device management method, and a program according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following embodiment, an example in which the device according to the present invention is applied to a multi-function peripheral (MFP) having at least two functions among a copy function, a printer function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a device management system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the device management system includes a remote management device 300, a company A sales server 400a, a company B sales server 400b, and a company C sales server 400c (hereinafter, an unspecified sales server is simply referred to as a sales server 400). ) And a plurality of devices 100a to 100e (hereinafter, unspecified devices are simply referred to as devices 100) are connected via a network 80 such as the Internet.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sales server 400 is a server provided on the sales company side for each sales company (vendor), and holds sales information of the device 100. The sales information is information related to the sales contract or lease contract of the device 100, and the sales information includes a customer name (customer ID), a device ID, a product ID, installation location information, and the like. Further, the sales server 400 collates the device ID and customer ID received from the remote management device 300 with the device ID and customer ID registered in association with the sales information in response to a request from the remote management device 300. To do. Although three sales servers are illustrated in FIG. 1, the number is not limited to this.

  The remote management device 300 communicates with the sales server 400 and the device management device 200, and remotely manages the device 100 connected to the device management device 200 via the device management device 200. For example, the remote management device 300 stores remote management information, and stores the device 100, the device management device 200 that manages the device 100, and the sales server 400 that sold the device 100 in association with each other. Then, the remote management device 300 transmits the device ID and the device management device ID of the device management device 200 to the sales server 400, acquires the sales information corresponding to these IDs from the sales server 400, and software based on the sales information Instruct to install or uninstall. In FIG. 1, one remote management apparatus is illustrated, but the number is not limited to this.

  The device management device 200 is a device installed on the customer side, and is a device that manages devices owned by the customer. The device management apparatus 200 acquires and stores device information from the device 100 at the time of delivery of the device 100 and periodically thereafter. The device information includes a device ID of the device 100, a product ID for identifying software installed in the device 100, an IP address, and the like. In FIG. 1, one device management apparatus is illustrated, but the number is not limited to this.

  The device 100 is a device having a plurality of functions such as copying, faxing, and printers, and is connected to each other via a local network such as a LAN (Local Area Network). In FIG. 1, five devices are illustrated, but the number is not limited to this.

  In order to realize remote management, the device management system according to the present embodiment has a function of transmitting and receiving processing requests and responses to methods of applications to be mounted on each apparatus by RPC (Remote Procedure Call). In order to realize RPC, protocols such as SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) and FTP (File Transfer Protocol) can be used.

  Next, details of the device management apparatus 200 will be described. First, the software configuration of the device management apparatus 200 will be described. FIG. 2 is a software block diagram showing the main functions of the device management apparatus 200. As shown in FIG. 2, a monitoring / management application 500 is installed in the application layer, and a company A dedicated application 510, a company B dedicated application 520, and a company C dedicated application 530 are added as plug-ins. In the platform layer, functions corresponding to each application are realized.

  The monitoring / management application 500 is an application that realizes general main functions of the monitoring / management server. Specifically, the standard MIB information acquisition function 501, SNMPv1 / v2 communication function 502, SNMPv3 communication function 503, HTTPS / SOAP communication function 504, and PING execution function 505 are realized. Accordingly, the device management apparatus 200 can acquire standard MIB information and can execute various monitoring functions.

  Company A dedicated application 510 is provided by Company A, and is an application that implements Company A extended MIB information acquisition function 511 and Company A proprietary protocol information acquisition function 512. By adding the company A dedicated application 510, the device management apparatus 200 can acquire company A extended MIB information (company A private MIB information) and company A unique protocol information.

  Company B dedicated application 520 is provided by Company B, and is an application that implements Company B extended MIB information acquisition function 521 and Company B unique protocol information acquisition function 522. By adding the company B dedicated application 520, the device management apparatus 200 can acquire the company B extended MIB information and the company B unique protocol information.

  Company C dedicated application 530 is provided by Company C, and is an application that implements Company C extended MIB information acquisition function 531 and Company C proprietary protocol information acquisition function 532. By adding the company C dedicated application 530, the device management apparatus 200 can acquire the company C extended MIB information and the company C original protocol information.

