Management device, management method, and management program

Abstract

To prevent a decrease in the efficiency of distribution of update programs.SOLUTION: A management device includes a collection unit, a grouping unit, and an extraction unit. The collection unit collects inventory information indicating the operating status of each client terminal under management. The grouping unit groups the client terminals for each subnetwork on the basis of the collected inventory information. The extraction unit extracts client terminals for each group that have no address change history on the basis of the collected inventory information, and sets them as a sharing source of update programs.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a management apparatus, a management method, and a management program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in the distribution of update programs applied to operating systems, etc., a communication system that suppresses an increase in return access to a server caused by the distribution of a large amount of e-mail by push notification is known as a conventional technology for efficient distribution. In addition, a network system that can appropriately reduce the load during data distribution, WSUS (Windows Server Update Services (Windows: registered trademark)) provided mainly to businesses by Microsoft (registered trademark), is also known.

[0003] WSUS has a P2P (Peer to Peer) function that uses BranchCache to share updates within the same subnet. With this P2P function, when the update distribution to a terminal within the subnet is completed, this terminal is used as a relay to distribute the update to other terminals within the subnet. This allows the update program to be distributed efficiently in a complete manner within the subnet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-41323 A [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2009 / 013999 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, with the recent spread of hybrid work, which combines teleworking and office work, the above-mentioned conventional technology has begun to have a problem in that the efficiency of delivering update programs decreases.

[0006] For example, in a hybrid work environment, a terminal that has completed the delivery of an update program may connect from outside the company to a VPN (Virtual Private Network) environment, and such a VPN connection may result in a subnetwork different from that at the time of delivery. This results in the delivery of update programs through unexpected cross-subnet communication, which reduces delivery efficiency.

[0007] In one aspect, an object of the present invention is to provide a management device, a management method, and a management program that can prevent a decrease in efficiency in distributing update programs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In one proposal, the management device has a collection unit, a grouping unit, and an extraction unit. The collection unit collects inventory information indicating the operating status of each client terminal under management. The grouping unit groups the client terminals for each subnetwork based on the collected inventory information. The extraction unit extracts client terminals for each group that have no history of address changes based on the collected inventory information, and sets them as a sharing source for update programs. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to one embodiment, it is possible to prevent a decrease in efficiency in distributing update programs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an outline of the operation of the management device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3]FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a management device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the management device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of inventory information. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of extracting a subnet. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of extracting an OS type. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of extraction based on the address change history. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of point allocation. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of point allocation. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of extracting a client terminal. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a computer configuration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, a management device, a management method, and a management program according to the embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Configurations having the same functions in the embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted. Note that the management device, the management method, and the management program described in the following embodiments are merely examples, and do not limit the embodiments. In addition, the following embodiments may be appropriately combined within a range that does not cause contradiction.

[0012] Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration. As shown in Fig. 1, a management device 1 is a server device that manages each client terminal 3 that is connected to the management device via a relay device 2 or the like.

[0013] The relay device 2 collects inventory information from each client terminal 3 according to a policy that defines the collection time period of the inventory information, and notifies the management device 1. The management device 1 stores the inventory information thus collected via the relay device 2 in the database 31.

[0014] The inventory information includes various information related to the client terminal 3, such as the collection date and time, identification information such as a number unique to the client terminal 3, and the operating status of each client terminal 3. For example, the inventory information includes the network environment when the client terminal 3 is operating, such as the IP address of the client terminal 3, information related to the subnetwork to which the client terminal 3 belongs (subnet mask), and whether the IP address has changed since the last time. The inventory information also includes the operating status (operating time) of the client terminal 3, the free space of the disk device, and information related to the installed software such as the OS of the client terminal 3 (OS name, type, version, etc.).

[0015] The management device 1 receives a software dictionary from the support center 4. This software dictionary defines search conditions for determining which updates should be downloaded using information about installed software included in the inventory information, and information about the distributor of the updates.

[0016] The management device 1 downloads update programs that match search conditions defined in a software dictionary distributed by a support center 4 from an update program publication site 5 based on distribution source information.

