Device management system, device management method, and computer program

Abstract

To provide a device management system capable of accessing a device using correct access information.SOLUTION: If new access information acquired from a device management server differs from access information managed by a management client in a device management system, a network device stores the newly acquired access information only when the identification information acquired using the access information newly acquired from the device management server matches the identification information managed by the management client. If the device is a device which consolidates communication by a proxy, the network device updates a whitelist of the proxy. The network device also includes sending means for sending the data to a monitoring device in order to send the data of the network device to the device management server.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device management system, a device management method, a computer program, and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a device management system that performs maintenance via a network on network devices (e.g., image forming devices) installed in an office, etc. By using the device management system, for example, it is possible to detect via the network when a failure occurs in a device or when it is necessary to replenish consumables, and to take prompt action.

[0003] A known conventional device management system includes a device management server that centrally manages each device, and a monitoring device that operates as a management client that collects management information from multiple devices and transfers it to the device management server.

[0004] The user uses the Web UI of the device management server to input access information such as IP addresses and host names, as well as device identification information such as device serial numbers and MAC addresses. This allows the management client to periodically obtain device management information via the device management server, enabling the management client to monitor the devices.

[0005] Patent Document 1 describes a system that manages a combination of fixed identification information, such as a MAC address of a peripheral device, and variable identification information, such as an IP address, and recognizes that the access information of the peripheral device has been changed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-48462 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the user who operates the cloud-based device management server is often different from the user who operates the management client or device in the customer network, and there is a discrepancy in the timing of each operation. For example, there are cases where a user of the device management server changes the access information of a device registered on the Web UI in advance, and then a user of the device in the customer network changes the access information at a later date.

[0008] In the above example, if the management client obtains the changed access information from the device management server and saves it in its own database before changing the device's access information, communication will be impossible due to an IP address mismatch until the device's access information is changed, which will temporarily disable monitoring.

[0009] Furthermore, in a configuration in which a management client aggregates and monitors devices via its own proxy function, access information of the source of access to the proxy function may be managed in the form of a whitelist, and communication from a source not on the whitelist may be blocked. In such a case, by adding access information different from the current device to the whitelist, communication from an unauthorized source on the whitelist may be permitted.

[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a device management system that is capable of accessing a device using correct access information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] A device management system including a network device, a monitoring device that monitors the network device, and a device management server that manages data transmitted from the monitoring device, The monitoring device includes: a device search means for acquiring identification information for each of the network devices using access information of the network devices connected to a network; a management target receiving means for receiving the identification information and the access information of the network device to be managed from the device management server; a management unit for managing the identification information and the access information of the network device; a first determination means for determining whether the identification information managed by the management means matches the identification information acquired by the managed object receiving means, and whether the access information managed by the management means does not match the access information acquired by the managed object receiving means; a second determination means for determining whether or not the identification information acquired by the device search means using the access information acquired by the management target receiving means matches the identification information of the network device acquired by the management target receiving means; a first update means for updating the access information of the network device managed by the management means when it is determined that the access information of a same network device does not match as a result of the respective determinations by the first determination means and the second determination means, The network device comprises: The monitoring device includes a transmitting unit for transmitting data of the network device to the device management server. Effect of the Invention

[0012] The present invention makes it possible to realize a device management system that is capable of accessing a device using correct access information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall view of a device management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2]1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 107 as a network device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a monitoring device 106 and a server group 101-105 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an image forming apparatus 107 as a network device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a monitoring device 106 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation performed when the monitoring apparatus 106 according to the first embodiment of the present invention acquires a list of devices to be managed. [Figure 7] FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of device management information managed by a device management server 101 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of device management information managed by a monitoring device 106. [Figure 8] 7 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of step S612 in FIG. 6 according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation performed when the monitoring apparatus 106 according to the second embodiment of the present invention acquires a list of devices to be managed. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of checking identification information of the monitoring device 106 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of step S612 of FIG. 6 in the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation performed when the monitoring apparatus 106 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention receives a power state event transmitted by multicast from a device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. In each drawing, the same members or elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions are omitted or simplified. EXAMPLES

[0015] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is an overall view of a device management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The device management system of this embodiment is a management system for an image forming apparatus 107 (hereinafter also referred to as a device) as a network device. Note that the network device is not limited to an image forming apparatus, and may be any device that can be connected to a network.

[0016] The device management system is also made up of a monitoring device 106 that collects data from the image forming device 107, and a group of servers that manage the data collected by the monitoring device 106, the image forming device 107 that is the management target, and the monitoring device 106, and provide various services. That is, the device management system includes the image forming device 107, the monitoring device 106 that monitors the image forming device 107, and a device management server 101 that manages data transmitted from the monitoring device 106.

[0017] The device management server 101 manages information on the image forming apparatus 107 and the monitoring apparatus 106 that are targets of various services. The authentication and authorization server 102 provides an authentication and authorization function for securely connecting the image forming apparatus 107 and the monitoring apparatus 106 to various servers.

[0018] In this embodiment, a general OAuth mechanism is used to register each device (such as the image forming device 107 and the monitoring device 106) as a client associated with a specific tenant. Here, a tenant refers to a management unit assigned to each customer who has signed a service contract.

[0019] The authentication and authorization server 102 of this embodiment manages data on a tenant-by-tenant basis. The authentication and authorization server 102 also issues tokens to these clients. By using these tokens, each device (image forming device 107, monitoring device 106, etc.) can access various servers.

[0020] The resource server 103 manages information that is mainly required to provide services and that is collected from the image forming apparatus 107. In response to a request from each device (the image forming apparatus 107, the monitoring apparatus 106, etc.), the access destination device management server 104 provides the URL of the device management server 101, the resource server 103, etc., which is the access destination of each device, to each device in response to a request from each device.

[0021] The service providing server 105 provides various services such as maintenance services and reporting services based on various information of the image forming device 107 managed by the resource server 103. From the Web UI of the service providing server 105, a user can set information of each device (image forming device 107, monitoring device 106, etc.) that the user wants to manage.