  In the device management apparatus 200, other vendors such as an application dedicated to company D and an application dedicated to company E can also be added as plug-ins at any time so as to be compatible with multi-vendor devices. Since each company-specific application is provided by each vendor, it is advisable to clarify the specifications of the interface etc. for plug-ins.

  Next, a functional configuration of the device management apparatus 200 will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the device management apparatus 200. As shown in FIG. 3, the device management apparatus 200 includes a communication unit 201, a connection notification reception unit 202, a device information transmission / reception unit 203, a diagnostic information transmission / reception unit 204, a delivery completion result transmission / reception unit 205, and a report output. An instruction unit 206 and an HDD 210 are mainly provided.

  The HDD 210 stores management setting information including device information of the device 100. FIG. 4 shows an example of management setting information. The management setting information is a setting file for performing device management. For example, an OID (Object ID) of an MIB (Management Information Base) value to be acquired from each connected device 100, or unique information based on a unique protocol. Position information (for example, URL), destination information of device information, and the like are defined.

  Here, the device information includes “device ID”, “vendor name”, “remote management device”, and “sales server”. “Device ID” indicates a unique ID assigned to each device 100. “Device model name” indicates the model name of the device 100. “Vendor name” indicates the vendor name of the device 100. “Remote management device” indicates location information of the remote management device 300. “Sales server” indicates the location information of the sales server 400 of each vendor. The location information is referred to when specifying the transmission destination of the device information. Here, the location information is defined by a URL, but may be defined by an IP address or the like.

  The “standard MIB” defines the location information of the standard MIB to be acquired from the device 100, more specifically, the OID of the standard MIB. In this embodiment, a file such as “xxx.ini” is specified, and the OID of the standard MIB to be acquired from the device 100 is defined in “xxx.ini” provided separately, and is referred to when acquiring the standard MIB. . Here, the standard MIB (value) is the same and common for any device. As shown in FIG. 4, in the “standard MIB”, the same ini file is specified between vendors. Since the standard MIB is acquired to monitor monitoring items that are generally well known when monitoring the device 100, the standard MIB that is commonly used by the devices 100 of each company is also specified and acquired. To do. FIG. 5 shows an example (part) of the “standard MIB” ini file.

  The “extended MIB” defines location information of the extended MIB to be acquired from the device 100, more specifically, the OID of the extended MIB. In the present embodiment, a file such as “xxx.ini” is specified, and the OID of the extended MIB to be acquired from the device 100 is defined in “xxx.ini” provided separately, and is referred to when the extended MIB is acquired. . In this way, when changing the extended MIB to be acquired, each vendor has only to replace “xxx.ini” corresponding to their device 100, which is convenient for operation. Here, an extended MIB (value) different for each vendor is acquired. Actually, as shown in FIG. 3, in the “extended MIB”, different ini files are specified for each vendor. This is because the extended MIB is vendor-specific device information. FIG. 6 shows an ini file example (part) of “extended MIB”.

  “Protocol” defines the location information of the unique protocol information to be acquired from the device 100, more specifically, the name of the file in which the unique information is stored. For example, installation location information indicating the installation location of the device 100 is included. In the present embodiment, a file such as “xxx.ini” is specified, and a file name to be acquired from the device 100 is defined in “xxx.ini” provided separately, and is referred to when acquiring information of the original protocol. . The unique protocol information is acquired for each vendor. As shown in FIG. 4, “protocol” designates a different ini file for each vendor. This is because the unique protocol information is vendor-specific device information.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the communication unit 201 transmits and receives various types of information to and from the device 100, the remote management device 300, and the sales server 400.

  The connection notification receiving unit 202 receives a connection notification indicating that a connection has been made when the device 100 is connected to the network of the device management apparatus 200. For example, the connection notification receiving unit 202 is delivered to an installation location managed by the device management apparatus 200 by the device 100 and receives the connection notification to the device management apparatus 200.

  The device information transmission / reception unit 203 receives device information from the device 100 and transmits device information received from the device 100 to the remote management apparatus 300. For example, when the connection notification receiving unit 202 receives a connection notification, the device information transmission / reception unit 203 acquires device information from the device 100 that has received the connection notification. The device information transmitting / receiving unit 203 acquires a device ID and installation location information indicating the installation location of the device 100 as device information. Here, Protocol is acquired as the installation location information. As for the acquired protocol, the device information transmitting / receiving unit 203 refers to the management setting information shown in FIG. 4 and acquires the vendor-specific protocol corresponding to the device 100.