[0017] The management device 1 pre-distributes the update program downloaded from the update program publishing site 5 to some of the client terminals 3 extracted for each subnet based on the inventory information. The update program is then relayed through the client terminals 3 to which it has been pre-distributed in this way and distributed to other terminals within the subnet. In a system that distributes update programs in this way, the update program can be efficiently distributed in a form that is contained within the subnet, without each client terminal 3 having to download the update program directly from the update program publishing site 5.

[0018] Here, an overview of the operation of the management device 1 regarding advance delivery of update programs will be described. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overview of the operation of the management device according to an embodiment.

[0019] 2, the management device 1 extracts all subnets (subnet A, subnet B, etc.) to which the client terminals 3 belong, based on the network environment ("IP address", "subnet mask") during operation of each client terminal 3, which is included in the inventory information. Next, the management device 1 groups the client terminals 3 (PC-A01, PC-A11, etc., PC-B01, PCB11, etc.) by subnet (S1).

[0020] Next, the management device 1 extracts all OS types in each group (subnet) based on the OS types included in the inventory information. In the illustrated example, "OO OS" and "XX OS" are extracted for both subnet A and subnet B.

[0021] Next, the management device 1 lists and groups the client terminals 3 for each group for each subnetwork, and further for each OS type, based on the inventory information of each client terminal 3 (S2).

[0022] In the illustrated example, for the subnet A-OOOS, the client terminals 3 PC-A01, PC-A02, and PC-A03 are grouped together. Similarly, for the subnet A-XXOS, the client terminals 3 PC-A11, PC-A12, and PC-A13 are grouped together.

[0023] In this embodiment, the client terminals 3 grouped by subnet are further grouped by the same OS type, and the client terminals 3 to which the update program is to be delivered in advance are extracted. That is, in this embodiment, the update program is shared among groups of the same OS type within a subnet, but this is merely an example.

[0024] For example, the embodiment may be configured such that client terminals 3 with different OS types share update programs within a subnet. In this case, the management device 1 groups the client terminals 3 for each subnet (S1), skips the process of S2, and advances the process to S3.

[0025] Next, the management device 1 extracts client terminals 3 to which the update program is to be distributed in advance for each listed item (group) based on the inventory information, and sets these client terminals as sharing sources of the update program (S3).

[0026] Specifically, the management device 1 extracts client terminals 3 whose IP addresses have not changed from the change history of "IP address" in the inventory information. Note that, in consideration of the DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) environment, the presence or absence of a change in the IP address may be regarded as no change even if the IP address itself has changed, as long as it is within the same subnet.

[0027] This allows the management device 1 to extract client terminals 3 that have no history of changing addresses (operating within the same subnet) and set them as sharing sources of update programs. In this way, the management device 1 can prevent the occurrence of distribution of update programs through unexpected cross-subnet communication by setting client terminals 3 that have no track record (history) of connecting from outside the company in a VPN environment and changing subnets as sharing sources of update programs.

[0028] Furthermore, the management device 1 may extract client terminals 3 from among client terminals 3 whose IP addresses have not changed, based on at least one of the order according to operating time and the order according to the collection date and time of inventory information.

[0029] Specifically, the management device 1 sorts the client terminals 3 whose IP addresses have not changed in order of longest uptime based on the "uptime" in the inventory information, and selects, for example, the top 30% of client terminals 3. The management device 1 then assigns points to the selected client terminals 3 in descending order (for example, 10 points for the top 1-10%, 5 points for 10-20%, 1 point for 20-30%, etc.).

[0030] Furthermore, the management device 1 sorts the client terminals 3 whose IP addresses have not changed in order of most recent collection date and time based on the "collection date and time" of the inventory information. Next, the management device 1 assigns points to the sorted client terminals 3 from the top (for example, 10 points to the client terminal 3 with the most recent collection date and time, 9 points to the next client terminal 3, etc.).

[0031] Next, the management device 1 totals the points according to the operating time and the points according to the collection date and time, and extracts the top 10% of client terminals 3 with the highest total points.

[0032] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a management device according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the management device 1 includes a communication unit 10, an input / output unit 20, a storage unit 30, and a control unit 40. As the management device 1, for example, a PC (Personal Computer) can be used.