[0022] Information about each device set by the user in the service providing server 105 can also be reflected in the device management server 101 and the resource server 103. The server group (101 to 105), monitoring device 106, and image forming device 107 are connected to a network (WAN 108, LAN 109).

[0023] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 107 as a network device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. A CPU 201 executes a computer program stored in a ROM 202 or a hard disk drive (HDD) 205 for controlling the entire device, and performs overall control of each device connected to a system bus 206.

[0024] The RAM 203 functions as a work area for the CPU 201. The HDC 204 is a hard disk controller that controls the HDD 205. The reader I / F 207 and the printer I / F 208 are connected to a reader unit 212 and a printer unit 213, respectively, and control these devices.

[0025] An operation unit I / F 209 is connected to an operation unit 214, and controls display on the operation unit 214 and user input from the operation unit 214. Reference numeral 214 denotes the operation unit, and is composed of buttons for operation, a display unit, etc. A switch I / F 210 is connected to a switch unit 215, and controls operations from the switch unit 215.

[0026] Reference numeral 215 denotes a switch unit, which is composed of switches for operation, etc. Reference numeral 216 denotes a network I / F (NW I / F), which exchanges data with an external device such as a host computer via a network 217.

[0027] The overall control unit 211 controls various devices and interfaces connected to the device (image forming device 107) and also controls the operation of the entire device. The reader unit 212 functions as a scanner, reading an image of an original document, and outputs image data corresponding to the original document image to a printer unit 213 or stores the image data in a storage device of the device according to an instruction from a user.

[0028] Furthermore, the reader unit 212 can also transmit the image data to a host computer connected to a network 217 via a network I / F 216. The printer unit 213 functions as a printer and prints the document read by the reader unit 212 and image data stored in the HDD 205 as a storage device in the device body.

[0029] Furthermore, the printer unit 213 receives and prints a print job from a host computer connected to a network 217 via a network I / F 216. The network I / F 216 is connected via the network 217 and is used by the overall control unit 211 to communicate with other information devices on the network 217.

[0030] An operation unit 214 uses buttons and a display device, or a liquid crystal display screen with touch panel input, or a combination of these, to display information from the overall control unit 211 to the user and to notify the user's input to the overall control unit 211. A switch unit 215 controls the ON / OFF state of the power supply to the overall control unit 211.

[0031] Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the monitoring device 106 and the server group 101-105 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Note that some of the functional blocks shown in Fig. 3 are realized by causing a CPU or the like as a computer included in each device to execute a computer program stored in a memory as a storage medium.

[0032] However, some or all of them may be realized by hardware. A dedicated circuit (ASIC) or a processor (reconfigurable processor, DSP) may be used as the hardware. Furthermore, the functional blocks shown in Fig. 3 do not have to be built in the same housing, and may be configured by separate devices connected to each other via signal paths. The above explanation regarding Fig. 3 also applies to Figs. 4 and 5.

[0033] The communication I / F unit 301 is a network interface for communicating with an external system or device. The storage device 302 stores an operating system (OS), computer programs, management data, data collected from external systems and devices, and the like.

[0034] A CPU 303 as a computer loads a computer program from the storage device 302 into a memory 304 and executes it. An output I / F unit 305 is connected to an output device such as a display, and outputs the execution results of the computer program, etc. An input I / F unit 306 is connected to a keyboard, pointing device, etc., and accepts user operation inputs.

[0035] 4 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of the image forming apparatus 107 as a network device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. An authentication unit 401 communicates with the authentication and authorization server 102, and performs registration processing as a client, token acquisition, management, etc. The authentication unit 401 communicates with the monitoring device 106 regarding settings required for monitoring, including registration with the authentication and authorization server 102.

[0036] The data management unit 402 manages data such as proxy server settings held by the monitoring device 106. The monitoring unit 403 performs data collection and the like required for monitoring. The data transmission unit 404 transmits the data collected by the monitoring unit 403 to the resource server 103.

[0037] 5 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the monitoring device 106 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. A proxy server 501 aggregates communications from the image forming device 107 having a self-registration function and a self-monitoring function.

[0038] In this embodiment, the proxy server 501 is built in the monitoring device 106, but it may be provided outside the monitoring device 106. In addition to the proxy server 501, another proxy server may be provided on the communication path between the image forming device 107 and the WAN 108 to form a multi-stage proxy.

[0039] The data management unit 502 manages device information required for monitoring, such as status information indicating whether the device is a device to be managed or not. Here, the data management unit 502 functions as a management unit that executes a management step of managing the identification information and access information of the image forming device.

[0040] The device management unit 503 not only collects information from the image forming apparatus 107, but also sets the proxy server information held by the image forming apparatus 107, registers the image forming apparatus 107 as a client, and acquires and manages tokens.

[0041] Here, the device management unit 503 functions as a device search unit that executes a device search step of acquiring identification information for each image forming device using access information of the image forming device connected to the network.

[0042] The task management unit 504 performs a task of acquiring a list of devices (hereinafter referred to as a managed device list) preregistered as devices to be managed by the monitoring device 106 from the device management server 101, instructing the monitoring device 106 to self-register, and monitoring the devices. Furthermore, the task management unit 504 also manages various tasks such as the registration of devices that do not have a self-registration function.

[0043] In self-registration of the monitoring device 106, the monitoring device 106 obtains a token by registering itself with the authentication and authorization server 102, and uses the token to obtain URLs of various servers from the destination device management server 104. In addition, a communication test is performed on the various servers.

[0044] A screen control unit 505 displays an image on the output device via the output I / F unit 305, and stores input information from the input device in the data management unit 502 via the input I / F unit 306. The functional blocks (functional modules) illustrated by the blocks in Fig. 5 are realized by the CPU 303 executing a predetermined computer program, as described above.

