Inspection equipment, inspection method, and inspection program

Abstract

An inspection device (100) acquires, from an apparatus identified by individual identification information, configuration information (121a) related to the elements constituting the apparatus and state information (121b) related to the state of the apparatus, compares the current apparatus and a new apparatus associated with each other, on the basis of the configuration information (121a) and the state information (121b) acquired by an acquisition unit (133), and determines whether or not a predetermined determination condition is satisfied.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection device, an inspection method, and an inspection program.

Background Art

[0002] IT (Information Technology) / IoT (Internet of Things) / OT (Operational Technology) devices that support social infrastructure are composed of multiple software or hardware and operate in a network environment where they cooperate with each other.

[0003] As a mechanism for expressing and managing software configuration information (for example, application name, version, file hash value, etc.), SBOM (Software Bill of Materials) is known (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 2). Also, as a mechanism for confirming that communication is possible or that content is correctly displayed, compatibility verification services are known (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 3 and Non-Patent Document 4).

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0004]

Non-Patent Document 1

Non-Patent Document 2

Non-Patent Document 3

[0005] However, conventional technology had the problem that it was sometimes difficult to detect in advance if the specifications of the equipment were not what was expected.

[0006] For example, equipment manufacturers and system integration (SI) companies (hereinafter referred to as "vendors") determine the specifications of the equipment based on requirements from operators (hereinafter referred to as "users") or the vendor's own convenience, and then manufacture the equipment. However, if the specifications are not as intended due to human error or mistakes by both parties, problems arise during operation, such as after the equipment is installed or during equipment operation verification, requiring time and effort to correct and address these issues.

[0007] Furthermore, with conventional technology (SBOM), while the configuration information of the equipment is recorded, there is no mechanism to ensure consistency regarding compatibility and performance, making it difficult to detect in advance if the specifications are unexpected. On the other hand, with conventional technology (compatibility verification service), verification is performed after the equipment is delivered, allowing for detailed verification of the equipment specifications, but it is difficult to detect defects through prior verification (for example, verification of incompatibility or insufficient performance to meet requirements). [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] Therefore, in order to solve the above problems and achieve the objective, the inspection apparatus of the present invention is characterized by comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires configuration information relating to the elements constituting the equipment and state information relating to the state of the equipment from equipment identified by individual identification information; and a determination unit that, based on the configuration information and state information acquired by the acquisition unit, compares the existing equipment and the new equipment that are associated with each other and determines whether or not predetermined determination conditions are met. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] This invention has the effect of enabling the detection in advance of equipment specifications that are not as intended. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the overview of the inspection method according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of the device configuration of the inspection apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a table diagram showing an example of configuration information and status information according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a table diagram showing an example of the determination conditions according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a table diagram showing an example of the determination results according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of a flowchart of the inspection method according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an overview of a modified example according to this embodiment. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of the device configuration of an inspection apparatus according to a modified example of this embodiment. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a table diagram showing an example of an environmental ID in a modified example according to this embodiment. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows an example of a flowchart of an inspection method for a modified example according to this embodiment. [Figure 11]FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the effect provided by the inspection apparatus of the present embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a computer in which the inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment is implemented. Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that each embodiment is not limited to the content described below.

[0012] 〔1. Outline〕 First, an outline of the inspection method by the inspection apparatus 100 in the present embodiment will be described. The inspection apparatus 100 collects configuration information and status information of equipment manufactured by a vendor and equipment operated by a user, and checks for compatibility and consistency in terms of performance. Then, when it is determined that there is no consistency, the inspection apparatus 100 notifies both the vendor and the user of the determination result. As a result, the inspection apparatus 100 can eliminate discrepancies between the vendor and the user by sharing the configuration information and status information of both devices, and can eliminate device inconsistencies and defects in advance.

[0013] Hereafter, the outline of the inspection method by the inspection apparatus 100 will be further described using FIG. 1. As a premise, the device 10B (a device identified by the device ID "Y" as the device identification information 121c) is being operated by the user as the current device. On the other hand, the vendor plans to ship a new device 10A (a device identified by the device ID "X" as the device identification information 121c) as a replacement for the device 10B (see (1) in FIG. 1). Note that the device referred to here may be an IT device, an IoT device, an OT device, etc., and is not particularly limited.

[0014] The inspection device 100 receives a device ID, which is identification information for identifying devices 10A and 10B via a terminal device 200A operated by a vendor (see (2-1) in FIG. 1). Note that the registration of the aforementioned device ID may be performed via a terminal device 200B operated by a user (see (2-2) in FIG. 1). Furthermore, the inspection device 100 receives information indicating that devices 10A and 10B are associated as a "new device (device 10A)" and an "existing device (device 10B)", respectively (see (3) in FIG. 1).

