JP5470938B2 - Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program, and more particularly to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that collect information for managing devices.

  Conventionally, image forming apparatuses (hereinafter simply referred to as “equipment”) such as copying machines, printers, and multifunction peripherals installed in offices, etc., such as manufacturers of such equipment via a contractor in charge of maintenance work via the Internet. System (hereinafter referred to as “remote management system”). Such a remote management system is generally installed in a network environment on the user side, collects device information from each device belonging to the network environment (hereinafter referred to as “mediation device”), and a maintenance company side. It is comprised with the server apparatus etc. which are installed. The intermediary device periodically collects device information for a predetermined period, and transfers the device information accumulated in the predetermined period to the server device at a predetermined timing.

  Conventionally, a device that is a collection target (management target) of device information is registered in the mediation apparatus by the following procedure.

  (Step 1) The intermediary device searches for devices on the network of the user environment, and transmits a list of IP addresses and the like of the searched devices to the server device.

  (Step 2) In response to the operation of the administrator, the server device selects a device to be managed from the received device list and transmits a list of IP addresses and the like of the device to be managed to the mediation device. To do. The device to be managed is notified to the administrator in advance by the user by a predetermined communication means (e-mail or FAX).

  (Step 3) The intermediary device confirms the existence of a device for each IP address included in the received list of IP addresses, and registers the device whose existence has been confirmed as a management target.

  However, when the network environment on the user side is operated by DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), the existence of the device corresponding to the IP address cannot be confirmed in Step 3, and the device designated as the management target cannot be managed. was there.

  This is because the IP address of each device has changed between Step 1 and Step 3, and the IP address that was used at Step 1 is not used at Step 3 is missing. In addition, the IP address assigned to the device A at the time of step 1 is caused by a mismatch between the IP address assigned to the device B at the time of step 3 and the device.

  For such a problem, it is conceivable to use a host name instead of an IP address. However, the host name may be changed between Step 1 and Step 3. Then, in step 3, the existence of the device corresponding to the host name cannot be confirmed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and can determine a device to be managed even when the IP address of the device is changed in the process of selecting the device to be managed. An object is to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program.

  Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention is an information processing apparatus that collects device information from devices to be managed among devices connected via a network and transfers the device information to the device management apparatus. A device search means for searching for a device connected to the network and acquiring the address information on the network of the device and the device identification information of the device; a list of the address information and the device identification information; A device list transmitting means for transmitting to the device management apparatus; a management object receiving means for receiving the address information and the machine identification information of the apparatus selected as a management object in the device management apparatus based on the list; Corresponding to the address information, the presence confirmation means for searching the network for the device having the machine identification information, and the presence confirmation means When there is the address information for which the device is not searched, the device is re-searched for the device connected to the network, and the re-search means for acquiring the address information and the device identification information of the device is re-searched. A management object registration unit that records, in a storage unit, the address information of a device in which the machine body identification information matches the machine body identification information related to the management object.

  Such an information processing apparatus can determine a device to be managed even when the IP address of the device is changed in the process of selecting the device to be managed.

  Even when the IP address of the device is changed in the process of selecting the device to be managed, the device to be managed can be determined.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the apparatus management system in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of the mediation apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the function structural example of the mediation apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the process sequence of the search process of the apparatus in a user site. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the process sequence of the registration process to the mediation apparatus of the apparatus made into a management object. It is a figure for demonstrating grouping of the re-search list. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a re-search parameter. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the process sequence of the search process of the apparatus which matches the apparatus identification information set designated as management object. It is a figure for demonstrating the process sequence of the process for determining whether the apparatus corresponding to an IP address is a management object. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a re-search system setting screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a search object classification setting screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of an exclusion designation | designated IP address setting screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a ping transmission permission / denial setting screen.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a device management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the device management system 1 includes an intermediary device 10, one or more devices 20, a center server 40, and the like. The intermediary device 10 and the device 20 are connected by a network 30 (regardless of wired or wireless) such as a LAN (Local Area Network). Further, the intermediary device 10 and the center server 40 are connected by a network 70 such as the Internet.