[0033] The communication unit 10 is a communication interface or the like that executes data communication with external devices such as the relay device 2, the support center 4, and the update program publishing site 5 via a network under the control of the control unit 40.

[0034] For example, the communication unit 10 stores the software dictionary 33 that has been received for distribution from the support center 4 in the storage unit 30. Furthermore, under the control of the control unit 40, the communication unit 10 downloads update programs 34 that match search conditions defined in the software dictionary 33 from the update program publication site 5 based on the distribution source information, and stores the download in the storage unit 30. Furthermore, the communication unit 10 stores the inventory information 32 notified by the relay device 2 in the database 31.

[0035] The input / output unit 20 receives operation input from the user via a keyboard, mouse, etc., and outputs to a display.

[0036] The storage unit 30 includes a database 31 that stores inventory information 32, a software dictionary 33, and an update program 34. For example, the storage unit 30 is realized by a memory or the like.

[0037] The control unit 40 includes an inventory information collection unit 41, a grouping unit 42, a sharing source extraction unit 43, and a distribution unit 44. The control unit 40 is realized by, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or hardwired logic such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0038] The inventory information collection unit 41 is a processing unit that collects inventory information 32. Specifically, the inventory information collection unit 41 notifies the relay device 2 of a policy that defines a collection time period for inventory information, and collects the inventory information 32 from each client terminal 3 via the relay device 2. Note that the inventory information collection unit 41 may collect the inventory information 32 directly from each client terminal 3 in accordance with the policy without going through the relay device 2. The inventory information collection unit 41 stores the collected inventory information 32 in the database 31.

[0039] The grouping unit 42 is a processing unit that groups the client terminals 3 for each subnetwork based on the collected inventory information 32. Specifically, the grouping unit 42 extracts all subnets (subnet A, subnet B, etc.) to which the client terminals 3 belong based on the network environment ("IP address", "subnet mask") included in the inventory information 32. Next, the grouping unit 42 groups the client terminals 3 for each extracted subnetwork.

[0040] Furthermore, the grouping unit 42 further groups the client terminals 3 by OS type for each group for each subnet based on the inventory information 32 of each client terminal 3.

[0041] The sharing source extraction unit 43 is a processing unit that extracts, for each group formed by the grouping unit 42, a client terminal 3 with no change history of its address based on the inventory information 32, and sets the client terminal 3 as a sharing source of the update program 34. Specifically, the sharing source extraction unit 43 extracts, from the change history of "IP address" in the inventory information 32, a client terminal 3 with no change in IP address.

[0042] Furthermore, the sharing source extraction unit 43 extracts client terminals 3 from among the client terminals 3 whose IP addresses have not changed, based on at least one of the order according to operating time and the order according to the collection date and time of the inventory information.

[0043] The distribution unit 44 is a processing unit that distributes the update program 34 to the client terminal 3 that is the sharing source of the update program 34 and that is extracted by the sharing source extraction unit 43. Specifically, the distribution unit 44 reads out, from the storage unit 30, the update program 34 that corresponds to the inventory information 32 of the client terminal 3 that is the sharing source, and distributes it to the client terminal 3.

[0044] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the management device according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, when the process starts, the inventory information collection unit 41 collects the inventory information 32 and stores the collected inventory information 32 in the database 31 (S10).

[0045] Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the inventory information 32. As shown in Fig. 5, the inventory information 32 includes items such as "client terminal", "information collection date and time", "IP update", "IP address", "subnet mask", "OS name", and "operating status (operating time)". Note that the items included in the inventory information 32 are not limited to the above, and may also include, for example, "version" indicating the version of the OS installed in the client terminal 3.

[0046] "Client terminal" indicates identification information such as a number unique to the client terminal 3. "Information collection date and time" indicates the collection date and time of inventory information 32 related to the client terminal 3 identified by the identification information. "IP update" indicates whether the IP address has changed since the last time. "IP address" indicates the IP address of the client terminal 3. "Subnet mask" is a number used to distinguish between the network address and the host address in the IP address of the client terminal 3, and indicates information related to the subnetwork to which the client terminal 3 belongs. "OS name" indicates the name (type) of the OS installed on the client terminal 3. "Operating status (operating time)" indicates the operating time of the client terminal 3.