[0015] The inspection device 100 acquires configuration information (information regarding elements constituting a device, such as information on an OS (Operating System), a list of applications, the architecture of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), communication standards, EOL (End Of Life), etc.) and state information (information regarding elements representing the state of a device, such as its performance and performance, e.g., FLOPS (FLoating-point Operations Per Second) indicating the performance of a CPU, IOPS (Input / Output Per Second) indicating the performance of a storage, etc.) from devices 10A and 10B (see (4) in FIG. 1).

[0016] The inspection device 100 performs a predetermined consistency determination based on the acquired configuration information, state information, and pre-registered determination conditions (see (5) in FIG. 1). Then, the inspection device 100 notifies the determination result to a terminal device 200A operated by a vendor and a terminal device 200B operated by a user (see (6-1) and (6-2) in FIG. 1).

[0017] 〔2. Configuration of the inspection device〕 The configuration of the inspection device 100 according to Embodiment 1 will now be described with reference to Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, the inspection device 100 has a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130, and communicates with external devices, etc. (for example, multiple devices 10 such as device 10A and device 10B, and multiple terminal devices 200 such as terminal device 200A and terminal device 200B) via the communication unit 110. The inspection device 100 can communicate with an unlimited number of external devices, etc.

[0018] Although not shown in the diagram, the inspection device 100 may also include an input unit for accepting various operations (e.g., a keyboard or mouse) and a display unit for displaying various information (e.g., a display). The detailed functions of each part are described below.

[0019] (Communications Department 110) The communication unit 110 is implemented using a NIC (Network Interface Card) or the like, and controls communication via telecommunication lines such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. The communication unit 110 can be connected to the network by wired or wireless connection as needed, and can send and receive information bidirectionally. In this embodiment, it is assumed that communication between the inspection device 100 and external devices (for example, multiple devices 10 or multiple terminal devices 200) is carried out via the communication unit 110.

[0020] (Storage unit 120) The storage unit 120 stores data and programs necessary for various processes performed by the control unit 130. The storage unit 120 also includes a device information storage unit 121, a determination condition storage unit 122, and a determination result storage unit 123. The storage unit 120 is implemented using semiconductor memory elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or flash memory, or storage devices such as hard disks or optical discs.

[0021] (Device information storage unit 121) The device information storage unit 121 stores configuration information 121a, which are the elements that make up the target device; status information 121b, which represents the state of the device, such as its performance; device identification information 121c (e.g., device ID), which is unique identification information that identifies the device; and association information 121d, which is information about the relationships between the devices being inspected. In addition to the information described above, the device information storage unit 121 may store any other information related to the device without limitation.

[0022] (Configuration Information 121a) The device information storage unit 121 stores configuration information 121a, which are elements that constitute the target device. The device information storage unit 121 stores information such as the OS, a list of applications, the CPU architecture, communication standards, and EOL as configuration information 121a. Note that the information described above is merely an example, and the device information storage unit 121 may store any information that falls within the category of elements that constitute the device as configuration information 121a.

[0023] Here, using Figure 3, the configuration information 121a stored by the device information storage unit 121 will be explained. The configuration information 121a is stored by the device information storage unit 121 in a format such as a table diagram as shown in Figure 3. The items of the configuration information 121a in the table diagram shown in Figure 3 include "item type," "item," and "content." For example, if the item type is "OS," the item will be "blank" and the content will be "Ubuntu 20.04." Note that the contents shown in the table diagram in Figure 3 are merely examples and are not limited to those items.

[0024] (Status information 121b) The device information storage unit 121 stores state information 121b, which are elements that represent the state of the device, such as its performance. For example, the device information storage unit 121 stores information such as FLOPS, which indicates the CPU performance, and IOPS, which indicates the storage performance, as state information 121b. Note that the information described above is merely an example, and the device information storage unit 121 may store information that falls within the category of elements that represent the state of the device, such as its performance, as configuration information 121a.

[0025] Here, we will again use Figure 3 to explain the state information 121b stored by the device information storage unit 121. The state information 121b is stored by the device information storage unit 121 in a table format, for example, as shown in Figure 3. The items in the state information 121b in the table diagram shown in Figure 3 include "item type," "item," and "content." For example, if the item type is "performance," the item is "CPU" and the content is "100 FLOPS." Note that the contents shown in the table diagram in Figure 3 are merely examples and are not limited to this.

[0026] (Device identification information 121c) Now, let's return to Figure 2 and continue the explanation. The device information storage unit 121 stores device identification information 121c, which is unique identification information for identifying a device. Specifically, the device information storage unit 121 stores unique identification information (e.g., device ID, etc.) assigned to each device by the vendor or user as device identification information 121c. Note that the information described above is merely an example, and the device information storage unit 121 may store information included in the category of information for identifying a device as configuration information 121a.