  The intermediary device 10 and the device 20 are installed at a user site of the device 20 (such as an office where the device 20 is installed). The device 20 is an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine, and is a management target in the device management system 1. The intermediary device 10 collects information to be managed from each device 20 (information indicating various values such as various counter values and operation statuses that change mainly depending on the operation of the device 20; hereinafter referred to as “device information”). Is transferred to the center server 40. That is, the intermediary device 10 is a specific example of the information processing device in the present embodiment. There may be a plurality of user sites.

  The center server 40 belongs to a management (monitoring) site of the device 20 (for example, a manufacturer of the device 20 or a maintenance service provider of the device 20). The center server 40 is a computer that provides a device management (monitoring) service for receiving and storing device information from the mediation device 10 during normal operation of the device management system 1. That is, the center server 40 is a specific example of a device management apparatus in the present embodiment.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the mediation apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. The intermediary device 10 in FIG. 2 includes a drive device 100, an auxiliary storage device 102, a memory device 103, a CPU 104, an interface device 105, a display device 106, and an input device 107 that are mutually connected by a bus B. And have.

  A program for realizing processing in the mediating apparatus 10 is provided by a recording medium 101 such as a CD-ROM. When the recording medium 101 on which the program is recorded is set in the drive device 100, the program is installed from the recording medium 101 to the auxiliary storage device 102 via the drive device 100. However, the program need not be installed from the recording medium 101 and may be downloaded from another computer via a network. The auxiliary storage device 102 stores the installed program and also stores necessary files and data.

  The memory device 103 reads the program from the auxiliary storage device 102 and stores it when there is an instruction to start the program. The CPU 104 realizes functions related to the mediation device 10 according to a program stored in the memory device 103. The interface device 105 is used as an interface for connecting to a network. The display device 106 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) or the like by a program. The input device 107 includes a keyboard and a mouse, and is used for inputting various operation instructions.

  The intermediary device 10 may not include the display device 106 and the input device 107. In this case, the intermediary device 10 only needs to be operable from another computer connected via a network or the like.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the mediation apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the mediating apparatus includes a center communication unit 11, a user operation unit 12, a device communication unit 13, a re-search parameter 14, a management target table 15, a device information storage unit 16, and the like.

  The center communication unit 11 controls communication with the center server 40. For example, the center communication unit 11 transmits the list information of the devices 20 searched on the network 30 to the center server 40, and the list information of the devices 20 selected as management targets in the center server 40 based on the list information. The device information collected from the device 20 to be received and managed is transmitted (transferred) to the center server 40. The user operation unit 12 displays various setting screens on the display device 106 on the display device 106. The user operation unit 12 also records information input via various setting screens in the auxiliary storage device 102 as the re-search parameter 14. The device communication unit 13 controls communication with the device 20. For example, the device communication unit 13 searches for the device 20 connected to the network 30, confirms the presence of the device 20 selected as the management target in the center server 40, and registers the device 20 (registered in the management target table 15) as the management target. Device information is collected from the devices 20). The management target table 15 is a table in which list information of devices 20 to be managed is registered, and is formed in the auxiliary storage device 102. The device information storage unit 16 is a storage area in the auxiliary storage device 102 for storing collected device information.

  Hereinafter, a processing procedure of the device management system 1 will be described. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining a processing procedure of device search processing at the user site.

  In step S <b> 101, the device communication unit 13 issues a broadcast message for detecting the presence of the device 20 on the network 30 and searches for the device 20 connected to the network 30. As a result, address information on the network (IP address or host name), MAC address, and device ID (hereinafter referred to as address information, MAC address, and device ID related to one device 20 are referred to as “device identification” from each device 20. Information set ”). The device ID is identification information unique to each device 20 (which can identify the device body of each device 20), and is information called a device number, for example. The value of the device ID is fixed (invariable) without being affected by the network configuration.

