Information processing device, image forming apparatus, log management method, and log management program

Abstract

To prevent overflow of memory and acquire a log in a power saving state without reducing an operation clock or terminating the power saving state.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus has a main system that controls the entire apparatus, a subsystem that controls part of the apparatus in a power saving state, and a memory that can be referred to from both the main system and the subsystem. The subsystem has a storage unit that provides information on importance to a log and stores the log in the memory in the power saving state, and a management unit that deletes part of the log from the memory based on the importance according to the size of the stored log or the elapsed time of the power saving state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an image forming apparatus, a log management method, and a log management program.

Background Art

[0002] In electronic devices such as image forming apparatuses and information processing apparatuses, a technique for acquiring logs for analyzing generated failures is known. In Patent Document 1, in a power saving state, a memory for temporarily storing logs is monitored, and in order to prevent an overflow of the memory, the operation clock rate is decreased to reduce the log writing speed, or a technique for ending the power saving state is disclosed.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] However, in the conventional technique, in a power saving state, when the operation clock is decreased to prevent an overflow of the memory for storing logs, there is a problem that the processing performance is decreased, and when the power saving state is ended, there is a problem that the power consumption increases.

[0004] An embodiment of the present invention aims to prevent an overflow of the memory and acquire logs without decreasing the operation clock or ending the power saving state in the power saving state in view of the above problems.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is an information processing apparatus having a main system that controls the entire apparatus, a subsystem that controls a part of the apparatus in a power saving state, and a memory that can be referred to from both the main system and the subsystem, wherein the subsystem includes a storage unit that stores logs in the memory by attaching information regarding importance in the power saving state, and according to the size of the stored logs or the elapsed time of the power saving state TaThe system is characterized by having a management unit that deletes a portion of the log from the memory based on the aforementioned importance level. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to embodiments of the present invention, in a power-saving state, it is possible to prevent memory overflow and acquire logs without reducing the operating clock or terminating the power-saving state. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the software configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of a configuration diagram of a functional block in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a flowchart illustrating the log management process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of log types according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a flowchart relating to the log adjustment process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of the relationship between function and level according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the information processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, log management method, and log management program according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0009] [First Embodiment] <System Overview> Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the image forming apparatus 1 has an operating state (image forming apparatus 1a) in which a printing application or the like is being executed, and a power-saving state (image forming apparatus 1a) in which power consumption is saved by operating only some functions while waiting for application execution. In the power-saving state, volatile memory for storing temporary data is available, but storage devices such as hard disks, which consume a lot of power due to disk driving, are disabled. However, since volatile memory has a smaller storage capacity than storage devices such as hard disks, if the power-saving state continues for a long time, the storage area for storing logs becomes insufficient, causing a memory overflow. Furthermore, if the operating clock is reduced to prevent a shortage of storage area, a problem arises in processing performance, and if the power-saving state is terminated, a problem arises in power consumption. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 prevents a shortage of storage area and enables the acquisition of necessary logs in the power-saving state by following the procedure below. First, in step S2, the image forming apparatus 1b in power-saving mode adjusts the logs stored in memory based on their importance (priority) according to the type (category) of the logs, depending on the elapsed time in power-saving mode or the size of the stored logs. Next, in step S3, the image forming apparatus 1b stores the logs in memory based on the adjustments made in step S2. The memory used here is volatile memory for storing temporary data and is readable and writable in both power-saving mode and operating mode. After transitioning from power-saving mode to operating mode, in step S4, the image forming apparatus 1a in operating mode reads the logs written in power-saving mode from memory. Finally, in step S5, the image forming apparatus 1a stores the logs read from memory in step S4 in a storage device such as a hard disk. Alternatively, the image forming apparatus 1a may transmit the read logs to an external device connected via a network. Through the above process, the image forming apparatus 1 can acquire logs while preventing memory overflow without reducing the operating clock or ending the power-saving state, even in a power-saving state.

[0010] Note that the schematic diagram shown in Figure 1 is just an example. The image forming apparatus 1 in Figure 1 may be, for example, an electronic device or information processing device that stores logs in a power-saving state, such as a laptop computer.