[0045] Moreover, each process of the monitoring device 106 in the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 to 11 described later is realized by executing the above computer program.

[0046] Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation when acquiring a list of devices to be managed by the monitoring device 106 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Note that the operation of each step in the flowchart in Fig. 6 is performed in sequence by a CPU or the like as a computer in the monitoring device 106 executing a computer program stored in a memory.

[0047] As will be described below, in the process of FIG. 6, the monitoring apparatus 106 acquires information about devices managed by the monitoring apparatus 106 from the device management server 101, and updates the device information.

[0048] The processing in FIG. 6 may be executed periodically by the task management unit, may be executed periodically based on a schedule set by the user in the screen control unit 505 or in a configuration file, or may be executed at any time by the user operating the screen control unit 505.

[0049] In step S601, the task management unit 504 acquires, from the device management server 101, management information of the device managed by the monitoring device 106, using the token acquired from the authentication and authorization server 102 by the self-registration process of the monitoring device 106.

[0050] Incidentally, step S601 functions as a management target receiving step (management target receiving means) that acquires identification information and access information of the image forming apparatus to be managed from the device management server. Here, the management information of the devices managed by the device management server 101 and the monitoring apparatus 106 will be described.

[0051] FIG. 7(A) is a diagram showing an example of device management information managed by the device management server 101 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7(B) is a diagram showing an example of device management information managed by the monitoring device 106.

[0052] 7A, a device management service device ID 701 is information that uniquely identifies the image forming apparatus 107 as a device within the device management server 101. A serial number 702 is information that uniquely identifies the device, and is fixed identification information that the image forming apparatus 107 has in advance.

[0053] An IP address 703 is information indicating an IP address of a device. Here, an IP address is used as an example of access information to a device, but a host name or a URL may also be used.

[0054] The agent ID 704 is information with which the device management server 101 uniquely identifies the monitoring device 106. When the device management server 101 receives a request from the monitoring device 106 to obtain a list of managed devices, the device management server 101 refers to the agent ID included in the request, and returns management information of the device associated with that agent ID to the monitoring device 106.

[0055] 7B, device ID 705 is information that uniquely identifies a device within monitoring device 06. Serial number 706 is information that uniquely identifies a device. IP address 707 is information that indicates the IP address of the device. Here, an IP address is used as an example of access information for a device, but a host name, URL, or the like may also be used.

[0056] The monitoring method 708 is information indicating whether the device uses a self-registration function and a self-monitoring function to aggregate communication at the proxy server 501 (whether the device uses polling). The management status 709 is information indicating whether the device is a "managed device" of this system. Here, a list of managed devices is obtained, and the image forming apparatus 107 included in the list is determined to be a "managed device."

[0057] The registration status 710 is information indicating whether the image forming apparatus 107 that is a "managed subject" has been successfully registered. The device management service device ID 711 is information that allows the device management server 101 to uniquely identify the image forming apparatus 107. Of course, the device management information is not limited to this.

[0058] Returning now to the explanation of the flowchart, in step S602, the task management unit 504 checks whether there are any devices that have not yet been designated as "managed devices." More specifically, the task management unit 504 compares the serial number 702 in the list of managed devices with the serial number 706 in the device management information managed by the data management unit 502 of the monitoring apparatus 106.

[0059] Then, it is checked whether there is a device whose serial number matches but whose management status 709 is "not managed." If there is a device, the process proceeds to step S603. If there is no device, the process proceeds to step S604.

[0060] In step S 603 , the task management unit 504 sets the management status 709 of the device that has a matching serial number but whose management status 709 is “not managed” to “managed” and saves this in the data management unit 502 .

[0061] At this time, if there is information that is not included in the device management information of the monitoring device 106 among the management information common to the managed device list and the device management information of the monitoring device 106, this information is imported and stored in the data management unit 502. The common management information includes, for example, the device management service device ID 701, the IP address 703, and the like.

[0062] In step S604, the task management unit 504 checks whether there is a device that needs to be deleted from the management targets. Specifically, the task management unit 504 compares the serial number 702 of each device in the management target device list with the serial number 706 of each device in the device management information managed by the data management unit 502 of the monitoring apparatus 106.

[0063] The monitoring device 106 then checks whether any devices with a management status 709 of "managed" exist among those devices that have serial numbers that are not in the acquired managed device list but are in the device management information managed by the data management unit 502 of the monitoring device 106. If any devices exist, it is determined that there is a device that needs to be deleted from the "managed device" list, and the process proceeds to step S605. If no such device exists, the process proceeds to step S608.

[0064] In step S605, the task management unit 504 changes the management status 709 of the deleted device to "not managed." That is, among devices that are not in the acquired managed device list but have serial numbers in the device management information managed by the data management unit 502 of the monitoring apparatus 106, a device with the management status 709 set to "managed" is searched for. The management status 709 of the device is then changed and set to "not managed," and saved in the data management unit 502.

[0065] In step S606, if the task management unit 504 determines that a device whose monitoring method 708 is "proxy" exists among the devices that were determined to be "unmanaged" in step S605, the process proceeds to step S607. If no such device exists, the process proceeds to step S608.

[0066] In step S607, the task management unit 504 registers the IP address 707 of the device whose management status 709 is set to "managed" among the device management information managed by the data management unit 502 in the whitelist of the proxy server 501, thereby updating the same. Note that the proxy server 501 permits access from IP addresses registered in the updated whitelist, and blocks access from other IP addresses.

[0067] In step S608, the task management unit 504 checks whether there are any undiscovered devices. That is, the task management unit 504 compares the serial number 702 of each device in the management target device list with the serial number 706 of each device in the device management information managed by the data management unit 502 of the monitoring apparatus 106.

[0068] Then, it is checked whether or not a device having a serial number that is in the managed device list but not in the device management information managed by the data management unit 502 of the monitoring apparatus 106 exists in the managed device list. If it exists, it is determined that there is an unsearched device and the process proceeds to step S609. If it does not exist, the process proceeds to step S611.