  In addition, the device information transmission / reception unit 203 may add the device management apparatus ID of the device management apparatus 200 and the IP address of the apparatus 100 as the installation location information, not limited to Protocol.

  The diagnostic information transmission / reception unit 204 receives diagnostic information from the remote management device 300 and transmits the received diagnostic information to the device 100. Here, the diagnostic information is information used for initial diagnosis of the device 100, and a program for diagnosing whether or not the software installed in the device 100 operates normally, or the URL of the firmware. included. The diagnostic information includes an instruction to execute the program or an instruction to access the firmware URL and update the firmware.

  The delivery completion result transmission / reception unit 205 receives the result of the diagnostic processing executed based on the diagnostic information transmitted from the device 100 to the device 100 by the diagnostic information transmission / reception unit 204, and uses the received diagnostic processing result as the delivery completion result. To the remote management device 300. Here, the delivery completion result indicates the result of delivery of the device 100, various settings, and diagnosis processing.

  When the delivery completion result transmission / reception unit 205 receives the result of the diagnostic process from the device 100, the report output instruction unit 206 transmits an instruction to output a report indicating delivery completion to the device 100. Here, the report may be electronically authenticated via the remote management device 300 or the sales server 400.

  Next, details of the remote management apparatus 300 will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the remote management device 300. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the remote management device 300 includes a communication unit 301, a device information reception unit 302, a verification request transmission unit 303, a verification result reception unit 304, a diagnostic program generation unit 305, and a firmware identification unit 306. The diagnostic information transmitting unit 307, the delivery completion result transmitting / receiving unit 308, and the HDD 310 are mainly provided.

  The communication unit 301 transmits / receives various information to / from the device management apparatus 200 and the sales server 400. The HDD 310 stores remote management information. Here, the remote management information is information for managing the device management apparatus 200 and the sales server 400. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of remote management information. As shown in FIG. 8, the remote management information associates a device management apparatus ID, a device ID, a device model, and a sales server ID. For example, in the upper part of the remote management information shown in FIG. 8, the device management apparatus ID “X0001” manages the device 100 identified by the device ID “1001”, the device model is “AA01”, and the sales server ID “A”. Indicates that

  The device information receiving unit 302 receives device information from the device management apparatus 200. The verification request transmission unit 303 transmits a verification request between the device information received by the device information reception unit 302 and the device information registered in the sales information stored in the sales server 400 to the sales server 400. Here, the verification request includes device information, and the device information includes a device ID and installation location information. The installation location information may include information that can specify the customer who manages the location where the device 100 is installed, in addition to the information that specifies the installation location of the device 100. For example, the device management apparatus ID may be included.

  The verification result receiving unit 304 receives the verification result from the sales server 400. Here, the verification result indicates that the device ID and the installation location information included in the device information received by the device information receiving unit 302 match the device ID and the installation location information registered in the sales information. Yes, and no verification indicating that they did not match. Although details will be described later, the customer ID is registered in the sales information, and even if the installation location information is not registered in the sales information, the customer ID is determined from the installation location information included in the device information. If it can identify.

  The diagnostic program generation unit 305 generates a diagnostic program for initial diagnosis of the operation of the software installed in the device 100 when the verification result reception unit 304 receives a verification result indicating that verification is possible. Specifically, the diagnostic program generation unit 305 specifies software for initial diagnosis from the product ID included in the device information, and generates a diagnostic program for confirming the operation of the specified software.

  For example, the diagnostic program generation unit 305 corresponds to the software specified by the device 100 from a plurality of class files each defining a diagnostic function prepared for each software that executes each function (copy, printer, fax, etc.). Get the file. The diagnostic program generation unit 305 generates one diagnostic program by compiling the acquired file.

  For example, when there are a plurality of software installed in the device 100 and there is a dependency relationship between the software, if the device 100 individually executes a program prepared in advance, a situation may occur in which all the software does not operate properly. obtain. However, with such a configuration, a minimum necessary diagnostic program can be appropriately generated even when there are a plurality of software. Note that the method for obtaining a diagnostic program corresponding to software is not limited to this. For example, the diagnostic program generation unit 305 may be configured to select a predetermined diagnostic program according to the specified software.