[0011] <Example Hardware Configuration> Figure 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the image forming apparatus 1 is built using a computer and comprises a controller 101, a main system 10, a subsystem 20, an image forming means 105, and an operation panel 107.

[0012] The controller 101 includes a power supply control means 102. The power supply control means 102 controls the supply of power to the main system 10 and the subsystem 20. For example, in the operating state, the power supply control means 102 supplies power to both the main system 10 and the subsystem 20, and in the power saving state, it supplies power only to the subsystem 20.

[0013] The main system 10 comprises a CPU 110, an ASIC 111, a ROM 112, a RAM 113, an HDD 114, a NAND 115, an FCU 116, and an image processing unit 106. The CPU 110 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 by executing the OS (Operating System) and control programs. The ASIC 111 is an integrated circuit for image processing applications that realizes the functions necessary for image processing. The ROM 112 is a non-volatile memory in which programs executed by the CPU 110 are stored, and the programs are loaded onto the RAM 113 and executed by the CPU 110. The RAM 113 is a volatile memory used as a working area for the CPU 110. The HDD 114 is a large-capacity storage device that stores various data including image data, document data, program code for running programs, font data, system information, user information, etc. The NAND 115 is a non-volatile storage medium that can read and write information faster than the HDD 114, and stores programs such as the OS and firmware, various control programs, and application programs. The FCU116 is a unit that controls the fax machine and, for example, temporarily stores facsimile data received when the power to the image forming apparatus 1 is off. The image processing unit 106 sends image data to be printed to the plotter 116 and receives scanned image data from the scanner 117.

[0014] Subsystem 20 includes a sub-CPU 117, USB 118, NIC 119, sub-ROM 120, sub-RAM 122, and shared RAM 123. In the power-saving state, the sub-CPU 117 executes the OS and control programs instead of the CPU 110. The USB 118 is a controller that controls data transmission / reception with other devices such as a client terminal connected by a USB cable. The NIC 119 is a controller that controls communication with an external device 127 such as a client terminal connected via a communication network 126 such as a LAN. The sub-ROM 120 is a non-volatile memory that stores programs executed by the sub-CPU 117. The sub-RAM 120 is a volatile memory used as a working area for the sub-CPU 117. The shared RAM 123 is used for data transmission / reception between the main system 10 and the sub-system 20 as a memory area that can be referred to by both the CPU 110 and the sub-CPU 117. In the present invention, it is also used as an area for storing the operation log in the sub-system 20 in the power-saving state.

[0015] The image forming means 105 includes a plotter 116 and a scanner 117. The plotter 116 prints an image based on the image data received from the image processing unit 106. The scanner 117 scans an image recorded on a medium such as paper and transfers the scanned image data to the image processing unit 106.

[0016] The operation panel 107 includes an LCD 124 and an operation unit 125. The LCD 124 is a visual user interface for the user to check the state of the image forming apparatus 1. The operation unit 125 is a user interface for the user to input information to the image forming apparatus 1, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel.

[0017] <Software Configuration Example> FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 1 is composed of a main system software group 201 and a sub-system software group 202, and includes modules or applications that operate with the OS 230, 231 and the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) 240, 24, respectively.

[0018] The main system software group 201 comprises modules such as the first control module 210, the first log management module 211, and the first status monitoring module 212, as well as applications such as the copy application 213, the scanner application 214, and the fax application 215. The first control module 210 controls the execution of the modules and applications in the main system software group 201. The first log management module 211 manages logs written to the shared RAM 123 in the operating state, and for example, periodically stores logs in the HDD 114 or transmits logs to an external device 127 via the communication network 126. The logs include information about the operation of software used for analysis when an abnormality occurs in the image forming apparatus 1, and information necessary to identify the location of the abnormality, such as the success or failure of hardware access. The first status monitoring module 212 sends and receives status transition requests to and from the second status monitoring module 222 of the subsystem software group 202 when the operating state and the power-saving state transition, in order to monitor the status of the image forming apparatus 1. Furthermore, applications such as the copy application 213, the scanner application 214, and the fax application 215 are executed in parallel on OS 230.