[0047] 4, the grouping unit 42 performs data extraction to group the client terminals 3 by "subnet" and further by "OS type" based on the inventory information 32 (S11). As a result, the grouping unit 42 obtains a list of the client terminals 3 grouped by subnet and OS type (S12).

[0048] Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of subnet extraction. As shown in Fig. 6, the grouping unit 42 obtains extraction information 32a, 32b by extracting (grouping) client terminals 3 for each subnet based on the "IP address" and "subnet" in the inventory information 32. In the illustrated example, the extraction information 32a is information obtained by extracting client terminals 3 in the "10.10.100.0" subnetwork from the inventory information 32. Also, the extraction information 32b is information obtained by extracting client terminals 3 in the "10.10.200.0" subnetwork from the inventory information 32.

[0049] Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of extracting an OS type. As shown in Fig. 7, the grouping unit 42 obtains extracted information 32aa, 32ab extracted by OS type from the extracted information 32a, 32b obtained by extracting (grouping) client terminals 3 for each subnetwork. In the illustrated example, the extracted information 32aa is information obtained by extracting client terminals 3 whose OS type is "XX OS" from the extracted information 32a. Moreover, the extracted information 32ab is information obtained by extracting client terminals 3 whose OS type is "XX OS" from the extracted information 32a.

[0050] Returning to FIG. 4, following S12, the sharing source extraction unit 43 narrows down the data (client terminals 3) from the “IP update history (IP update)” in the inventory information 32 (S13), and obtains data (client terminals 3) with no address changes from the list of client terminals 3 grouped by subnet and OS type (S14).

[0051] Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of extraction based on address change history. As shown in Fig. 3, the sharing source extraction unit 43 extracts client terminals 3 without "IP update" (excluding client terminals 3 with "IP update") based on the presence / absence of "IP update" for the extraction information 32aa, 32ab.

[0052] 4, the sharing source extraction unit 43 sorts the data obtained in S14 in ascending order of operation status based on the "operation status (operation time)" in the inventory information 32, and assigns points (S15). Similarly, the sharing source extraction unit 43 sorts the data obtained in S14 in ascending order of collection date and time based on the "information collection date and time" in the inventory information 32, and assigns points (S16).

[0053] 9 and 10 are explanatory diagrams for explaining an example of point allocation. As shown in Fig. 9, the shared source extraction unit 43 allocates points so that the points P1 increase in the order of the driving situation. In the illustrated example, 3 points, 2 points, and 1 point are allocated as P1 to driving situations of 110, 96, and 90, respectively.

[0054] 10, the sharing source extraction unit 43 assigns points so that the points P2 are higher in the order of the collection date and time. In the illustrated example, 3 points, 2 points, and 1 point are assigned as P2 to the collection dates and times "2023 / 07 / 20 13:10:00", "2023 / 07 / 20 13:00:00", and "2023 / 07 / 20 12:00:00", in that order.

[0055] Returning to FIG. 4, following S15 and S16, sharing source extraction unit 43 extracts the client terminal 3 with the highest total points of points P1 and P2 in S15 and S16 as a sharing source of update program 34 (S17), and ends the process.

[0056] Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of extraction of client terminals 3. As shown in Fig. 11, sharing source extraction unit 43 extracts client terminal 3 "003" whose total points of points P1 and P2 are 6 points (the highest points) from among the client terminals 3 in extraction information 32aa, as a sharing source of update program 34.

[0057] As described above, the management device 1 has the inventory information collection unit 41, the grouping unit 42, and the sharing source extraction unit 43. The inventory information collection unit 41 collects inventory information 32 indicating the operating status of each client terminal 3 to be managed. The grouping unit 42 groups the client terminals 3 for each subnetwork based on the collected inventory information 32. The sharing source extraction unit 43 extracts client terminals 3 with no address change history for each group based on the collected inventory information 32, and sets them as sharing sources of the update program 34.

[0058] As a result, the management device 1 can prevent the distribution of update program 34 through unexpected cross-subnet communication by designating a client terminal 3 that has no address change history in the inventory information 32 indicating the operating status of each client terminal 3 as the sharing source of the update program 34.