  Note that step S101 may be executed in response to an operation instruction from the user, or may be executed in response to reception of a search instruction from the center server 40. Or the apparatus communication part 13 may perform automatically (for example, with a timer etc.). Step S101 may be composed of a plurality of steps. Since searching for devices from the network is a well-known technique, a detailed description thereof is omitted in the present embodiment.

  Subsequently, the center communication unit 11 transmits a list of device identification information sets acquired by the device communication unit 13 (including a case where only one device 20 is searched) to the center server 40 (S102).

  As a result of the processing in FIG. 4, the center server 40 selects the device 20 to be managed based on the list of device identification information sets. The device 20 to be managed is notified in advance from the user site, for example. The process of FIG. 5 is executed according to the selection of the device 20 to be managed.

  FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram for explaining the processing procedure of the registration processing of the device to be managed to the mediation apparatus.

  The center server 40 designates a list of device identification information sets of the devices 20 selected as management targets, and transmits a management target device addition request (registration request) to the center communication unit 11 of the mediation apparatus 10 (S111). . The center communication unit 11 transmits a response indicating that the addition request has been successfully received to the center server 40 (S112). Subsequently, the center communication unit 11 notifies the device communication unit 13 of the addition request (S113).

  The device communication unit 13 sets the device identification information sets included in the received device identification information set list one by one, and repeatedly executes the processing in loop 1. First, in step S <b> 114, the device communication unit 13 searches the network 30 for a device 20 that matches the device identification information set to be processed (address information, MAC address, and device ID match). In the search process, an IP address, a MAC address, and a device ID (that is, a device identification information set) are acquired from the searched device 20 and recorded in the memory device 103 as a registration target.

  When a device 20 that matches the device identification information set to be processed is searched, the device communication unit 13 registers the device identification information set recorded in the memory device 103 as a registration target in the management target table 15 ( S115). If the device 20 that matches the device identification information set to be processed is not searched, the device communication unit 13 adds the device identification information set to be processed to the re-search list (S116). The device identification information set added to the re-search list is used for re-search processing of the device 20 described later. As a typical example of the case where the search for the device 20 that matches the device identification information set fails, the network configuration at the user site is manually changed by DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) after step S101 in FIG. The case where the IP address of each device 20 has changed is mentioned.

  When the processing in loop 1 is completed for all device identification information sets received in the management target addition request, the device communication unit 13 determines whether or not at least one device identification information set is registered in the re-search list ( That is, whether or not there is a device 20 that has failed in the search is confirmed with reference to the re-search list (S117).

  When the re-search list is not empty, the device communication unit 13 groups the device identification information sets included in the re-search list into the same segments based on the respective IP addresses, and sequentially sets each group (segment). The processing in loop 2 is repeatedly executed as a processing target. That is, the segment to which the IP address of the device identification information set included in the re-search list does not belong is excluded from the re-search list. Thereby, the efficiency of the re-search process can be improved. The loop 2 process is referred to as a re-search process for the device 20. In the re-search process, the device identification information set of the searched device 20 is searched by searching for the device 20 that is different from the device identification information set specified as the management target but is the same as the device 20 specified as the management target. This is processing for registering a set in the management target table 15. The identity of the device 20 is determined based on the MAC address and the device ID.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining grouping of the re-search list. In the figure, an example in which six device identification information sets are registered in the re-search list is shown. For convenience, other than the IP address is omitted. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the IP address is class C (subnet mask value is 255.255.255.0). As a result, the IP addresses whose upper 24 bits match are in the same segment. Therefore, the device identification information sets in the re-search list are grouped for each device identification information set whose upper 24 bits of the IP address match. In the example of the figure, the first, third, and fourth device identification information sets are group 1. The second and sixth device identification information sets are group 2. Further, the fifth device identification information set is group 3. Therefore, when FIG. 6 is taken as an example, the segments are processed in the order of group 1, group 2, and group 3.