[0027] (Related information 121d) The device information storage unit 121 stores association information 121d regarding the relationships between devices under inspection. Specifically, based on the device identification information 121c stored by the device information storage unit 121, the device information storage unit 121 stores association information 121d indicating that a new device is associated with device ID "X" and an existing device with device ID "Y" as "X → Y (the device identified by device ID "Y" is a replacement for the device identified by device ID "X")." Note that the above information is merely an example, and the device information storage unit 121 may store any information that falls within the scope of information regarding the relationships between devices under inspection as association information 121d.

[0028] (Judgment condition storage unit 122) The determination condition storage unit 122 stores information about determination conditions used for predetermined determinations by the determination unit 134, which will be described later. Specifically, the determination condition storage unit 122 stores the determination condition content 122a, the determination condition 122b for the configuration information, and the determination condition 122c for the state information as information about determination conditions. In addition to the information described above, the determination condition storage unit 122 may store any other information within the scope of information about determination conditions without limitation.

[0029] (Judgment condition content 122a) The determination condition storage unit 122 stores the determination condition content 122a as information relating to the determination conditions. Specifically, the determination condition storage unit 122 stores the expression and meaning of the determination conditions set by the determination unit 134 (described later) for the determination conditions 122b for the configuration information and the determination conditions 122c for the state information as the determination condition content 122a.

[0030] Here, using Figure 4, we will explain the judgment condition content 122a stored by the judgment condition storage unit 122. The judgment condition content 122a is stored by the judgment condition storage unit 122 in a table format, for example, as shown in Figure 4. The items of judgment condition content 122a in the table format shown in Figure 4 include "expression of the judgment condition" and "meaning of the condition". For example, if the expression of the judgment condition is "x! → y", the information that "x is incompatible with y" is stored as the meaning of the condition. Note that the contents shown in the table format in Figure 4 are merely examples and are not limited to this.

[0031] (Decision condition 122b for configuration information) The determination condition storage unit 122 stores determination conditions 122b for the configuration information as information related to determination conditions. Specifically, the determination condition storage unit 122 stores determination conditions 122b for the configuration information that correspond to the item type, item, and content included in the configuration information 121a stored by the device information storage unit 121.

[0032] Here, using Figure 4 again, we will explain the judgment condition 122b for the configuration information stored by the judgment condition storage unit 122. The judgment condition 122b for the configuration information is stored by the judgment condition storage unit 122 in a table format, for example, as shown in Figure 4. The items of the judgment condition 122b for the configuration information in the table diagram shown in Figure 4 include "item type," "item," and "content example." For example, if the item type is "OS," the item is "blank" and the content example is "Ubuntu!→CentOS," and this information is stored. More specifically, the above information is expressed as the content of the judgment condition "Ubuntu is not compatible with CentOS" based on the judgment condition content 122a. Note that the contents described in the items of the judgment condition 122b for the configuration information in the table diagram of Figure 4 are merely examples and are not limited to this.

[0033] (Condition 122c for determining the state information) The determination condition storage unit 122 stores determination conditions 122c for state information as information related to determination conditions. Specifically, the determination condition storage unit 122 stores determination conditions 122c for state information that correspond to the item type, item, and content included in the state information 121b stored by the device information storage unit 121.

[0034] Here, we will again use Figure 4 to explain the judgment conditions 122c for the state information stored by the judgment condition storage unit 122. The judgment conditions 122c for the state information are stored by the judgment condition storage unit 122 in a format such as a table diagram as shown in Figure 4. The items of the judgment conditions 122c for the state information in the table diagram shown in Figure 4 include "item type," "item," and "content example."

[0035] For example, if the item type is "Performance," the information stored will be that the item is "CPU" and the example content is "Diff(x,y)<-50." This means that the judgment condition is "the change in x compared to y is 50% or more," based on judgment condition content 122a. Specifically, the aforementioned judgment condition means that "the change in CPU performance of the new device 10A (device ID "X") is 50% or more compared to the current device 10B (device ID "Y"). Note that the contents listed in the table in Figure 4 are merely examples and are not limited to these.

[0036] (Judgment result storage unit 123) The determination result storage unit 123 stores the determination result determined by the determination unit 134. For example, the determination result storage unit 123 may store a table diagram as shown in Figure 5 as the determination result. From here, the determination result stored by the determination result storage unit 123 will be explained using Figure 5.

[0037] As shown in Figure 5, the judgment result storage unit 123 stores the judgment results for the configuration information and the judgment results for the status information for each device associated as the target of inspection (for example, a new device 10A identified by device ID "X" and an existing device 10B identified by device ID "Y"). The table diagram showing the judgment results stored by the judgment result storage unit 123 includes the items "Item", "Content", and "Integrity Violation". For example, in the case of the item "OS" included in the configuration information items, since the content of device 10A is "Ubuntu 20.04" and the content of device 10B is "Ubuntu 20.04", the item "OS" for both device 10A and device 10B is stored as "None" with an integrity violation.