[0059] In addition, the grouping unit 42 further groups the client terminals grouped by subnetwork by OS type. This makes it possible for the management device 1 to prevent the occurrence of unexpected cross-subnet communication delivery of the update program 34 prepared according to the OS type.

[0060] Furthermore, the sharing source extraction unit 43 extracts client terminals 3 to be used as sharing sources of the update program 34 in order of operating time from among client terminals 3 with no history of address changes, based on the collected inventory information 32. This allows the management device 1 to use, for example, client terminals 3 with longer operating times as sharing sources of the update program 34, and distribute the update program 34 making use of the long operating times of the sharing sources.

[0061] Furthermore, based on the collected inventory information 32, the sharing source extraction unit 43 extracts client terminals 3 to be used as sharing sources of the update program 34 from among client terminals 3 with no history of address changes in order according to the collection date and time of the inventory information 32. This allows the management device 1 to use, for example, a client terminal 3 based on the latest operating status in the most recently collected inventory information 32 as a sharing source of the update program 34.

[0062] Note that each component of each device shown in the figure does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various loads, usage conditions, etc.

[0063] Furthermore, the various processing functions of the inventory information collection unit 41, grouping unit 42, sharing source extraction unit 43 and distribution unit 44 performed by the control unit 40 of the management device 1 may be executed in whole or in part on a CPU (or a microcomputer such as an MPU or MCU (Micro Controller Unit)). Needless to say, the various processing functions may be executed in whole or in part on a program analyzed and executed by the CPU (or a microcomputer such as an MPU or MCU), or on hardware based on wired logic. The various processing functions performed by the management device 1 may be executed by multiple computers working together through cloud computing.

[0064] The various processes described in the above embodiment can be realized by executing a program prepared in advance on a computer. Therefore, an example of a computer configuration (hardware) that executes a program having the same functions as those in the above embodiment will be described below. Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a computer configuration.

[0065] 12, computer 200 has CPU 201 for executing various arithmetic processes, input device 202 for receiving data input, monitor 203, and speaker 204. Computer 200 also has medium reading device 205 for reading programs and the like from a storage medium, interface device 206 for connecting with various devices, and communication device 207 for connecting to external devices by wire or wirelessly. Computer 200 also has RAM 208 for temporarily storing various information, and hard disk device 209. Each unit (201 to 209) in computer 200 is connected to bus 210.

[0066] The hard disk drive 209 stores a program 211 for executing various processes in the functional configuration (e.g., the inventory information collection unit 41, the grouping unit 42, the shared source extraction unit 43, and the distribution unit 44) described in the above embodiment. The hard disk drive 209 also stores various data 212 referenced by the program 211. The input device 202, for example, accepts input of operation information from an operator. The monitor 203, for example, displays various screens operated by the operator. The interface device 206 is connected to, for example, a printing device. The communication device 207 is connected to a communication network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), and exchanges various information with external devices via the communication network.

[0067] The CPU 201 reads out the program 211 stored in the hard disk device 209, expands it in the RAM 208, and executes it to perform various processes related to the above-mentioned functional configuration (for example, the inventory information collecting unit 41, the grouping unit 42, the sharing source extracting unit 43, and the distribution unit 44). The program 211 does not have to be stored in the hard disk device 209. For example, the program 211 stored in a storage medium readable by the computer 200 may be read out and executed. The storage medium readable by the computer 200 corresponds to, for example, a portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD disk, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, a hard disk drive, etc. Also, the program 211 may be stored in a device connected to a public line, the Internet, a LAN, etc., and the computer 200 may read out and execute the program 211 from the device.

[0068] Regarding the above embodiment, the following supplementary notes are further disclosed.

[0069] (Appendix 1) A collection unit that collects inventory information indicating the operating status of each managed client terminal; a grouping unit that groups the client terminals for each subnetwork based on the collected inventory information; an extracting unit that extracts, for each group based on the collected inventory information, client terminals that have no history of changing addresses and sets them as sharing sources of update programs; A management device comprising:

[0070] (Additional Note 2) The grouping unit further groups each client terminal grouped by subnet by OS type. 2. The management device according to claim 1 .

[0071] (Additional Note 3) The extraction unit extracts client terminals that are to be a sharing source of the update program from among client terminals that have no history of changing the address, in order according to operating time, based on the collected inventory information. 2. The management device according to claim 1 .