  When the segment to be processed is determined, the device communication unit 13 refers to the re-search parameter 14 and determines the re-search processing method of the device 20 (S121).

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the re-search parameter. In the figure, the re-search parameter 14 includes items (parameters) such as a re-search method, a search target type, an exclusion designation IP address, and ping use permission / denial. In the present embodiment, the re-search method is set to either a broadcast cast search or a sweep search. The other parameters will be described when each is used.

  When the re-search method is set to “Broadcast search”, the device communication unit 13 refers to the re-search parameter 14 (see FIG. 6) as to whether or not the broadcast address for the segment to be processed corresponds to the exclusion specified IP address. (S122). In the exclusion designation IP address, an IP address excluded from the re-search target in the re-search process is set. A plurality of IP addresses can be set as the exclusion designation IP address. By setting an exclusion designation IP address in advance, it is possible to exclude a segment in which no device 20 that can be managed exists, a network device other than the device 20 or a computer from the re-search target, and improve the efficiency of the re-search target In addition, the network load can be reduced.

  If the broadcast address does not correspond to the exclusion-designated IP address, the device communication unit 13 transmits, for example, a broadcast message by SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) to the broadcast address (S123). Subsequently, the device communication unit 13 records the IP address of the device 20 that has returned a response to the broadcast message (confirmed to be connected to the network 30) in the connection confirmation list (S124). When the broadcast address corresponds to the exclusion designation IP address, steps S123 and S124 are not executed. Therefore, in this case, the connection confirmation list is empty.

  On the other hand, when the re-search method is set to sweep search, the device communication unit 13 sequentially selects each IP address belonging to the segment to be processed (in this embodiment, the lower 4 bits are 1 to 254). The processing in loop 3 is repeatedly executed as a processing target.

  First, the device communication unit 13 determines whether or not a processing target IP address (hereinafter referred to as “current IP address”) corresponds to an exclusion designation IP address (S131). When the current IP address corresponds to the exclusion-designated IP address, the device communication unit 13 repeats step S131 and subsequent steps with the next IP address in the segment to be processed as the current IP address. When the current IP address does not correspond to the exclusion specified IP address, the device communication unit 13 refers to the ping use permission / refusal of the re-search parameter 14 and determines whether or not a ping (Packet Internet Groper) command can be issued (S132). That is, permission / prohibition of issuing a ping command is set in the permission / inhibition of ping use. When the issuing of the ping command is not permitted, the device communication unit 13 confirms connection to the current IP address by SNMP (S133). If the issuing of the ping command is permitted, the device communication unit 13 confirms the connection to the current IP address by using the ping command (S134). If there is no response to the connection confirmation in step S133 or S134 (S135), the device communication unit 13 repeats step S131 and subsequent steps with the next IP address in the segment to be processed as the current IP address. When there is a response to the connection confirmation in step S133 or S134, the device communication unit 13 records the current IP address in the connection confirmation list (S135). When the loop 3 process is completed for all IP addresses belonging to the segment to be processed, the device communication unit 13 exits the loop 3 process.

  Following the connection confirmation of the device 20 by the BroadcastCast search regarding the segment to be processed or the connection confirmation of the device 20 by the sweep search, the device communication unit 13 sequentially sets each IP address included in the connection confirmation list as a processing target. The process in loop 4 is executed.