[0069] In step S609, the task management unit 504 stores device management information of an unsearched device (i.e., a device that needs to be newly searched) in the managed device list in the data management unit 502. Furthermore, the management status 709 of the device is set to “managed” and stored in the data management unit 502.

[0070] In step S610, the task management unit 504 starts a search task for the unsearched device (i.e., a device that needs to be newly searched) in step S609. In the search task, a search request is sent to the IP address 707 in the device management information, and if there is a response, information such as a serial number is obtained.

[0071] Incidentally, if the user has set an IP address or host name for searching in advance in the screen control unit 505, a search may be performed for these.

[0072] In step S 611 , the task management section 504 compares the serial number 702 in the acquired list of managed devices with the serial number 706 in the device management information managed by the data management section 502 of the monitoring apparatus 106 .

[0073] If there are devices with matching serial numbers but different IP addresses, it is determined that there is a device whose IP has been changed (IP-changed device), and the process proceeds to step S612. If there is no such device, the process proceeds to step S613.

[0074] Here, step S611 functions as a first judgment step (first judgment means). Also, in step S611, if the identification information managed by the management means and the identification information acquired by the managed object receiving means match, and the access information managed by the management means and the access information acquired by the managed object receiving means do not match, the result is Yes.

[0075] 8, which will be described later, is executed in step S612, and then in step S613, the task management unit 504 starts a device registration task. The registration task is executed on devices whose management status 709 is set to "managed."

[0076] In the registration task, first, it is checked whether the device has a self-registration function and a self-monitoring function. If aggregated communication is possible through the proxy server 501, the monitoring method 708 is set to "proxy" and the IP address is added to the whitelist of the proxy server 501. If aggregated communication is not possible through the proxy server 501, it is set to "polling".

[0077] For devices with a self-registration function, the device management unit 503 sets proxy information of the proxy server 501 to the device authentication unit 401 and instructs the device to self-register. For devices without a self-registration function, the task management unit 504 registers the device on behalf of the device and requests the device to register to the authentication and authorization server 102. When registration is complete, the registration status 710 is set to "registered" and saved in the data management unit 502.

[0078] Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of step S612 in Fig. 6 in the first embodiment of the present invention. Note that the operation of each step in the flowchart in Fig. 8 is performed sequentially by a CPU or the like as a computer in the monitoring device 106 executing a computer program stored in a memory.

[0079] 8, if a new IP address newly acquired from the device management server is different from the IP address managed by the monitoring device, the new serial number acquired from the device using the new IP address is compared with the serial number 702 managed by the monitoring device 106. Then, only when the comparison results in a match, the new serial number is stored, and further, if the monitoring method 708 is "proxy", the whitelist is updated.

[0080] In step S801, the device management unit 503 acquires a serial number as identification information from the device using the IP address 703 as the new IP address newly acquired from the management target device list. In step S802, the task management unit 504 determines whether acquisition of the serial number in step S801 was successful. If successful, the process proceeds to step S803.

[0081] If not successful, the flow of Fig. 8 ends. For example, if the device is powered off, if the authentication information for communicating with the device is incorrect, or if there is no device to communicate with using the newly acquired IP address 03, the communication fails and the result in step S802 is No.

[0082] In step S803, the task management section 504 determines whether or not the serial number serving as the identification information acquired in step S801 matches the serial number 702 in the management target device list.

[0083] Here, step S803 functions as a second judgment step (second judgment means). Also, in step S803, it is judged whether the identification information acquired by the device search means using the access information acquired by the management target receiving means matches the identification information of the image forming device acquired by the management target receiving means.

[0084] If the answer is Yes in step S803, it is determined that the IP address of the same device has been changed, and the process proceeds to step S804. If the answer is No in step S803, that is, if the serial numbers serving as identification information do not match, the flow in FIG. 8 ends.

[0085] In step S804, the task management unit 504 overwrites the IP address 707 in the data management unit 502 with the IP address 703 newly acquired from the managed device list serving as a database (DB), and saves it. That is, the IP address in the managed device list serving as a database is updated to the new IP address.

[0086] Here, step S804 functions as a first update step (first update means). Also, in step S804, if it is determined that the access information of the same image forming device does not match as a result of the respective determinations by the first determination means and the second determination means, the access information of the image forming device 107 managed by the management means is updated.

[0087] Next, in step S805, the task management unit 504 determines whether the monitoring method 708 of the corresponding device is "proxy" and the management status 709 is "managed", and if Yes, the process proceeds to step S806. If No in step S805, the flow in FIG. 8 ends.

[0088] In step S806, the task management unit 504 updates the whitelist of the proxy server 501 and sets the IP address 707 of the corresponding device to be permitted.

[0089] That is, if the access information newly acquired from the device management server 101 is different from the access information managed by the monitoring device 106, the identification information acquired using the newly acquired access information from the device management server is compared with the identification information managed by the management client. Then, the newly acquired access information is stored only if the identification information matches. Also, the whitelist is updated as necessary.

[0090] Also, if the device monitoring method 708 is not "proxy" and the network device is monitored without using the proxy server function, the whitelist is not updated. Here, step S806 functions as a second update means for updating the access permission list for the image forming apparatus 107 to the proxy server 501 when the access information is updated by the first update means.

[0091] By processing in this manner, when the access information held by the device management server 101 differs from the access information previously held by the monitoring apparatus 106, it becomes possible to access the device using the correct access information. EXAMPLES

[0092] In the above Example 1, if the device is powered off when the device list is acquired, the serial number cannot be confirmed and the IP address cannot be updated. If the user executes device list acquisition by operating the Web UI, the device can be acquired again after powering on the device. However, if the device list is acquired periodically, the IP address will not be updated until the device is powered on the next time onwards.

[0093] There may also be cases where it is desired to first change the IP address in the management information managed by the device management server 101, and then change the IP address of the device later. In such cases, even if the change in IP address is detected when the device list is acquired, if the actual IP address of the device has not changed at that point, the device cannot be monitored until the device list is acquired after the actual IP address of the device is changed.