[0072] (Additional Note 4) The extraction unit extracts client terminals that are to be a sharing source of the update program from among client terminals that have no history of changing the address, in order according to the collection date and time of the inventory information, based on the collected inventory information. 2. The management device according to claim 1 .

[0073] (Appendix 5) Collect inventory information showing the operating status of each managed client terminal, grouping the client terminals by subnetwork based on the collected inventory information; extracting client terminals that have not had a history of changing addresses for each group based on the collected inventory information, and setting the client terminals as sharing sources of update programs; A management method characterized in that processing is executed by a computer.

[0074] (Appendix 6) The grouping process further groups each client terminal grouped by subnet by OS type. The management method according to claim 5,

[0075] (Note 7) The process of determining the sharing source includes extracting client terminals to be the sharing source of the update program from among client terminals that have no history of changing the address based on the collected inventory information, in order of operating time. The management method according to claim 5,

[0076] (Appendix 8) The process of determining the sharing source includes extracting a client terminal as a sharing source of the update program from among client terminals that have no history of changing the address based on the collected inventory information in order according to the collection date and time of the inventory information. The management method according to claim 5,

[0077] (Appendix 9) Collect inventory information showing the operating status of each managed client terminal, grouping the client terminals by subnetwork based on the collected inventory information; extracting client terminals that have not had a history of changing addresses for each group based on the collected inventory information, and setting the client terminals as sharing sources of update programs; A management program that causes a computer to execute a process.

[0078] (Appendix 10) The grouping process further groups each client terminal grouped by subnet by OS type. 10. The management program according to claim 9,

[0079] (Additional Note 11) The process of selecting the client terminal as a sharing source includes extracting a client terminal as a sharing source of the update program from among client terminals that have no history of changing the address based on the collected inventory information, in order of operating time. 10. The management program according to claim 9,

[0080] (Additional Note 12) The process of determining the sharing source includes extracting a client terminal as a sharing source of the update program from among client terminals that have no history of changing the address based on the collected inventory information in order according to the collection date and time of the inventory information. 10. The management program according to claim 9, [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1...Management device 2. Relay device 3. Client terminal 4. Support Center 5…Update release site 10. Communications Department 20…Input / output section 30...Storage section 31…Database 32…Inventory information 32a, 32aa, 32ab, 32b...extracted information 33…Software Dictionary 34…Update program 40...Control unit 41…Inventory information collection unit 42...Grouping section 43...Shared source extraction part 44…Distribution Department 200…Computer 201...CPU 202...Input device 203…Monitor 204…Speaker 205... Media reader 206...Interface device 207...Communication equipment 208…RAM 209...Hard disk drive 210…Bus 211…Program 212...Various data P1, P2…Points

Claims

1. A collection unit that collects inventory information indicating the operating status of each managed client terminal; a grouping unit that groups the client terminals for each subnetwork based on the collected inventory information; an extracting unit that extracts, for each group based on the collected inventory information, client terminals that have no history of changing addresses and sets them as sharing sources of update programs; A management device comprising:

2. the grouping unit further groups the client terminals grouped by subnetwork by OS type; 2. The management device according to claim 1.

3. the extraction unit extracts client terminals to be a sharing source of the update program from among client terminals that have no history of changing the address, in order according to operating time, based on the collected inventory information; 2. The management device according to claim 1.

4. the extraction unit extracts, based on the collected inventory information, client terminals that are to be a sharing source of the update program from among client terminals that do not have a history of changing the address, in order according to collection date and time of the inventory information; 2. The management device according to claim 1.

5. Collect inventory information showing the operating status of each managed client terminal, grouping the client terminals by subnetwork based on the collected inventory information; extracting client terminals that have not had a history of changing addresses for each group based on the collected inventory information, and setting the client terminals as sharing sources of update programs; A management method characterized in that processing is executed by a computer.

6. Collect inventory information showing the operating status of each managed client terminal, grouping the client terminals by subnetwork based on the collected inventory information; extracting client terminals that have not had a history of changing addresses for each group based on the collected inventory information, and setting the client terminals as sharing sources of update programs; A management program that causes a computer to execute a process.

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