[0019] The subsystem software group 202 includes a second control module 220, a second log management module 221, a second state monitoring module 222, and a network control module 223. The second control module 220 controls the execution of modules in the subsystem software group 202. The second log management module 221 manages logs written to the shared RAM 123 in the power saving state, and adjusts the logs stored in the shared RAM 123 based on the importance (priority) according to the type of the log, for example, according to the elapsed time in the power saving state or the size of the stored logs. Also, the second log management module 221 assigns an importance (priority) according to the type of the log to the log. The second state monitoring module 222 transmits and receives a state transition request to and from the first state monitoring module 212 of the subsystem software group 202 when the state transitions between the operating state and the power saving state in order to monitor the state of the image forming apparatus 1. The network control module 223 transmits logs to an external device 127 via the communication network 126 in response to a request from the first control module 210 in the operating state.

[0020] <Regarding functions> FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration diagram of functional blocks in the image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The main system 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 includes a first control unit 11, a first management unit 12, a first monitoring unit 13, a display control unit 14, and an operation reception unit 15. These units are functions or means realized by the CPU 110 executing instructions included in one or more programs installed in the image forming apparatus 1. The first storage unit 16 can be realized by a storage device such as the HDD 114 included in the image forming apparatus 1, for example. The second storage unit 17 is a storage device that can be read from and written to by both the main system 10 and the subsystem 20, and can be realized by a storage device such as the shared RAM 123 included in the image forming apparatus 1, for example.

[0021] The first control unit 11 controls the execution, stop, etc. of modules, programs, applications, etc. operating in the main system 10.

[0022] The first management unit 12 performs log management in the operating main system 10. For example, the first management unit 12 periodically requests the first storage unit 16 to delete the logs stored in the shared RAM 123 and store them in the HDD 114 of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0023] The first monitoring unit 13 monitors whether or not the main system 10, which is in operation, will transition to a power-saving state.

[0024] The display control unit 14 displays a settings screen for configuring log settings, etc., on the LCD 123 of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0025] The operation reception unit 15 accepts operations from the administrator or user of the image forming apparatus 1 using a keyboard, mouse, and touch panel for configuring log settings.

[0026] The first storage unit 16 stores the logs stored in the shared RAM 123 in the HDD 114 based on a request from the first management unit 12.

[0027] The second storage unit 17 stores logs output by running modules, programs, and applications in the shared RAM 123 of the image forming apparatus 1, based on requests from the first management unit 12 when the system is operational, and from the second management unit 22 when the system is in power-saving mode. The second storage unit 17 may also store logs with their importance (priority) assigned to the beginning of each log entry.

[0028] The subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 includes a second control unit 21, a second management unit 22, a second monitoring unit 23, and a communication unit 24. Each of these units is a function or means realized by the sub-CPU 117 executing instructions included in one or more programs installed in the image forming apparatus 1.

[0029] The second control unit 21 controls the execution and stopping of modules, programs, etc., that operate in the subsystem 20.

[0030] The second management unit 22 performs log management and deletion in the subsystem 20 in power-saving mode. For example, the second management unit 22 deletes a portion of the logs stored in the shared RAM 123 based on importance (priority) according to the log type (type) depending on the elapsed time in power-saving mode or the size of the stored logs. The second management unit 22 may also set whether or not to store logs for each function (or task) that the image forming apparatus 1 has. Furthermore, the second management unit 22 assigns importance (priority) to the logs according to the log type (type).

[0031] The second monitoring unit 23 monitors whether the subsystem 20 in the power-saving state should transition to the operational state.

[0032] The communication unit 24 is a communication function of the image forming apparatus 1, and for example, it transmits information such as logs to an external device 127 via the communication network 126.

[0033] <Log management processing> Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart illustrating the log management process according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this flowchart, the image forming apparatus 1 performs log management while transitioning between the operating state and the power-saving state, and in the power-saving state, adjusts the logs stored in memory based on their importance (priority) according to the type (category) of the log, according to the elapsed time in the power-saving state. In the operating state, both the main system 10 and the subsystem 20 are in operation, while in the power-saving state, only the subsystem 20 is in operation. The processing of each step in Figure 5 will be described below.