[0094] In the second embodiment, the device can be continuously monitored even in such a case. Hereinafter, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the description of the same configuration as the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0095] Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of the monitoring device 106 according to the second embodiment of the present invention when acquiring a list of devices to be managed. Note that the operation of each step in the flowchart of Fig. 9 is performed sequentially by a CPU or the like as a computer in the monitoring device 106 executing a computer program stored in a memory.

[0096] In the flowchart of FIG. 9, the monitoring apparatus 106 in the first embodiment performs the process of step S901 when it fails to obtain the identification information in step S802, or when it determines in step S803 that the identification information does not match.

[0097] That is, if it is determined in step S802 that the serial number acquisition has failed, or if it is determined in step S803 that the serial number serving as the identification information does not match the serial number 702 in the managed device list, the process proceeds to step S901.

[0098] In step S901, the data management unit 502 stores the serial number acquired from the management target device list as a temporary IP address in the data management unit 502. This temporary IP address is stored as device management information separately from the IP address 707 of the device management information.

[0099] That is, in step S901, if the second determination means determines that the identification information does not match, the access information acquired by the managed object receiving means is stored in the management means as provisional access information.

[0100] On the other hand, after updating the IP address in step S804, the temporary IP address is deleted in step S902. That is, in step S902, the data management unit 502 deletes the temporary IP address if there is one in the device whose serial number as identification information matches in step S803.

[0101] In this way, if the combination of the changed IP address and the identification information (serial number) cannot be confirmed after changing the IP address 703 in the managed device list, the changed IP address is saved as a temporary IP address. Then, at the start of various tasks in the task management unit 504, the combination of the temporary IP address and the identification information (serial number) is confirmed as necessary, for example, using the flow shown in FIG.

[0102] Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of checking identification information of the monitoring device 106 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Note that the operation of each step of the flowchart in Fig. 10 is performed sequentially by a CPU or the like as a computer in the monitoring device 106 executing a computer program stored in a memory.

[0103] In the flow of Fig. 10, when the combination of the serial number as identification information and the IP address does not match, or when a communication error occurs, if the combination of the temporary IP address and the serial number as identification information matches, the IP address is updated. Note that the process of Fig. 10 is executed by the task management unit 504 as necessary at the beginning of various tasks of the task management unit 504 at a predetermined timing after the process according to the flow of Fig. 9.

[0104] In step S1001, the device management unit 503 acquires identification information (serial number) from the device using the IP address 707 in the device management information of the monitoring apparatus 106.

[0105] In step S1002, the task management unit 504 determines whether the acquisition in step S1001 was successful. If successful, the process proceeds to step S1003. If unsuccessful, the process proceeds to step S1004.

[0106] In step S1003, the task management unit 504 determines whether the identification information (serial number) acquired in step S1001 matches the serial number 706 in the device management information of the monitoring apparatus 106. If they match, the flow in Fig. 10 ends. If they do not match, the process proceeds to step S1004.

[0107] In step S1004, the task management unit 504 judges whether the temporary IP address saved in step S901 exists. If it exists, the process proceeds to step S1005. If it does not exist, the flow of FIG. 10 ends.

[0108] In step S1005, the device management unit 503 acquires identification information (serial number) from the device using the temporary IP address saved in step S901. That is, if communication with the image forming apparatus 107 using the access information managed by the management unit fails, the identification information is acquired using the temporary access information. Alternatively, if the identification information acquired using the access information managed by the management unit differs from the identification information managed by the management unit, the identification information is acquired using the temporary access information.

[0109] In step S1006, the task management unit 504 determines whether acquisition of the identification information (serial number) in step S1005 was successful. If successful, the process proceeds to step S1007. If unsuccessful, the flow in FIG. 10 ends.

[0110] In step S1007, the task management unit 504 determines whether the identification information (serial number) acquired in step S1005 matches the serial number 706 in the device management information of the monitoring apparatus .

[0111] If they match, proceed to step S1008. If they do not match, end the flow in Fig. 10. Note that if the identification information (serial number) does not match in step S1007, the screen control unit 505 may notify the user that neither the IP address 707 in the device management information nor the temporary IP address matches the identification information (serial number).

[0112] In step S1008, the data management unit 502 overwrites the IP address 707 in the device management information with the temporary IP address. That is, if the identification information acquired in the temporary access information matches the identification information managed by the management means, the temporary access information is overwritten and saved in the access information managed by the management means. In step S1009, the data management unit 502 deletes the temporary IP address.

[0113] In step S1010, if the monitoring method 708 of the device is "proxy" and the management status 709 is "managed status", the task management unit 504 proceeds to step S1011. Otherwise, the flow of Fig. 10 ends. In step S1011, the task management unit 504 sets the IP address 707 of the device to be permitted in the whitelist of the proxy server 501.

[0114] As described above, if the combination of the changed IP address and the identification information (serial number) cannot be confirmed after changing the IP address 703 in the managed device list, the changed IP address is saved as a temporary IP address. Then, at the start of various tasks in the task management unit 504, the combination of the temporary IP address and the identification information (serial number) is confirmed as necessary.

[0115] This allows devices to be continuously monitored even if IP address changes cannot be reflected when obtaining the managed device list. EXAMPLES

[0116] In the above first and second embodiments, when the IP address 703 in the management information managed by the device management server 101 and the IP address 707 managed by the monitoring apparatus 106 are different, a method of monitoring the device using either the correct IP address has been shown.

[0117] On the other hand, if the IP address 703 in the management information managed by the device management server 101 is not appropriate, monitoring will stop if the device's IP address does not match the IP address 707 managed by the monitoring apparatus 106 .