  As another example, the diagnostic program generation unit 305 may generate a diagnostic program when the remote management device 300 acquires device information from the device management device 200 without performing verification by the sales server 400. .

  The firmware specifying unit 306 specifies a firmware for updating software installed in the device 100 to the latest information. For example, the firmware specifying unit 306 specifies the URL.

  The diagnostic information transmitting unit 307 transmits the diagnostic program generated by the diagnostic program generating unit 305 or the location of the firmware specified by the firmware specifying unit 306 to the device management apparatus 200 as diagnostic information.

  The delivery completion result transmission / reception unit 308 receives the delivery completion result from the device management apparatus 200 and transmits the received delivery completion result to the sales server 400.

  Next, details of the device 100 will be described. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the device 100. As shown in FIG. 9, the device 100 includes a communication unit 101, a connection notification transmission unit 102, a device information transmission unit 103, a diagnostic information reception unit 104, a diagnostic program execution unit 105, a firmware update unit 106, A delivery completion result transmission unit 107, a report output unit 108, and an HDD 110 are mainly provided.

  The communication unit 101 transmits / receives various information to / from the device management apparatus 200 and the remote management apparatus 300. The HDD 110 stores device information.

  The connection notification transmission unit 102 transmits a connection notification to the device management apparatus 200 when the device 100 is connected to the network of the device management apparatus 200. The device information transmission unit 103 transmits device information to the device management apparatus 200.

  The diagnostic information receiving unit 104 receives diagnostic information from the device management apparatus 200. For example, the diagnostic information includes a diagnostic program and the URL of the firmware to be updated. The diagnostic program execution unit 105 installs and executes a diagnostic program included in the received diagnostic information. The firmware update unit 106 downloads the firmware from the URL of the firmware to be updated included in the received diagnostic information, and updates the firmware.

  The delivery completion result transmission unit 107 transmits the delivery completion result to the device management apparatus 200 when the execution of the diagnostic program and the firmware update are completed. The report output unit 108 outputs a delivery completion report in accordance with a report output instruction from the device management apparatus 200.

  Next, details of the sales server 400 will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the sales server 400. As shown in FIG. 10, the sales server 400 mainly includes a communication unit 401, a verification request receiving unit 402, a verification unit 403, and an HDD 410.

  The communication unit 401 transmits and receives various information to and from the remote management device 300 and a sales site (not shown). The HDD 410 stores sales information.

  The verification request receiving unit 402 receives device information and a verification request from the remote management device 300. Further, the collation request receiving unit 402 confirms whether or not the installation location information included in the device information received from the remote management apparatus 300 is registered in the sales information stored in the HDD 410, and is not registered Stores the installation location information in the sales information.

  The collation unit 403 determines whether the device ID and the installation location information included in the device information received by the device information reception unit 402 match the device ID and the installation location information registered in the sales information. The collation unit 403 indicates that collation is possible when it is determined that the device ID and the installation location information included in the device information received by the device information reception unit 402 match the device ID and the installation location information registered in the sales information. If it is determined that the collation results do not match, a collation result indicating that collation is not possible is transmitted to the remote management apparatus 300. Here, the installation location information registered in the sales information is not limited to the installation location information, and may be information that can identify the customer. For example, the device management apparatus ID may be used.

  Next, the initial introduction process by the device management system configured as described above will be described. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the initial introduction process of this embodiment.

  When the device 100 is connected to the network managed by the device management apparatus 200, the device 100 transmits a connection notification to the device management apparatus 200 (step S1). The device 100 transmits device information to the device management apparatus 300 (step S2). The device management apparatus 200 transmits the device information acquired from the device 100 to the remote management device 300 (step S3).

  The remote management device 300 transmits the device information acquired from the device management device 200 and the verification request to the sales server 400 (step S4). The sales server 400 collates the device information received from the remote management device 300 with the sales information (step S5). For example, the sales server 400 determines whether or not the device ID and installation location included in the device information match the device ID and installation location included in the sales information. Here, the sales server 400 may also determine whether or not the installation location included in the device information matches the installation location registered in the sales information. Moreover, the sales server 400 preserve | saves the installation location contained in apparatus information in sales information, when the installation location is not registered into sales information. The sales server 400 transmits the collation result to the remote management device 300 (step S6).