[0038] On the other hand, in the case of the item "Application," since the content of device 10A is "Python 3" and the content of device 10B is "Python 2," the item "Application" for both device 10A and device 10B is stored as having an consistency violation. Note that the information described above is merely an example, and the judgment result storage unit 123 can store any information included in the category of judgment results without limitation.

[0039] (Control unit 130) Now, let's return to Figure 2 and continue the explanation. The control unit 130 includes a generation unit 131, a reception unit 132, an acquisition unit 133, a determination unit 134, and an output unit 135. The control unit 130 also has an internal memory for temporarily storing programs that define various processing procedures and processing data, and is implemented by electronic circuits such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and integrated circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0040] (Generation unit 131) The generation unit 131 generates identification information, specifically unique identification information for identifying the target device, as device identification information 121c. Specifically, the generation unit 131 generates unique identification information for identifying the target device (e.g., device ID) as device identification information 121c and associates the target device. In this embodiment, the generation unit 131 is assumed to generate device IDs corresponding to the device IDs of the current device and the new device via a terminal device 200A operated by the vendor, but the device ID of the target device may be generated via a terminal device 200B operated by the user.

[0041] Furthermore, the generation unit 131 may use artificial metrics (for example, techniques to enhance authenticity and difficulty of counterfeiting) to generate the aforementioned device ID, thereby generating a device ID that is physically identifiable to the device. Note that the generation unit 131 can generate the same device ID for the same device. In other words, the generation unit 131 cannot generate different device IDs for the same device.

[0042] (Reception desk 132) The reception unit 132 receives association information 121d, which identifies the current equipment and the new equipment, using equipment identification information 121c, which is identification information for the current equipment and the new equipment. For example, the reception unit 132 may receive association information 121d that indicates the association between the new equipment and the current equipment, with the new equipment being equipment ID "X" and the current equipment being equipment ID "Y", such as "X → Y (the equipment identified by equipment ID "Y" is the replacement target for the equipment identified by equipment ID "X")".

[0043] The aforementioned association information 121d may be information generated via a terminal device 200 or the like operated by the vendor or user. The receiving unit 132 can also receive a pre-created correspondence table of devices to be associated.

[0044] Furthermore, the receiving unit 132 receives the device identification information 121c generated by the generation unit 131. If the device identification information 121c is not generated by the generation unit 131, the receiving unit 132 can accept device identification information 121c assigned by other means (for example, the device's serial number).

[0045] (Acquisition part 133) The acquisition unit 133 acquires configuration information 121a regarding the elements constituting the device and status information 121b regarding the state of the device from the device identified by the device identification information 121c, which is individual identification information.

[0046] The acquisition unit 133 acquires information such as the OS, a list of applications, the CPU architecture, communication standards, and EOL as configuration information 121a. On the other hand, the acquisition unit 133 acquires information such as FLOPS indicating CPU performance and IOPS indicating storage performance as status information 121b. The information described above is merely an example, and the acquisition unit 133 can acquire any information that falls within the scope of device configuration information and status information without limitation.

[0047] (Judgment unit 134) The determination unit 134 compares the existing equipment and the new equipment, which are associated with each other, based on the configuration information 121a and status information 121b acquired by the acquisition unit 133, and determines whether predetermined determination conditions are met. Specifically, the determination unit 134 compares the existing equipment and the new equipment, which are associated with each other, based on the configuration information 121a and status information 121b, and determines whether the result of the comparison satisfies predetermined determination conditions: determination condition 122b for the configuration information and determination condition 122c for the status information.

[0048] For example, the determination unit 134 identifies associated devices using association information 121d. Then, as described above, the determination unit 134 determines the consistency of the information between the associated devices based on predefined determination conditions. As a specific example, as shown in Figure 5, the determination unit 134 determines that an inconsistency has occurred in the application, Bluetooth® standard, and EOL sections included in the configuration information 121a because they do not conform to the rules. The determination unit 134 also determines that an inconsistency has occurred in the storage performance of the status information 121b because a performance degradation has been observed.

[0049] The information used for the determination process by the determination unit 134 is the determination conditions (determination condition content 122a, determination conditions for configuration information 122b, and determination conditions for status information 122c) stored in the determination condition storage unit 122, and is classified into types such as OS, software, hardware, network, maintenance, and performance. The determination unit 134 may also perform the determination using a vendor's proprietary hardware compatibility list. For example, the determination unit 134 may perform the determination using determination condition content 122a collected from a vendor's web page (e.g., VMware's compatibility list) and converted into rules.