[0118] In the third embodiment, if the IP address 703 in the management information managed by the device management server 101 is not appropriate, the user is prompted to reset the IP address. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that a description of the same configuration as in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0119] Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of step S612 in Fig. 6 in the third embodiment of the present invention. Note that the operation of each step in the flowchart in Fig. 11 is performed sequentially by a CPU or the like as a computer in the monitoring device 106 executing a computer program stored in a memory.

[0120] In step S1101, if the identification information (serial number) acquired in step S801 does not match the serial number 702 in the managed device list, a notification is sent to the resource server 103 to the effect that the IP address of the corresponding device is inappropriate.

[0121] That is, if the second determination means determines that the identification information does not match, the user is notified that the access information is inappropriate. At the same time, the identification information (serial number) acquired in step S801 is also notified.

[0122] The resource server 103 notifies the service providing server 105 of the received IP address mismatch information. Then, when the user refers to the device management information on the Web UI of the service providing server 105, the identification information (serial number) of the device currently linked to this IP address is displayed together with a message to the effect that the configured IP address information may be inappropriate.

[0123] Here, the notification is sent to the resource server 103, but it may also be sent to the device management server 101 or the service providing server 105. In addition, the notification may be sent to the user by email or the like, or may be displayed on the screen control unit 505 of the monitoring device 106.

[0124] Furthermore, before notifying the mismatch in step S1101, identification information (serial number) is acquired using the pre-change IP address 707 held by the data management unit 502. Then, if the identification information (serial number) matches the serial number 706, it is determined that the device's IP address has not yet been changed, and it is not necessary to notify the mismatch.

[0125] As described above, if the acquired identification information (serial number) does not match the serial number 702 in the managed device list, the user is notified that the IP address of the corresponding device may not be appropriate. This makes it possible to prompt the user to reset the IP address.

[0126] In the above embodiment, if the access information of multiple devices managed by the device management server changes, when the management client obtains the device information from the device management server, the management client confirms that the access information is correct before importing the access information.

[0127] That is, if the access information newly acquired from the device management server differs from the access information managed by the management client, the identification information is acquired using the access information newly acquired from the device management server.

[0128] Only when the acquired identification information matches the identification information managed by the management client, the newly acquired access information is saved and the whitelist is updated. As a result, if the access information held by the device management server differs from the access information held by the management client, it becomes possible to access the device using the correct access information. EXAMPLES

[0129] In the above-mentioned second embodiment, even if the change in the IP address cannot be reflected when the device management target device list is acquired, the method of continuously monitoring the device by reflecting the change in the IP address at the beginning of various tasks has been shown.

[0130] However, if the frequency of execution of various tasks that attempt to reflect the IP address is low, there will be a period during which monitoring is not possible between when the device is turned on and the next task execution. Also, if the monitoring method 708 of the device is "proxy", it will take time for the IP address to be reflected because the management client does not access the device frequently.

[0131] On the other hand, if various tasks are executed frequently to increase the frequency of attempts to update the IP address and shorten the period during which monitoring is unavailable, the load on the CPU will be increased, affecting performance. Furthermore, when the device is turned off, access is made to both IP address 707 in the device management information and the temporary IP address, which doubles the communication timeout wait time and increases the load on the network.

[0132] In the fourth embodiment, even in such a case, the impact on performance is minimized and a period during which monitoring is not possible is prevented. The fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that a description of the same configuration as the second embodiment will be omitted.

[0133] Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of the monitoring device 106 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention when the monitoring device 106 receives a power state event transmitted by multicast from a device. Note that the operation of each step in the flowchart of Fig. 12 is performed sequentially by a CPU or the like as a computer in the monitoring device 106 executing a computer program stored in a memory.

[0134] Here, a power state event is a packet that is multicast by the data transmission unit 404 of a device when the power state of the device changes (on, running, sleep transition, sleep return, off, etc.) The power state event packet includes information such as the power state, IP address, and MAC address.

[0135] In the flowchart of Figure 12, after a temporary IP address is saved when the monitoring device 106 acquires a list of devices to be managed in the second embodiment, a power status event is sent due to a change in the power status of the device, and the monitoring device 106 performs processing of step S1201 when it receives the power status event.

[0136] In step S1201, the task management unit 504 receives a power state event by a power state event reception task that waits for the power state event.

[0137] In step S1202, based on the MAC address included in the power state event received in step S1201, the task management unit 504 acquires information about a device having a matching MAC address from the data management unit 502. Here, the MAC address is used as unique identification information for the device, but other identification information such as a serial number may be used.

[0138] In step S1203, the task management unit 504 stores in the data management unit 502 the power state included in the power state event received in step S1201.

[0139] In step S1204, the task management unit 504 determines whether the temporary IP address saved in step S901 exists. If it exists, the process proceeds to step S1205. If it does not exist, the flow in Fig. 12 ends. Note that although an IP address is used as the access information of the device here, other access information such as a host name may also be used.

[0140] In step S1205, the task management unit 504 determines whether the IP address included in the power state event received in step S1201 matches the temporary IP address.

[0141] If they match, proceed to step S1206. If they do not match, end the flow of Fig. 12. Here, by confirming in step S1202 that the device identification information (MAC address) matches, it is determined that it is the same device, and a change in IP address is confirmed. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, there is no need to perform a process of acquiring information from the device again, as in the first and second embodiments.

[0142] In step S1206, the data management unit 502 overwrites the IP address 707 in the device management information with the temporary IP address. That is, if the identification information acquired in the temporary access information matches the identification information managed by the management means, the temporary access information is overwritten and saved as correct information in the access information managed by the management means. In step S1207, the data management unit 502 deletes the temporary IP address.

[0143] In step S1208, if the monitoring method 708 of the device is "proxy" and the management status 709 is "managed status", the task management unit 504 determines that the device is a proxy aggregator and proceeds to step S1209. Otherwise, the flow of Fig. 12 ends. In step S1209, the task management unit 504 updates the whitelist. That is, the task management unit 504 sets the IP address 707 of the device to be permitted in the whitelist of the proxy server 501.