  When the collation result indicates that collation is possible, the remote management device 300 creates a diagnostic program (step S7). When the collation result indicates that collation is possible, the remote management device 300 identifies the firmware to be updated (step S8). For example, the remote management apparatus 300 designates a URL as firmware to be updated. The remote management device 300 transmits the created diagnostic program and the identified firmware to the device management device 200 as diagnostic information (step S9).

  The device management apparatus 200 transmits the diagnostic program included in the received diagnostic information and the URL of the firmware to be updated to the device 100 (step S10). The device 100 accesses the URL and updates the firmware (step S11). For example, the device 100 updates the firmware by acquiring the firmware from a specified URL. The device 100 executes a diagnostic program and performs a diagnostic process (step S12). When the device 100 completes the diagnosis process, the device 100 transmits a delivery completion result to the device management apparatus 200 (step S13).

  Upon receiving the delivery completion result from the device 100, the device management apparatus 200 acquires the latest device information from the device 100 (step S14). The device management apparatus 200 transmits the delivery completion result and the latest device information to the remote management apparatus 300 (step S15).

  The remote management device 300 transmits the delivery completion result received from the device management device 200 to the sales server 400 (step S16). The sales server 400 updates the received delivery result (step S17). For example, the sales server 400 updates the delivery information received with the sales information. After transmitting the delivery completion result to the remote management device 300, the device management apparatus 200 transmits an instruction to output a report indicating the completion of delivery to the device 100 (step S18).

  As another example, a procedure in which the processes in steps S4 to S6 are omitted can be used. In this case, in step S <b> 7, when the remote management device 300 acquires device information from the device management device 200, the remote management device 300 generates a diagnostic program corresponding to the product ID included in the device information.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the remote management device 300 matches the device information transmitted by the sales server 400 with the device information registered in the sales information, or the device information from the device management device 200. Since the diagnostic program is generated when the certificate is acquired, the time and cost for the initial introduction process can be saved.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the remote management apparatus 300 communicates with the plurality of sales servers 400 and acquires device information registered in the sales information from each sales server. Can be automated to support multiple vendors.

  FIG. 11 is a hardware configuration diagram of the device 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the device 100 has a configuration in which the controller 10 and an engine unit (Engine) 60 are connected by a PCI (Peripheral Component Interface) bus. The controller 10 is a controller that controls the entire device 100 and controls drawing, communication, and input from an operation unit (not shown). The engine unit 60 is a printer engine that can be connected to a PCI bus, and is, for example, a monochrome plotter, a one-drum color plotter, a four-drum color plotter, a scanner, or a fax unit. The engine unit 60 includes an image processing part such as error diffusion and gamma conversion in addition to a so-called engine part such as a plotter.

  The controller 10 includes a CPU 11, a north bridge (NB) 13, a system memory (MEM-P) 12, a south bridge (SB) 14, a local memory (MEM-C) 17, and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). 16 and a hard disk drive (HDD) 103, and the north bridge (NB) 13 and the ASIC 16 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 15. The MEM-P 12 further includes a ROM 12a and a RAM 12b.

  The CPU 11 performs overall control of the device 100, has a chip set composed of the NB 13, the MEM-P 12, and the SB 14, and is connected to other devices via the chip set.

  The NB 13 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 11 to the MEM-P 12, SB 14, and AGP 15, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 12, a PCI master, and an AGP target.

  The MEM-P 12 is a system memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, a memory for developing programs and data, a memory for drawing a printer, and the like, and includes a ROM 12a and a RAM 12b. The ROM 12a is a read-only memory used as a program / data storage memory, and the RAM 12b is a writable / readable memory used as a program / data development memory, a printer drawing memory, or the like.

  The SB 14 is a bridge for connecting the NB 13 to a PCI device and peripheral devices. The SB 14 is connected to the NB 13 via a PCI bus, and a network interface (I / F) unit and the like are also connected to the PCI bus.