[0034] Step S30: After the system of the image forming apparatus 1 is started up and operational, the first control unit 11 of the main system 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 starts up the log management module that manages the logs.

[0035] Step S31: The first management unit 12 of the main system 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 performs log management. The second storage unit 17 of the image forming apparatus 1 stores logs output by running modules, programs, and applications in the shared RAM 123 of the image forming apparatus 1 when it is in operation. The first management unit 12 periodically stores the logs stored in the shared RAM 123 in the HDD 114 of the image forming apparatus 1. That is, the first storage unit 16 stores the logs stored in the shared RAM 123 in the HDD 114 based on a request from the first management unit 12. Furthermore, the first management unit 12 may periodically send the logs to an external device 127 via the communication network 126. That is, the communication unit 24 of the subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 sends the logs to the external device 127 based on a request from the first management unit 12.

[0036] Step S32: The first control unit 11 of the main system 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 performs normal operation in the operating state, including controlling the execution and stopping of modules, programs, and applications that operate normally.

[0037] Step S33: The first monitoring unit 13 of the main system 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 monitors whether to transition to a power-saving state, for example, based on whether no user operation has been performed for a certain period of time or more. If the first monitoring unit 13 determines that to transition to a power-saving state, it transitions the process to step S34; otherwise, it transitions the process to step S32.

[0038] Step S34: The first control unit 11 of the main system 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 requests the first management unit 12 of the main system 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 to stop log management. The first management unit 12 stops log management based on the request from the first control unit 11.

[0039] Step S35: The first control unit 11 of the main system 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 stops, for example, any running modules, programs, and applications, in preparation for transitioning to a power-saving state.

[0040] Step S36: The first control unit 11 of the main system 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 requests the second control unit 21 of the subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 to switch to a power-saving state.

[0041] Step S37: The second control unit 21 of the subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 performs normal operation in a power-saving state, including controlling the execution and stopping of modules and programs that operate normally.

[0042] Step S38: The second management unit 22 of subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 stores logs output by modules and programs operating in subsystem 20 in the second storage unit 17 of the image forming apparatus 1. The second storage unit 17 stores the logs in the shared RAM 123 based on a request from the second management unit 22. The second management unit 22 also adjusts the logs stored in the shared RAM 123 based on importance (priority) according to the log type (type) according to the elapsed time of the power saving state, for example. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of a log type according to an embodiment of the present invention. The log type 40 in Figure 6 has the items level 41, name 42, and elapsed time 43.

[0043] Level 41 indicates the importance (priority) of the log. In other words, logs of a type with a lower level value are considered more important (priority) and will be preferentially stored without being thinned out (deleted) when storage capacity is insufficient.

[0044] Name 42 indicates the type (category) of the log. "Fatal error" is a log output when a fatal error occurs. "Recoverable error" is a log output when a recoverable error occurs (some functions can continue to operate). "Warning" is a warning log output when an abnormal path is passed, etc. "Normal print" is a log output during normal operation. "Dbg print" is a log output during debugging.

[0045] The elapsed time of 43 indicates the time that has passed since the power-saving state began, i.e., the time that the power-saving state has continued. If the elapsed time exceeds 43, the system will adjust so that logs below level 41 are not recorded. The unit of time is minutes.

[0046] The administrator or user of the image forming apparatus 1 can configure settings related to logs, such as log type 40. For example, the display control unit 14 of the image forming apparatus 1 displays a settings screen for configuring log type 40 on the LCD 124. The operation reception unit 15 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives operations from the administrator or user to configure settings related to log type 40.

[0047] Figure 7 shows an example of a flowchart relating to the log adjustment process according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this flowchart, the second management unit 22 of subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 adjusts the log to be stored in memory based on the level 41 and elapsed time 43 in the log type 40 of Figure 6. The processing of each step in Figure 7 will be described below.

[0048] Step S50: The second management unit 22 of the subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 detects whether 30 minutes have elapsed in the power-saving state. If so, it transitions the process to step S51; otherwise, it transitions the process to step S59.