[0144] As described above, in the fourth embodiment, after the temporary IP address is saved, the device is accessed at the beginning of various tasks in the task management unit 504. If the combination of the temporary IP address and the identification information cannot be confirmed, a power state event due to a change in the power state of the device is received, and the combination of the identification information and the IP address included in the power state event is confirmed.

[0145] This means that even if the device is turned off and you cannot check whether the IP address change has been reflected in various tasks, you can start monitoring the device as soon as it is turned on.

[0146] Although the present invention has been described in detail based on the preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, and are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. The present invention also includes combinations of the above embodiments and the following combinations.

[0147] (Configuration 1) In a device management system having network devices, a monitoring device that monitors the network devices, and a device management server that manages data transmitted from the monitoring device, the monitoring device includes an equipment searching means that acquires identification information for each of the network devices using access information of the network devices connected to a network, a management target receiving means that acquires the identification information and the access information of the network devices that are targets of management from the device management server, a management means that manages the identification information and the access information of the network devices, and a device management system that manages the identification information and the access information of the network devices when the identification information managed by the management means and the identification information acquired by the management target receiving means match and when the access information managed by the management means and the access information managed by the management means match ... a first judgment means for determining whether the identification information acquired by the equipment search means using the access information acquired by the managed object receiving means matches the identification information of the network device acquired by the managed object receiving means; and a first update means for updating the access information of the network device managed by the management means when it is determined that the access information of the same network device does not match as a result of the respective judgments by the first judgment means and the second judgment means, wherein the network device has a transmission means for transmitting data of the network device to the monitoring device in order to transmit the data to the device management server.

[0148] (Configuration 2) A device management system according to configuration 1, further comprising: a second update means for updating an access permission list for the network device to access a proxy server when the access information is updated by the first update means.

[0149] (Configuration 3) A device management system according to configuration 2, characterized in that when the second judgment means judges that the identification information does not match, the access information acquired by the managed object receiving means is stored in the management means as provisional access information.

[0150] (Configuration 4) A device management system according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized in that if communication with the network device using the access information managed by the management means fails, or if identification information acquired using the access information managed by the management means differs from the identification information managed by the management means, the system acquires identification information using temporary access information.

[0151] (Configuration 5) A device management system according to configuration 4, characterized in that when the identification information acquired from the temporary access information matches the identification information managed by the management means, the temporary access information is overwritten and saved on the access information managed by the management means.

[0152] (Configuration 6) A device management system described in any one of configurations 1 to 5, characterized in that when the second judgment means determines that the identification information does not match, it notifies a user that the access information is inappropriate.

[0153] (Configuration 7) The device management system according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, wherein the whitelist is not updated when a network device is monitored without using a proxy server function.

[0154] (Method 1) A device management method for controlling a device management system having a network device, a monitoring device for monitoring one or more of the network devices, and a device management server for managing data transmitted from the monitoring device, the method comprising: an equipment search step in which the monitoring device acquires identification information for each of the network devices using access information of the network devices connected to a network; a management target receiving step in which the identification information and the access information of the network devices to be managed are acquired from the device management server; a management step in which the identification information managed in the management step and the identification information acquired in the management target receiving step match, and the access information managed in the management step and the management target receiving step match, a second determination step of determining whether the identification information acquired in the device search step matches the identification information of the network device acquired in the management target receiving step, using the access information acquired in the management target receiving step; a first update step of updating the access information of the network device managed in the management step when it is determined that the access information of a same network device does not match as a result of each of the determinations in the first determination step and the second determination step; and a transmission step of transmitting data of the network device to the monitoring apparatus by the network device in order to transmit the data to the device management server.

[0155] (Configuration 8) A monitoring device capable of communicating with a device management server and having a proxy server function, comprising: a management means for managing a combination of identification information and access information of a network device as first information; a receiving means for receiving from the device management server second information including a combination of identification information and access information of a network device to be managed; an acquisition means for acquiring identification information from a network device via a network using the access information that is the combination of the identification information in the second information when the second information includes identification information that matches identification information included in the first information and when access information that is the combination of the identification information in the first information and the second information does not match; and an update means for updating the first information using the identification information when the identification information in the second information matches the identification information acquired from the network device, wherein the update means updates an access permission list for permitting the network device to access the proxy server using the access information that is the combination of the identification information in the second information after updating the first information.

[0156] (Configuration 9) The monitoring device described in configuration 8, characterized in that when the network device is monitored by the monitoring device without using the function of the proxy server, the monitoring device does not update the access permission list after updating the first information.

[0157] (Configuration 10) The monitoring device according to configuration 8 or 9, wherein the identification information is a serial number that is information for uniquely identifying the network device.

[0158] (Method 2) A method in a monitoring device capable of communicating with a device management server and equipped with a proxy server function and a management means for managing a combination of identification information and access information of a network device as first information, the method comprising: a receiving step of receiving second information from the device management server, the second information including a combination of identification information and access information of a network device to be managed; an acquiring step of acquiring identification information from a network device via a network using the access information that is the combination of the identification information in the second information when the second information includes identification information that matches identification information included in the first information and when access information that is the combination of the identification information in the first information and the second information does not match; and an updating step of updating the first information using the identification information when the identification information in the second information matches the identification information acquired from the network device, wherein in the updating step, after updating the first information, an access permission list for permitting the network device to access the proxy server is updated using the access information that is the combination of the identification information in the second information.

[0159] (Program) A computer program for causing a monitoring device capable of communicating with a device management server and having a proxy server function to function as: a management means for managing a combination of identification information and access information of a network device as first information; a receiving means for receiving from the device management server second information including a combination of identification information and access information of a network device to be managed; an acquisition means for acquiring identification information from a network device via a network using the access information that is the combination of the identification information in the second information when the second information includes identification information that matches identification information included in the first information and when access information that is the combination of the identification information in the first information and the second information does not match; and an update means for updating the first information using the identification information when the identification information in the second information matches the identification information acquired from the network device, wherein the update means updates an access permission list for permitting the network device to access the proxy server using the access information that is the combination of the identification information in the second information after updating the first information.