  The ASIC 16 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing applications having hardware elements for image processing, and has a role of a bridge for connecting the AGP 15, PCI bus, HDD 18, and MEM-C 17. The ASIC 16 includes a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 16, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 17, and a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory) that rotate image data using hardware logic. (Access Controller) and a PCI unit that performs data transfer between the engine unit 60 via the PCI bus. The ASIC 16 is connected to an FCU (Facile Control Unit) 30, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) 40, and an IEEE 1394 (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics engine 50) through the PCI bus. The operation display unit 20 is directly connected to the ASIC 16.

  The MEM-C 17 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer, and the HDD 110 is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms.

  The AGP 15 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed for speeding up graphics processing. The AGP 15 speeds up the graphics accelerator card by directly accessing the MEM-P 12 with high throughput. .

  The remote management device 300 according to the present embodiment includes a control device such as a CPU, a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), an external storage device such as an HDD and a CD drive device, and a display. It has a display device such as a device and an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and has a hardware configuration using a normal computer.

  The device management program executed by the remote management apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment is a file in an installable or executable format, such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or the like. And recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

  In addition, the device management program executed by the remote management apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment may be provided by being stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and downloaded via the network. In addition, the device management program executed by the remote management apparatus 300 of the present embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

  Further, the device management program according to the present embodiment may be provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

  The device management program executed by the remote management apparatus 300 of the present embodiment includes the above-described units (communication unit, device information receiving unit, verification request transmitting unit, verification result receiving unit, diagnostic program generating unit, firmware specifying unit, diagnosis) The module has a module configuration including an information transmission unit and a delivery completion result transmission / reception unit). As actual hardware, the CPU (processor) reads out and executes a license management program from the storage medium, so that each unit is a main storage device. The communication unit, device information reception unit, verification request transmission unit, verification result reception unit, diagnostic program generation unit, firmware identification unit, diagnostic information transmission unit, and delivery completion result transmission / reception unit are generated on the main storage device. It has become so.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 apparatus 200 apparatus management apparatus 201,301 communication part 202 connection notification receiving part 203 apparatus information transmission / reception part 204 diagnostic information transmission / reception part 205 delivery completion result transmission / reception part 206 report output instruction | indication part 210,310 HDD
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 300 Remote management apparatus 302 Apparatus information receiving part 303 Verification request transmission part 304 Verification result reception part 305 Diagnostic program generation part 306 Firmware specification part 307 Diagnostic information transmission part 308 Delivery completion result transmission / reception part 400 Sales server

JP 2007-336076 A

Claims (13)