  First, the device communication unit 13 determines whether or not the device 20 corresponding to the processing target IP address (hereinafter referred to as “current IP address”) corresponds to the device 20 designated as the management target ( S141). If it is determined in the process that the device 20 corresponding to the current IP address corresponds to the device 20 designated as the management target, a device identification information set is acquired from the device 20, and the device identification information set is stored as a registration target in the memory. Recorded in the device 103. When the device 20 corresponding to the current IP address is a management target, the device communication unit 13 re-searches a device identification information set related to the device 20 (the device identification information set is received from the center server 40). The device identification information set recorded in the memory device 103 as a registration target is registered in the management target table 15 (S142). If the device 20 corresponding to the current IP address is not a management target, step S142 is not executed.

  When the processing in loop 2 is completed for all segments, the device communication unit 13 sends the result information indicating the success or failure of registration to the management target table 15 to the center communication unit 11 for each device identification information set designated as the management target. Output (S151). If the re-search list is empty, that is, if the device 20 is searched for in step S114 for all device identification information sets designated as management targets, step S151 is executed without executing the loop2 process. Is done.

  Subsequently, the center communication unit 11 transmits the result information output from the device communication unit 13 to the center server 40 (S152). Subsequently, the center server 40 returns a response indicating that the result information has been received to the center communication unit 11 (S153). In the center server 40, the administrator of the management site can confirm whether or not the device 20 designated as the management target is set as the management target by referring to the result information.

  Thereafter, the device communication unit 13 of the mediation apparatus 10 collects device information from the device 20 that is the management target by using the IP address registered in the management target table 15.

  Next, details of step S114 will be described. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram for explaining a processing procedure for searching for a device that matches a device identification information set designated as a management target. In the processing of FIG. 5, one device identification information set (device identification information set that is a processing target in loop 1 in FIG. 5) is a processing target.

  In step S201, the device communication unit 13 checks whether the address information included in the device identification information set is specified by the host name. If the host name is specified, the device communication unit 13 acquires the IP address by performing name resolution of the host name (S202). Note that name resolution is performed using a DNS (Domain Name System) server (not shown). If the name resolution fails (S203), the registration failure is confirmed for the device identification information set, and the process of FIG. 8 is terminated (returns from the process of FIG. 8) (S204). Note that the device identification information set for which registration failure is confirmed is not added to the re-search list in step S116 of FIG. 5, and registration failure is indicated in the result information output in step S151.

  When the name resolution is successful, or when the address information is specified by the IP address, the device communication unit 13 performs the same processing as steps S131 to S135 for the IP address, and the device 20 corresponding to the IP. Is confirmed (S205 to S209).

  When the device 20 corresponding to the IP address exists, the device communication unit 13 determines whether the device 20 corresponds to the device 20 designated as a management target (S210). Step S210 is the same process as step S141 in FIG.

  Next, details of steps S141 and S210 will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram for describing a processing procedure for determining whether or not a device corresponding to an IP address is a management target. In the figure, the IP address that is the processing target in step S141 or S210 is the processing target (current IP address).

  In step S301, the device communication unit 13 refers to the search target type of the re-search parameter 14, and determines whether or not the REST machine is a re-search target. As shown in FIG. 6, the re-search parameter 14 sets whether or not to make a re-search target for each REST device, SOAP device, and SNMP device (each device type). The REST machine refers to a device 20 that performs communication using REST (Representational State Transfer). The SOAP machine refers to a device 20 that performs communication using SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol). The SNMP machine refers to a device 20 that performs communication using SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). The device type often depends on the model or vendor of the device 20. Therefore, by narrowing down the re-search target by the device type, the device 20 of a specific model or vendor can be set as the re-search target, and the efficiency of the re-search process and the reduction of the network load can be achieved.

  When the REST machine is a target of re-search, the device communication unit 13 transmits a device identification information set acquisition request by REST to the current IP address (S302). In response to the acquisition request, the device identification information set is acquired, and the MAC address and device ID included in the device identification information set are the MAC addresses of any of the device identification information sets designated as management targets, and When the device ID matches the device ID (S303), the device communication unit 13 determines that the device 20 corresponding to the current IP address is a management target, and uses the device identification information set acquired in step S302 as the registration target device. The identification information set is recorded in the memory device 103 (S304). In this case, the subsequent processing in FIG. 9 is not executed.