[0160] The present invention can also be realized by supplying software (programs) that realize the functions of the above-described embodiments to a device management system or the like via a network or various storage media, and having the computer of the device management system read and execute the programs. In this case, the programs and the storage media storing the programs constitute the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0161] 101: Device management server 102: Authentication and authorization server 103: Resource server 104: Access destination device management server 105: Service provider server 106: Monitoring device 107: Image forming device (network device)

Claims

1. A device management system including a network device, a monitoring device that monitors the network device, and a device management server that manages data transmitted from the monitoring device, The monitoring device includes: a device search means for acquiring identification information for each of the network devices using access information of the network devices connected to a network; a management target receiving means for receiving the identification information and the access information of the network device to be managed from the device management server; a management unit for managing the identification information and the access information of the network device; a first determination means for determining whether the identification information managed by the management means matches the identification information acquired by the managed object receiving means, and whether the access information managed by the management means does not match the access information acquired by the managed object receiving means; a second determination means for determining whether or not the identification information acquired by the device search means using the access information acquired by the management target receiving means matches the identification information of the network device acquired by the management target receiving means; a first update means for updating the access information of the network device managed by the management means when it is determined that the access information of a same network device does not match as a result of the respective determinations by the first determination means and the second determination means, The network device comprises:

2. A device management system comprising: a transmitting unit that transmits data of the network device to the monitoring device in order to transmit the data to the device management server.

2. 2. The device management system according to claim 1, further comprising: a second update unit that updates an access permission list for the network device to access a proxy server when the first update unit updates the access information.

3. The device management system according to claim 2, characterized in that when the second judgment means judges that the identification information does not match, the access information acquired by the managed object receiving means is stored in the management means as provisional access information.

4. The device management system of claim 1, characterized in that if communication with the network device using the access information managed by the management means fails, or if the identification information obtained using the access information managed by the management means is different from the identification information managed by the management means, the identification information is obtained using temporary access information.

5. The device management system according to claim 4, characterized in that, when the identification information obtained from the provisional access information matches the identification information managed by the management means, the provisional access information is overwritten and saved on the access information managed by the management means.

6. 2. The device management system according to claim 1, wherein when the second determination means determines that the identification information does not match, the user is notified that the access information is inappropriate.

7. 2. The device management system according to claim 1, wherein the whitelist is not updated when the network device is monitored without using a proxy server function.

8. A device management method for controlling a device management system having a network device, a monitoring device that monitors one or more of the network devices, and a device management server that manages data transmitted from the monitoring device, comprising: The monitoring device a device search step of acquiring identification information for each of the network devices using access information of the network devices connected to a network; a management target receiving step of acquiring the identification information and the access information of the network device to be managed from the device management server; a management step of managing the identification information and the access information of the network device; a first determination step of determining whether the identification information managed in the management step matches the identification information acquired in the managed object receiving step, and whether the access information managed in the management step does not match the access information acquired in the managed object receiving step; a second determination step of determining whether or not the identification information acquired in the device search step matches the identification information of the network device acquired in the management target receiving step, using the access information acquired in the management target receiving step; a first updating step of updating the access information of the network device managed in the management step when it is determined that the access information of the same network device does not match as a result of each of the first and second determination steps; The network device A device management method comprising the step of transmitting data of the network device to the monitoring device in order to transmit the data to the device management server.

9. A monitoring device capable of communicating with a device management server and having a proxy server function, a management means for managing a combination of identification information and access information of a network device as first information; a receiving means for receiving second information including a combination of identification information and access information of a network device to be managed from the device management server; an acquisition means for acquiring identification information from a network device via a network by using the access information that is a combination of the identification information in the second information when the second information includes identification information that matches the identification information included in the first information and access information that is a combination of the identification information in the first information and the identification information in the second information do not match; an update means for updating the first information by using the identification information when the identification information in the second information matches the identification information acquired from the network device; The monitoring device is characterized in that the update means updates an access permission list for permitting the network device to access the proxy server using the access information that is a combination of the identification information in the second information after updating the first information.

10. A monitoring device as described in claim 9, characterized in that when the network device is monitored by the monitoring device without using the function of the proxy server, the access permission list is not updated after the first information is updated.

11. 10. The monitoring device according to claim 9, wherein the identification information is a serial number that is information for uniquely identifying a network device.

12. A method for a monitoring device capable of communicating with a device management server and having a proxy server function and a management unit for managing a combination of identification information and access information of a network device as first information, the method comprising: a receiving step of receiving second information including a combination of identification information and access information of a network device to be managed from the device management server; an acquisition step of acquiring identification information from a network device via a network by using the access information that is a combination of the identification information in the second information when the second information includes identification information that matches the identification information included in the first information and access information that is a combination of the identification information in the first information and the second information does not match; an updating step of updating the first information by using the identification information when the identification information in the second information matches the identification information acquired from the network device; The method according to the present invention, characterized in that in the updating step, after updating the first information, an access permission list for permitting the network device to access the proxy server is updated using the access information which is a combination of the identification information in the second information.

13. A monitoring device capable of communicating with a device management server and having a proxy server function, a management means for managing a combination of identification information and access information of a network device as first information; a receiving means for receiving second information including a combination of identification information and access information of a network device to be managed from the device management server; an acquisition means for acquiring identification information from a network device via a network by using the access information that is a combination of the identification information in the second information when the second information includes identification information that matches the identification information included in the first information and access information that is a combination of the identification information in the first information and the identification information in the second information do not match; an update means for updating the first information by using the identification information when the identification information in the second information matches the identification information acquired from the network device; A computer program for causing a computer to function as The computer program product is characterized in that the update means updates an access permission list for permitting the network device to access the proxy server using the access information that is a combination of the identification information in the second information after updating the first information.

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