[0049] Step S51: The second management unit 22 of subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 sets the level of the log to be stored in memory to 0.

[0050] Step S52: The second management unit 22 of subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 detects whether 20 minutes have elapsed since the power saving state was activated. If 20 minutes have elapsed, the process proceeds to step S53; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S59.

[0051] Step S53: The second management unit 22 of subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 sets the level of the log to be stored in memory to 1.

[0052] Step S54: The second management unit 22 of the subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 detects whether 10 minutes have elapsed in the power-saving state. If so, it proceeds to step S55; otherwise, it proceeds to step S59.

[0053] Step S55: The second management unit 22 of subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 sets the level of the log to be stored in memory to 2.

[0054] Step S56: The second management unit 22 of the subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 detects whether or not 5 minutes have elapsed in the power-saving state. If so, it proceeds to step S57; otherwise, it proceeds to step S59.

[0055] Step S57: The second management unit 22 of subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 sets the level of the log to be stored in memory to 3.

[0056] Step S58: The second management unit 22 of subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 sets the level of the log to be stored in memory to 4.

[0057] Step S59: The second control unit 22 of subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 adjusts the logs by removing (deleting) logs from memory that have an importance (priority) lower than the importance (priority) indicated by the set level. Since a smaller level value indicates a higher importance (priority) log, for example, if the set level value is 1, the second control unit 22 deletes logs with a level value greater than 1 from memory. Here, in order for the second control unit 22 to remove logs from memory, each function (task) that outputs logs adds level information to the beginning of the log when outputting it. Alternatively, a function macro for outputting logs may be defined in the program for each level in order to add the log level. For example, the PRNTF function is used for normal logs (level 3), and the EPRINTF function is used for logs of fatal errors (level 0). Let's return to Figure 5 for explanation.

[0058] Step S39: The second monitoring unit 23 of the subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 monitors whether to transition to an operating state, for example, based on user operation. If the second monitoring unit 23 determines that to transition to an operating state, it transitions the process to step S39; otherwise, it transitions the process to step S37.

[0059] Step S40: The second control unit 21 of the subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 prepares to transition to the operating state.

[0060] Step S41: The second control unit 21 of the subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 requests the first control unit 11 of the main system 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 to transition to an operating state.

[0061] Step S42: The first control unit 11 of the main system 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 starts up the log management module that manages the logs.

[0062] Step S43: The first management unit 12 of the main system 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 stores the logs stored in the shared RAM 123 in the HDD 114 of the image forming apparatus 1 in a power-saving state. That is, the first storage unit 16 stores the logs stored in the shared RAM 123 in the HDD 114 based on a request from the first management unit 12. Furthermore, the first management unit 12 may periodically send the logs to an external device 127 via the communication network 126. That is, the communication unit 24 of the subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 sends the logs to the external device 127 based on a request from the first management unit 12. Thereafter, the processing in step S31 and the processing in the subsequent steps are repeated and executed.

[0063] Through the above process, the image forming apparatus 1 can acquire logs in a power-saving state without reducing the operating clock or ending the power-saving state, while preventing memory overflow. This is because, depending on the elapsed time in the power-saving state, the logs stored in memory are adjusted based on their importance (priority) according to the type (category) of the log.

[0064] <First variation of log management processing> A first modified example of the log management process according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described. In the first modified example, in the process of step S38 shown in the flowchart of Figure 5, the second management unit 22 of the subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 adjusts the logs stored in the shared RAM 123 based on the importance (priority) according to the log type (category) according to the size of the stored logs. Specifically, for example, similar to the procedure shown in the flowchart of Figure 7, the second management unit 22 sets the log level to 0 if the size of the stored log exceeds 3 MB. Similarly, the second management unit 22 sets the level to 1 if the size is 3 MB or less but exceeds 2 MB, the level to 2 if the size is 2 MB or less but exceeds 1 MB, the level to 3 if the size is 1 MB or less but exceeds 0.5 MB, and the level to 4 if the size is 0.5 MB or less. According to the levels set in this way, the second management unit 22 adjusts the logs by decimating (deleting some logs) logs with an importance (priority) lower than the importance (priority) indicated by the set level from memory. Alternatively, the second management unit 22 may adjust the logs stored in the shared RAM 123 based on importance (priority) according to the type (category) of the logs, according to a condition that combines the elapsed time in the power-saving state and the size of the stored logs.