[0050] (Output section 135) The output unit 135 outputs the determination result of the determination unit 134 to a terminal device 200 or the like operated by the vendor or user. Specifically, the output unit 135 can notify the vendor of any inconsistencies in the output information. The aforementioned vendor or user may be one person or multiple people.

[0051] The output format of the results output by the output unit 135 is not particularly limited. For example, the output unit 135 can output in any format without particular limitation, as long as it is in a way that the vendor or user can perceive using their five senses (e.g., visual information such as text or diagrams, audio information) via a terminal device 200 operated by the vendor or user.

[0052] (Terminal device 200) The terminal device 200 can display information output by the output unit 135 (for example, the determination result from the determination unit 134) to the vendor or user. The terminal device 200 may be an information processing device such as a desktop PC, tablet PC, notebook PC, mobile phone, smartphone, or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), and the appropriate form of information processing device may be selected as needed.

[0053] [3. Processing Procedure] From here, the procedure of the inspection apparatus 100 according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 6. Note that the steps described below may be performed in a different order, and some processes may be omitted.

[0054] The generation unit 131 generates device identification information 121c (step S101). For example, the generation unit 131 may generate unique device identification information 121c that identifies the target device via a terminal device 200A operated by the vendor, and associate it with the target device. Alternatively, the generation unit 131 may generate the device ID of the target device via a terminal device 200B operated by the user.

[0055] Next, the receiving unit 132 receives the device identification information 121c generated by the generation unit 131 (step S102). Furthermore, the receiving unit 132 receives the association information 121d, which is information relating to the relationships between the target devices (step S103). For example, based on the device identification information 121c stored by the device information storage unit 121, the receiving unit 132 may receive association information 121d that represents the content "X → Y (the device identified by device ID "Y" is a replacement for the device identified by device ID "X")", with the new device being device ID "X" and the current device being device ID "Y".

[0056] The acquisition unit 133 acquires configuration information 121a and status information 121b from the target device (step S104). Then, the determination unit 134 determines the consistency between the target devices based on the configuration information 121a and status information 121b acquired by the acquisition unit 133 and pre-set determination conditions (determination condition content 122a, determination condition for configuration information 122b, determination condition for status information 122c) (step S105).

[0057] The output unit 135 outputs the determination result from the determination unit 134 to an operating terminal device 200 or the like operated by a predetermined vendor or user (step S106), and the process ends. The output unit 135 may, for example, output information regarding the surplus or deficiency, differences, or inconsistencies of equipment or system components to the vendor's or user's terminal device 200 or the like as inspection results, in a means that the user can perceive with their five senses, such as text, graphs, images, videos, or audio.

[0058] [4. Variations] From here, we will describe a modified example as a different embodiment.

[0059] [4-1. Overview of Variant Examples] A modified version is an embodiment in which, when introducing new equipment rather than replacing the target equipment, the integrity of the introduced equipment is determined using the configuration information of peripheral equipment. In other words, in the modified version, when there is no equipment directly to be judged (for example, it does not yet exist at the time of the judgment process), network-related integrity violation rules are checked based on the configuration information of peripheral equipment of the equipment under consideration.

[0060] Here, we will explain the outline of the modified example using Figure 7. First, as a premise, in the modified example, in order to understand the peripheral devices, environment identification information 121e (environment ID) is used to identify the deployment environment of the devices operated by the user (for example, the network environment). As shown in Figure 7, since the device 10A (device ID "X") identified by environment ID "env4" is a new device, there is no device that is to be replaced.

[0061] Therefore, we use the information that the global IP addresses are the same (for example, in Figure 7, the global IP address of device 10B is "1.1.1.1", and the global IP address of the location where the device is to be installed, identified by the environment ID "env3", is "1.1.1.1"), and the local IP address prefixes are the same (for example, in Figure 7, the local IP address of device 10B is "192.168.1.1", and the local IP address of the location where the device is to be installed, identified by the environment ID "env3", is "192.168.1.2").

[0062] The inspection device 100 then uses the configuration information of device 10B (device ID "Y"), which is identified by environment ID "env1" within the same network, as a peripheral device (existing device) to perform a consistency check. Based on the configuration information of device 10B, the inspection device 100 uses similarly defined consistency determination conditions (e.g., protocols, communication standards, etc.) to determine whether an inconsistency will occur when the manufactured device 10A (new device) is installed at the planned installation location identified by environment ID "env3".