  Subsequently, the device communication unit 13 refers to the search target type of the re-search parameter 14 and determines whether or not the SOAP machine is a re-search target (S311). When the SOAP machine is a target of re-search, the device communication unit 13 transmits a request for acquiring the device identification information set by SOAP to the current IP address (S312). In response to the acquisition request, the device identification information set is acquired, and the MAC address and device ID included in the device identification information set are the MAC addresses of any of the device identification information sets designated as management targets, and When the device ID matches the device ID (S313), the device communication unit 13 determines that the device 20 corresponding to the current IP address is a management target, and uses the device identification information set acquired in step S312 as the registration target device. The identification information set is recorded in the memory device 103 (S314). In this case, the subsequent processing in FIG. 9 is not executed.

  Subsequently, the device communication unit 13 refers to the search target type of the re-search parameter 14 and determines whether the SNMP machine is a re-search target (S321). When the SNMP machine is a re-search target, the device communication unit 13 transmits a device identification information set acquisition request by SNMP to the current IP address (S322). In response to the acquisition request, the device identification information set is acquired, and the MAC address and device ID included in the device identification information set are the MAC addresses of any of the device identification information sets designated as management targets, and When the device ID matches the device ID (S323), the device communication unit 13 determines that the device 20 corresponding to the current IP address is the management target, and uses the device identification information set acquired in step S322 as the registration target device. The identification information set is recorded in the memory device 103 (S324). In this case, the subsequent processing in FIG. 9 is not executed.

  As described above, the intermediary device 10 according to the present embodiment can be used on the network 30 even when the device 20 matching the device identification information set designated as the management target by the center server 40 does not exist on the network 30. The device 20 designated as the management target can be determined from the re-searched devices 20 based on the difference between the MAC address and the device ID. Therefore, even if the IP address of each device 20 is changed while the device 20 to be managed is selected in the center server 40, the device 20 designated as the management target by the center server 40 is appropriately determined. Can be registered as a management target.

  Further, since the intermediary device 10 executes the re-search process within the segment to which the IP address registered in the re-search list belongs, the search range of the re-search process can be limited, and the efficiency of the re-search process is improved. be able to.

  In addition, the device 20 to be determined as to whether or not it is the same as the device 20 designated as the management target among the re-searched devices 20 is set according to the attribute information of the device 20 in the re-search parameter 14. Therefore, the efficiency of the determination process of the identity of the devices 20 can be improved. In the present embodiment, the device 20 attribute information in the re-search parameter 14 is a device type and an IP address, but different attribute information may be set according to the operation.

  In the present embodiment, the MAC address and the device ID are used as parameters for determining the identity of the device 20, but only one of them may be used. Further, other parameters may be used as long as the parameters can determine the identity of the device 20.

  By the way, the re-search parameter 14 is set via the following screen displayed on the display device 106 by the user operation unit 12 of the mediation device 10.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the re-search method setting screen. In the figure, a radio button for selecting a re-search method is arranged on the re-search method setting screen 510. The user operation unit 12 sets the broadcast search or the sweep search as the re-search method of the re-search parameter 14 according to the selection state of the radio button.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a search target type setting screen. In the figure, the search target type setting screen 520 has radio buttons for selecting whether or not to search for each device type. The user operation unit 12 sets in the re-search parameter 14 whether to search for each device type according to the selection state of the radio button.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a display example of an exclusion designation IP address setting screen. In the same figure, the exclusion designation IP address setting screen 530 has an area 531 and an area 532. In the area 531, an IP address to be excluded from the re-search target can be imported from a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file. In the area 532, IP addresses to be excluded from the re-search target can be designated one by one. The user operation unit 12 sets the IP address imported from the CSV file in the area 531 and the IP address specified in the area 532 as search parameter exclusion specified IP addresses.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a ping transmission permission / inhibition setting screen. In the figure, a radio button for selecting permission / inhibition of ping transmission is arranged on a ping transmission permission / inhibition setting screen 540. The user operation unit 12 sets a ping transmission rejection value of the re-search parameter 14 according to the selection state of the radio button.