[0065] Through the above process, the image forming apparatus 1 can acquire logs while preventing memory overflow without reducing the operating clock or ending the power-saving state, even in a power-saving state.

[0066] <Second variation of log management processing> A second modified example of the log management process according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described. In the second modified example, the second management unit 22 of the image forming apparatus 1 pre-sets whether or not to store the logs output by each function (or task) that the image forming apparatus 1 has, and stores only the logs that have been set to be stored in memory. The second storage unit 17 of the image forming apparatus 1 stores only the logs corresponding to the pre-set functions in memory. Alternatively, the second storage unit 17 stores all logs in memory, but the second management unit 22 may periodically perform log adjustments to delete logs other than those set from memory. As a result, the image forming apparatus 1 can specify the functions (or tasks) for which it wants to acquire logs intensively, thereby improving the efficiency of fault analysis and reproduction testing.

[0067] <Third variation of log management processing> A third modification of the log management process according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described. In the third modification, the second management unit 22 of the image forming apparatus 1 specifies the log level for each function (or task) that the image forming apparatus 1 has. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between function and level according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8's relationship diagram 60 has items for function 61 and level 62. Function 61 indicates a function (or task) that the image forming apparatus 1 has. Level 62 indicates the level to be set for the log related to the function (or task) indicated by function 61. As a result, the image forming apparatus 1 can improve the efficiency of fault analysis and reproduction testing by setting a higher level for the logs of functions for which it wants to acquire logs intensively. Here, the level indicates the importance (or priority) of the log, and logs of a type with a smaller level value are logs of higher importance (priority).

[0068] <Fourth variation of the log management process> A fourth modification of the log management process according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described. In this fourth modification, the second management unit 22 of the image forming apparatus 1 does not set a fixed level for the log, as shown in Figure 6, but dynamically sets the log level (importance or priority) according to the operating status of the functions (or tasks) of the image forming apparatus 1. This makes it possible for the image forming apparatus 1 to focus on acquiring logs of frequently operating functions (or tasks) that are likely to experience failures.

[0069] <Fifth variation of the log management process> A fifth modification of the log management process according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described. In the fifth modification, in the process of step S38 shown in the flowchart of Figure 5, the second management unit 22 of the subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 controls the timing of adjusting the log stored in the shared RAM 123. That is, the second management unit 22 controls the timing of adjusting the log so that it does not adjust the log while performing processes such as packet processing on the network or processing to return from the power-saving state to the operational state in the power-saving state. As a method of control, for example, a flag indicating the suppression of log adjustment is prepared, and while log adjustment is not performed because the aforementioned process is being executed, the flag information is turned on (for example, the value is set to 1), and after the completion of the process, the flag information is turned off (for example, the value is set to 0). The second management unit 22 does not adjust the log when the flag information is on, and adjusts the log when it is turned off. This prevents the image forming apparatus 1's original processing, such as packet processing on the network or processing to return from the power-saving state to the operational state, from being affected.

[0070] <Sixth variation of the log management process> A sixth modified example of the log management process according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described. In the sixth modified example, in the process of step S38 shown in the flowchart of Figure 5, the second management unit 22 of the subsystem 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 adjusts the area of ​​logs to be stored in the shared RAM 123. For example, the second management unit 22 prepares separate storage areas (buffers) for logs that must be stored (e.g., logs with high importance or priority) and storage areas (buffers) for other logs. Alternatively, the second management unit 22 prepares separate storage areas (buffers) for logs output during the transition to a power-saving state and storage areas (buffers) for logs output during the power-saving state. This makes it possible to distinguish the importance of logs and the state in which they are stored within the area where the logs are stored.