[0063] [4-2. Configuration of the inspection device] Next, the configuration of the inspection device 100 in the modified example will be explained using Figure 8. As shown in Figure 8, the inspection device 100 has a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130, and communicates with external devices, etc. (for example, multiple devices 10 such as device 10A and device 10B, and multiple terminal devices 200 such as terminal device 200A and terminal device 200B) via the communication unit 110. In this section, the device information storage unit 121 including differences (configuration information 121a, status information 121b, environment identification information 121e), the generation unit 131, the reception unit 132, and the determination unit 134 will be explained, and other detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0064] (Configuration Information 121a) In the modified example, the device information storage unit 121 stores configuration information 121a, which are elements that constitute the device, as device information. In addition, the device information storage unit 121 in the modified example also stores configuration information 121a of peripheral devices (for example, device 10B in Figure 7).

[0065] (Status information 121b) In the modified example, the device information storage unit 121 stores state information 121b, which are elements representing the state of the device, such as its performance and specifications. In addition, the device information storage unit 121 in the modified example also stores state information 121b of peripheral devices (for example, device 10B in Figure 7).

[0066] (Environmental identification information 121e) The device information storage unit 121 stores information that identifies the network environment generated by the generation unit 131 (for example, an environment ID) as environment identification information 121e. For example, as shown in Figure 9, the device information storage unit 121 can store the environment identification information 121e in a table format.

[0067] As shown in Figure 9, the device information storage unit 121 can store items such as "environment ID", "global IP address", "local IP address", and "related device ID" as environmental identification information 121e. For example, the device information storage unit 121 can store information such as the global IP address being "1.1.1.1", the local IP address being "192.168.1.1", and the related device ID being "Y", which is identified by the environment ID "env1".

[0068] (Generation unit 131) The generation unit 131 generates environmental identification information 121e (e.g., environmental ID) as identification information using a predetermined method. This environmental ID can be assigned as unique identification information for each network environment of the device. The generation unit 131 can use "IP address (the device's global IP address and local IP address)" as a predetermined method (generation method).

[0069] Furthermore, the method by which the generation unit 131 generates the environment ID is not limited to the aforementioned IP address. For example, the generation unit 131 may generate information that can uniquely identify the network environment in a manner other than using an IP address.

[0070] (Reception desk 132) The receiving unit 132 receives the environment identification information 121e generated by the generation unit 131. If the environment identification information 121e is not generated by the generation unit 131, the receiving unit 132 can receive information identifying the network environment that is assigned by other means.

[0071] (Judgment unit 134) The determination unit 134 compares the existing peripheral equipment related to the equipment to be introduced with the new equipment using at least one of the configuration information 121a or the status information 121b, and determines whether the result of the comparison satisfies predetermined determination conditions.

[0072] Specifically, the determination unit 134 compares the existing devices (peripheral devices) and the new device, based on the configuration information 121a (e.g., protocols and communication standards) acquired by the acquisition unit 133, and determines whether predetermined determination conditions are met. For example, the determination unit 134 compares the existing devices (peripheral devices) and the new device, based on the configuration information 121a, and determines whether the result of the comparison satisfies the predetermined determination conditions 122b for the configuration information.

[0073] Furthermore, the determination unit 134 can perform determinations based on status information 121b in addition to the determinations based on the configuration information 121a described above. For example, if the target equipment is in a cluster configuration such as a data center, the determination unit 134 can perform determinations regarding newly introduced equipment among multiple or identical types of equipment.

[0074] Furthermore, when the configuration information 121a is unified (for example, in the case of a cluster configuration such as a data center), the determination unit 134 can apply not only "protocols and communication standards" but also other determination conditions as determination conditions 122b for the configuration information. On the other hand, when the configuration information 121a is not unified or it is unclear whether it is unified, the determination unit 134 can perform the determination using only "protocols and communication standards" as determination conditions 122b for the configuration information, as described above.

[0075] [4-3. Processing Procedure] From here, the procedure of the modified inspection apparatus 100 will be explained using Figure 10. Note that the steps described below may be performed in a different order, and some processes may be omitted.

[0076] The generation unit 131 generates device identification information 121c (e.g., device ID, etc.) and environmental identification information 121e (e.g., environmental ID, etc.) (step S201). Subsequently, the receiving unit 132 receives the device identification information 121c and environmental identification information 121e generated by the generation unit 131 (step S202).

[0077] Furthermore, the receiving unit 132 receives association information 121d, which is information relating to the association between the target devices (step S203). Then, the acquisition unit 133 acquires configuration information 121a from the target devices (step S204). The acquisition unit 133 may also acquire status information 121b.

[0078] Next, the determination unit 134 determines the compatibility between the target devices based on the configuration information acquired by the acquisition unit 133 and the predetermined determination conditions (step S205). For example, the determination unit 134 may perform a comparison between the existing devices (peripheral devices) and the new devices that are associated with each other based on the configuration information 121a, and determine whether the result of the comparison satisfies the predetermined determination conditions 122b for the configuration information.