  As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention is not limited to such specific embodiment, In the range of the summary of this invention described in the claim, various deformation | transformation・ Change is possible.

1 device management system 10 mediation device 11 center communication unit 12 user operation unit 13 device communication unit 14 re-search parameter 15 management target table 16 device information storage unit 20 device 40 center server 100 drive device 101 recording medium 102 auxiliary storage device 103 memory device 104 CPU
105 interface device 106 display device 107 input device B bus

JP 2007-206998 A

Claims (5)

An information processing apparatus connected to one or more devices via a network,
Among the one or more devices, identification information of a device managed by a device management device connected to the information processing device, address information indicating an address of the device on the network, and attribute information of the device Storage means for storing a list associated with
Search means for searching for devices that match the address information and identification information in the list from the one or more devices;
Search determining means for determining whether or not a device matching the address information and identification information in the list has been searched by the search means;
When it is determined that the search is not performed by the search determination unit, identification information and address information are acquired from the one or more devices having the same attribute as the attribute information associated with the list of identification information. Search means;
Of the identification information acquired by the re-search means, a matching determination unit that determines whether there is identification information that matches the identification information in the list;
If there is matching identification information by the matching judgment means, the matching identification information and the address information acquired by the re-search means together with the identification information are identified by the equipment management device managed by the equipment management device. And registration means for registering in the list as address information;
An information processing apparatus comprising:   The re-search means divides the address information for which the device has not been searched by the search determination means based on the commonality of the portion corresponding to the subnet mask, and re-searches the device within the subnet related to each group. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. An information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus connected to one or more devices via a network,
Among the one or more devices, identification information of a device managed by a device management device connected to the information processing device, address information indicating an address of the device on the network, and attribute information of the device A storage procedure for storing a list associated with
A search procedure for searching for devices that match the address information and identification information of the list from the one or more devices;
A search determination procedure for determining whether or not a device matching the address information and identification information in the list is searched in the search procedure;
When it is determined that the search has not been performed in the search determination procedure, identification information and address information are acquired from devices having the same attribute as the attribute information associated with the identification information in the list among the one or more devices. Search procedure and
Among the identification information acquired by the re-search procedure, a matching determination procedure for determining whether there is identification information that matches the identification information in the list;
If there is matching identification information in the match determination procedure, the matching identification information and the address information acquired in the re-search procedure together with the identification information are identified by the device management apparatus. And a registration procedure for registering in the list as address information;
An information processing method characterized by comprising: To an information processing device connected to one or more devices via a network,
Among the one or more devices, identification information of a device managed by a device management device connected to the information processing device, address information indicating an address of the device on the network, and attribute information of the device A storage procedure for storing a list associated with
A search procedure for searching for devices that match the address information and identification information of the list from the one or more devices;
A search determination procedure for determining whether or not a device matching the address information and identification information in the list is searched in the search procedure;
When it is determined that the search has not been performed in the search determination procedure, identification information and address information are acquired from devices having the same attribute as the attribute information associated with the identification information in the list among the one or more devices. Search procedure and
Among the identification information acquired by the re-search procedure, a matching determination procedure for determining whether there is identification information that matches the identification information in the list;
If there is matching identification information in the match determination procedure, the matching identification information and the address information acquired in the re-search procedure together with the identification information are identified by the device management apparatus. And a registration procedure for registering in the list as address information;
A program for running In the re-search procedure, the address information for which the device was not searched by the search determination procedure is grouped based on the commonality of the portion corresponding to the subnet mask, and the device is re-searched in the subnet related to the group. The program according to claim 4 .

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