JPH0441390Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] This invention is a work that allows documents to be automatically sent to other print servers without having to be re-designated when a designated print server goes down. Regarding the station.

[Conventional technology]

An example of a system having a conventional workstation is shown in FIG. This system consists of workstations 1a and 1b that perform highly distributed processing, a local area network (LAN) 2 constructed by laying optical communication cables etc. in a specific area, and workstation 1a connected to LAN 2. , 1b, and a magnetic disk device 4 that is connected to the file server 3 and stores information. Printers 6a, 6b and 6 for hard copying output information
c, and print servers 5a, 5b, and 5 connected to each of the printers and functioning as an interface for controlling these printers.
It consists of c.

In the above configuration, the workstation 1a
and 1b are stored in the magnetic disk device 4 via the file server 3, and read from the disk device 4 via the file server 3 as needed. Processing results from workstations 1a and 1b are sent via LAN.
Connected to 2. By designating (supporting) one of the print servers 5a to 5c, one of the corresponding printers 6a to 6e is operated to print. The printers 6a to 6e are treated as shared printers for all devices connected to the LAN2.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

However, with conventional workstations, when sending a document to a print server, the print server must be specified each time, so if the specified print server goes down, another print server must be specified. It was necessary to re-specify, which was not only troublesome, but also caused problems such as poor processing efficiency.

[Means and actions for solving problems]

This invention was created in view of the above, and in order to be able to automatically specify another print server without having to re-specify even if the specified print server goes down, it is possible to specify a group of print servers in advance. The present invention provides a workstation in which a priority order is specified and a print server is specified according to the priority order.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the workstation according to the present invention will be explained in detail.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the process according to the present invention. A program for executing this process is stored in the ROM in the workstations 1a and 1b, and a table with the contents shown in FIG. 2 is secured in advance in the memory. In Figure 2,
C is the priority, PrinterID is the identification label,
It means an identification code, file name, etc.
Furthermore, the table L is assumed to be pre-assigned with the numerical value of the lowest priority (in FIG. 2, an example of printer 6n=650 with priority number 50), and the smaller the numerical value, the higher the priority.

The table secured in the memory described above constitutes a means for setting priorities for the ID numbers of multiple print servers, and the table stored in the ROM of workstations 1a and 1b and the program stored in each workstation. The well-known processor provided constitutes a control means for specifying a subsequent print server in accordance with the priority set by the priority setting means when the specified print server is inactive, and transferring the file to the server. do.

In the above configuration, the workstation 1a
Or specify the file you want to print using 1b. In accordance with this instruction, the memory having the structure shown in FIG. 2 is accessed, and the printer with the highest priority is designated to print the document.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing printer designation processing in workstations 1a and 1b. When an instruction to print is issued, a priority counter is set to 1, and a priority corresponding to the counter value is set. The PrinterID with is accessed and
Transfer the file to the print server with that ID value. Checks whether this file has been sent to the specified print server, and if there is a response from the specified printer, a display built in to the workstation that issued the print instruction indicates that the file was sent to the printer. Display on the device. On the other hand, if the specified print server is down or the file is not transferred, the counter is incremented and whether or not the value exceeds the preset value L shown in Figure 2 is checked. C＞
Determine L). If it is within the range of L, a print server with a priority corresponding to the incremented counter value is automatically designated, and the file is transferred to the print server for printing. In addition, C<
In the case of L, since there is no printer whose priority is set as a range in which forward transfer is possible, this fact is only displayed on the display device, and the file is not transferred to any print server.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, according to the workstation of the present invention, it is possible to automatically specify another print server in sequence according to the priority set for multiple print servers in the event of a failure. Even if the designated print server is down, other print servers can be automatically designated one after another according to priority, and files can be efficiently transferred to the printer.
Further, since the print server is re-instructed automatically, the operator's operational work can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a flowchart showing an outline of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of a memory set in a workstation of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a printer support executed in the workstation of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing details of the process, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a conventional workstation system. Explanation of symbols, 1a, 1b...Workstation, 2...LAM, 3...File server, 5a
~5n...print server, 6a~6n...printer.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] In a workstation connected to a communication network system in which a plurality of print servers each having a printer connected thereto, means for setting priorities for the ID numbers of the plurality of print servers. and control means for specifying a subsequent print server in accordance with the priority determined by the means when the specified print server is inactive, and for transferring the file to the print server.