[0079] The output unit 135 outputs the determination result from the determination unit 134 to a terminal device 200 operated by a predetermined vendor or user (step S206), and the process ends. The output unit 135 may also output information regarding the surplus or deficiency, differences or inconsistencies of equipment or system components as inspection results to the terminal device 200 operated by the vendor or user, using means that the user can perceive with their five senses, such as text, graphs, images, videos, or audio.

[0080] [5. Effects] The effects provided by the inspection device 100 of this embodiment will be described in the following sections. The inspection device 100 according to this embodiment is characterized by acquiring configuration information 121a regarding the elements constituting the device and state information 121b regarding the state of the device from the device identified by individual identification information, and based on the configuration information 121a and state information 121b acquired by the acquisition unit 133, comparing the current device and the new device that are associated with each other, and determining whether or not predetermined judgment conditions are met. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the following effects are achieved.

[0081] The inspection device 100 collects information on equipment manufactured by the vendor, as well as configuration information 121a and status information 121b of equipment operated by the user. The inspection device 100 then checks for compatibility and performance consistency, and if there is inconsistency, it notifies both parties and prompts them to make adjustments. This provides the effect that the inspection device 100 can eliminate equipment inconsistencies and defects in advance, and reduce the risk of inconsistencies being discovered after shipment or delivery.

[0082] The inspection device 100 provides the effect of enabling the compatibility between the current equipment and the new equipment when replacing equipment by determining consistency based on the configuration information of the current equipment and the new equipment, information regarding the relationship between the current equipment and the new equipment, and information regarding the judgment conditions.

[0083] To summarize the effects mentioned above, as shown in Figure 11, the inspection device 100 enables timely information sharing by sharing information about equipment manufactured by vendors with users, and information about equipment operated by users with vendors.

[0084] As a result, the inspection device 100 enables vendors and users to share equipment configuration information 121a and status information 121b via terminal devices 200, etc., allowing them to check in advance the possibility of problems such as incompatibility or insufficient performance occurring after the equipment is introduced. This provides the effect of reducing delays in work and human costs caused by correcting problems.

[0085] Furthermore, as a modified example, the inspection device 100 can perform the same consistency check even when adding new equipment instead of replacing it, thereby eliminating product inconsistencies and defects in advance and reducing the risk of inconsistencies being discovered after shipment or delivery.

[0086] Furthermore, if the target equipment is in a cluster configuration such as a data center, the inspection device 100 can make judgments about newly introduced equipment among multiple or identical pieces of equipment. As a result, it provides the effect of detecting in advance any equipment exhibiting abnormalities (for example, one piece of equipment having low performance and not meeting the specified specifications) in a cluster configuration such as a data center, and alerting vendors and users.

[0087] [6. Hardware Configuration] Each component of the illustrated device is a functional concept and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown. In other words, the specific forms of distribution and integration of each device are not limited to those shown, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various loads and usage conditions. Furthermore, each processing function performed by each device can be implemented, all or any part of it, by a CPU and the program that is analyzed and executed by that CPU, or by hardware using wired logic.

[0088] Furthermore, among the processes described in this embodiment, all or part of those described as being performed automatically can be performed manually using known methods. In addition, the processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, and information including various data and parameters shown in the drawings can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified.

[0089] [program] In one embodiment, the various devices constituting the inspection device 100 can be implemented by installing the aforementioned inspection program as packaged software or online software on a desired computer. For example, by having the above inspection program run on an information processing device, the various devices constituting the inspection device 100 can be made to function. The information processing device referred to here includes desktop or notebook personal computers. In addition, the information processing device also includes mobile communication terminals such as smartphones and mobile phones, and slate terminals such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants).

[0090] Figure 12 shows an example of a computer on which various devices constituting the inspection device 100 are realized. Computer 1000 has, for example, memory 1010 and CPU 1020. Computer 1000 also has a hard disk drive interface 1030, a disk drive interface 1040, a serial port interface 1050, a video adapter 1060, and a network interface 1070. These components are connected by a bus 1080.

[0091] Memory 1010 includes ROM (Read Only Memory) 1011 and RAM 1012. ROM 1011 stores, for example, a boot program such as BIOS (Basic Input Output System). The hard disk drive interface 1030 is connected to the hard disk drive 1090. The disk drive interface 1040 is connected to the disk drive 1100. For example, a removable storage medium such as a magnetic disk or optical disk is inserted into the disk drive 1100. The serial port interface 1050 is connected to, for example, a mouse 1110 and a keyboard 1120. The video adapter 1060 is connected to, for example, a display 1130.