A device management system comprising a device management device for managing connected devices, and a remote management device connected to the device management device,
The device management apparatus
A connection notification receiving unit for receiving a notification indicating that the device is connected from the device;
When the notification is received, device information including device identification information for identifying the device and software identification information for identifying software installed in the device is acquired from the device, and the acquired device information is acquired from the remote A device information transmission / reception unit to be transmitted to the management device;
Diagnostic information transmission for receiving a program for initial diagnosis of the software from the remote management device and transmitting the received program as diagnostic information for initial diagnosis of the device together with an instruction to execute the program Part,
With
The remote management device is:
A program generator that generates the program based on the device identification information included in the device information and the software identification information when the device information is acquired from the device management apparatus;
A program transmission unit for transmitting the generated program to the device management apparatus;
A device management system comprising: The remote management device is:
A firmware identifying unit that identifies firmware to be updated when the device information is acquired from the device management apparatus;
Further comprising
The program transmission unit further transmits the identified firmware to the device management apparatus together with the program;
The device management system according to claim 1. The device management system further includes a sales server that holds sales information of the device,
The device information transmission / reception unit, when receiving the notification, further receives device information including installation location identification information for identifying the installation location of the device from the device,
The remote management device is:
A first storage unit that stores the device identification information and sales server identification information of a sales server that holds the sales information of the device identified by the device identification information in association with each other;
Further comprising
When the device information is received from the device management apparatus, the sales server identification information corresponding to the device identification information included in the received device information is acquired from the first storage unit, and the acquired sales server A matching request transmission unit that transmits a matching request between the device information included in the device information and the device information included in the sales information to the sales server identified by the identification information;
A verification result receiving unit for receiving a verification result of the sales information and the device information included in the device management information from the sales server;
Further comprising
The sales server is
A second storage unit that stores the device identification information and the installation location identification information in association with each other as the sales information;
A verification request receiving unit that receives the verification request and the device information from the remote management device;
Whether or not the device identification information and the installation location identification information included in the received device information match the device identification information and the installation location identification information included in the sales information when the verification request is received. If the device identification information and the installation location identification information included in the received device information match the device identification information and the installation location identification information included in the sales information, verification is possible. If the device identification information and the installation location identification information included in the received device information are determined not to match the device identification information and the installation location identification information included in the sales information, the verification result shown in FIG. A verification unit that transmits a verification result indicating to the device management apparatus;
With
The program generation unit generates the program when receiving a verification result indicating that the verification is possible from the sales server;
The device management system according to claim 1. The installation location identification information is an address indicating an installation location of the device;
The device management system according to claim 3. The installation location identification information is device management device identification information for identifying the device management device;
The device management system according to claim 3. The verification request receiving unit determines whether the address of the device included in the verification request is stored in the second storage unit when the verification request includes an address indicating an installation location of the device. Determining, if it is determined that the address is not stored, storing the address included in the verification request in the third storage unit;
The device management system according to claim 3 or 5, wherein The device management apparatus
The delivery completion result of receiving the execution result of the program from the device, and sending the received execution result to the remote management device, indicating that the device has been delivered to a delivery destination and the initial diagnosis has been completed. Transceiver
The device management system according to claim 1, further comprising: The device management apparatus, when transmitting the delivery completion result to the remote management device, a delivery completion result output instruction unit for transmitting an instruction to output a report of the delivery completion result to the device;
The device management system according to claim 7, further comprising: When acquiring device information including device identification information and software identification information of software installed in the device from a device management apparatus that manages the connected device, the device identification information included in the device information, and A program generator for generating a program for initial diagnosis of the software based on software identification information;
A program transmission unit for transmitting the generated program to the device management apparatus;
A remote management device comprising: A device management method that is executed by a device management system that includes a device management device that manages connected devices and a remote management device that is connected to the device management device,
A connection notification receiving step in which the device management apparatus receives a notification indicating that the device is connected from the device;
When the device management apparatus receives the notification, the device management device acquires device information including device identification information for identifying the device from the device and software identification information for identifying software installed in the device. A device information transmitting / receiving step of transmitting the device information to the remote management device;
The device management apparatus receives a program for initial diagnosis of the software from the remote management device, and uses the received program as diagnosis information for initial diagnosis of the device together with an instruction to execute the program. Diagnostic information transmission step to be transmitted to
A program generation step of generating the program based on the device identification information included in the device information and the software identification information when the remote management device acquires the device information from the device management device;
A program transmission step in which the remote management device transmits the generated program to the device management device;
A device management method comprising: When acquiring device information including device identification information and software identification information of software installed in the device from a device management apparatus that manages the connected device, the device identification information included in the device information, and A program generating step for generating a program for initial diagnosis of the software based on software identification information;
A program transmission step of transmitting the generated program to the device management apparatus;
A device management method comprising: A computer connected to a device management device for managing the connected device and a remote management device connected to the device management device;
A connection notification receiving step in which the device management apparatus receives a notification indicating that the device is connected from the device;
When the device management apparatus receives the notification, the device management device acquires device information including device identification information for identifying the device from the device and software identification information for identifying software installed in the device. A device information transmitting / receiving step of transmitting the device information to the remote management device;
The device management apparatus receives a program for initial diagnosis of the software from the remote management device, and uses the received program as diagnosis information for initial diagnosis of the device together with an instruction to execute the program. Diagnostic information transmission step to be transmitted to
A program generation step of generating the program based on the device identification information included in the device information and the software identification information when the remote management device acquires the device information from the device management device;
A program transmission step in which the remote management device transmits the generated program to the device management device;
Program to function as. Computer
When acquiring device information including device identification information and software identification information of software installed in the device from a device management apparatus that manages the connected device, the device identification information included in the device information, and A program generating step for generating a program for initial diagnosis of the software based on software identification information;
A program transmission step of transmitting the generated program to the device management apparatus;
Program to function as.

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