[0092] The hard disk drive 1090 stores, for example, the OS 1091, application programs 1092, program modules 1093, and program data 1094. That is, the programs that define the various processes of the various devices constituting the inspection device 100 are implemented as program modules 1093 in which executable code for a computer is written. The program modules 1093 are stored, for example, in the hard disk drive 1090. For example, a program module 1093 for performing processes similar to the functional configuration of the various devices constituting the inspection device 100 is stored in the hard disk drive 1090. Note that the hard disk drive 1090 may be replaced by an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0093] Furthermore, the configuration data used in the processing of the embodiment described above is stored as program data 1094 in, for example, memory 1010 or hard disk drive 1090. The CPU 1020 then reads the program module 1093 and program data 1094 stored in memory 1010 or hard disk drive 1090 into RAM 1012 as needed and executes the processing of the embodiment described above.

[0094] Furthermore, the program module 1093 and program data 1094 are not limited to being stored in the hard disk drive 1090; for example, they may be stored in a removable storage medium and read by the CPU 1020 via a disk drive 1100 or the like. Alternatively, the program module 1093 and program data 1094 may be stored in another computer connected via a network (LAN, WAN (Wide Area Network), etc.). The program module 1093 and program data 1094 may then be read from the other computer by the CPU 1020 via a network interface 1070.

[0095] [7. Other] Although this embodiment has been described above, this embodiment is not limited by the description and drawings that constitute part of the disclosure. That is, all other embodiments, examples, and operational techniques made by those skilled in the art based on this embodiment are included in the scope of this embodiment. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0096] 10 equipment 10A equipment 10B equipment 100 Inspection device 110 Communications Department 120 Storage section 121 Device information storage section 121a Configuration Information 121b Status Information 121c Device identification information 121d Related Information 121e Environmental identification information 122 Judgment condition storage section 122a Judgment condition content 122b Judgment conditions for configuration information 122c Determination conditions for state information 123 Judgment result storage unit 130 Control Unit 131 Generation part 132 Reception Department 133 Acquisition Department 134 Judgment section 135 Output section 200 terminal devices 200A Terminal Equipment 200B Terminal Device 1000 computers 1010 memory 1011 ROM 1012 RAM 1020 CPU 1030 Hard Disk Drive Interface 1040 Disk Drive Interface 1050 Serial Port Interface 1060 Video Adapter 1070 Network Interface 1080 Bus 1090 Hard Disk Drive 1091 OS 1092 Application Programs 1093 Program Modules 1094 Program Data 1100 Disk Drive 1110 Mouse 1120 keyboard

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires configuration information regarding the elements constituting the device and status information regarding the state of the device from a device identified by individual identification information, A determination unit, based on the configuration information and status information acquired by the acquisition unit, compares the current equipment and the new equipment that are associated with each other and determines whether or not predetermined determination conditions are met. It has, The inspection apparatus is characterized in that the determination unit performs a comparison between the existing equipment and the new equipment, which are associated with each other, based on the configuration information and the state information, and determines whether the result of the comparison satisfies the condition regarding compatibility, which is a determination condition for the configuration information, and the condition regarding changes in performance, which is a determination condition for the state information, which are predetermined determination conditions.

2. The determination unit compares the existing peripheral equipment related to the equipment to be introduced with the new equipment using at least one of the configuration information or the status information, and determines whether the result of the comparison satisfies the predetermined determination conditions. The inspection apparatus according to feature 1.

3. The system further includes a receiving unit that receives association information that identifies the current equipment and the new equipment as being associated, using the identification information of the current equipment and the new equipment. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The aforementioned identification information further comprises a generation unit that generates unique identification information for identifying the target device as device identification information. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

5. An inspection method performed by an inspection device, An acquisition step of acquiring configuration information regarding the elements constituting the device and status information regarding the state of the device from a device identified by individual identification information, A determination step is performed to compare the associated current equipment and the new equipment based on the configuration information and status information obtained in the acquisition step, and to determine whether or not predetermined determination conditions are met. Includes, The determination step is characterized by performing a comparison between the existing equipment and the new equipment, which are associated with each other, based on the configuration information and the state information, and determining whether the result of the comparison satisfies the conditions set in advance as predetermined determination conditions, namely the condition regarding compatibility for the configuration information and the condition regarding changes in performance for the state information.

6. An acquisition step of acquiring configuration information regarding the elements constituting the device and status information regarding the state of the device from a device identified by individual identification information, A determination step is performed to compare the associated current equipment and the new equipment based on the configuration information and status information obtained in the acquisition step, and to determine whether or not predetermined determination conditions are met. Have the computer run it, The inspection program is characterized in that the determination step involves performing a comparison between the existing equipment and the new equipment, which are associated with each other, based on the configuration information and the state information, and determining whether the result of the comparison satisfies the condition regarding compatibility, which is a determination condition for the configuration information, and the condition regarding changes in performance, which is a determination condition for the state information, which are predetermined determination conditions.

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