[0071] Although several embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited in any way to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0072] For example, the example of the functional block configuration diagram in Figure 4 is divided according to its main function to facilitate understanding of the processing performed by the image forming apparatus 1. The present invention is not limited by the way the processing units are divided or their names. The processing in the image forming apparatus 1 can be further divided into many more processing units depending on the processing content. Furthermore, one processing unit can be divided to include even more processing.

[0073] Furthermore, each function of the embodiments described above can be realized by one or more processing circuits. Hereinafter, "processing circuit" as used herein includes processors programmed to execute each function by software, such as processors implemented by electronic circuits, as well as devices such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), DSPs (digital signal processors), FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), and conventional circuit modules designed to execute each of the functions described above.

[0074] Furthermore, the described apparatus represents only one of several computing environments for carrying out the embodiments disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 includes multiple computing devices, such as a server cluster. The multiple computing devices are configured to communicate with each other via any type of communication link, including a network or shared memory, and perform the processes disclosed herein.

[0075] Furthermore, the "1st" and "2nd" markings in the first control unit 11, first management unit 12, first monitoring unit 13, first storage unit 16, second storage unit 17, second control unit 21, second management unit 22, and second monitoring unit 23 may be displayed in any order if distinction is possible, or the "1st" and "2nd" markings may be omitted if distinction is not necessary.

[0076] Examples of the present invention are as follows: <1> An information processing device having a main system for controlling the entire device, a subsystem for controlling a part of the device in a power-saving state, and a memory accessible from both the main system and the subsystem, wherein the subsystem has a storage unit for storing logs in the memory with information regarding importance in the power-saving state, and a management unit for adjusting the deletion of a part of the logs from the memory based on importance, according to the size of the stored logs or the elapsed time in the power-saving state. <2> The management unit sets whether or not to store the logs output by each function of the device, and the storage unit stores in the memory only the logs output by the functions that the management unit has set to store. <1> This is the information processing device described above. <3> The aforementioned importance is set for each of the functions that the device has. <2> This is the information processing device described above. <4> The aforementioned importance is dynamically set according to the operating status of the device. <1> from <3> It is an information processing device described in any of the following. <5> The management unit controls the timing for deleting a portion of the log from the memory according to the operating status of the device. <1> from <4> It is an information processing device described in any of the following. <6> The aforementioned <1> from <5> The information processing apparatus described in any of the above is an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a storage medium. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1, 1a, 1b Image forming device 10 Main System 11 First Control Unit 12 1st Management Department 13 1st Monitoring Department 14 Display Control Unit 15 Operation reception section 16 1st memory section 17 2nd memory section 20 subsystems 21 Second Control Unit 22 2nd Management Department 23 2nd Monitoring Department 24 Communications Department [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0078] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-246096

Claims

1. An information processing device having a main system for controlling the entire device, a subsystem for controlling a part of the device in a power-saving state, and a memory accessible from both the main system and the subsystem, The subsystem described above is In the aforementioned power-saving state, a storage unit stores logs in the memory with information regarding importance added, A management unit deletes a portion of the log from the memory based on the size of the stored log or the importance corresponding to the elapsed time of the power-saving state, An information processing device having

2. The management unit sets whether or not to store the log output by each function of the device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores in the memory only the logs output by the function that the management unit has set to store.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the importance is set for each function the apparatus has.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the aforementioned importance is dynamically set according to the operating status of the apparatus.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the management unit controls the timing of deleting a portion of the log from the memory according to the operating status of the device.

6. The information processing apparatus described in claim 1 or claim 2 is an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a storage medium.

7. A log management method executed by an information processing device having a main system that controls the entire device, a subsystem that controls a part of the device in a power-saving state, and a memory that can be accessed by both the main system and the subsystem, In the aforementioned power-saving state, the steps include storing the log in the memory with information regarding its importance, The steps include deleting a portion of the log from the memory based on the size of the stored log or the importance corresponding to the elapsed time of the power-saving state, A log management method that includes [specific features / features].

8. An information processing device having a main system that controls the entire device, a subsystem that controls a part of the device in a power-saving state, and a memory that can be accessed by both the main system and the subsystem, In the aforementioned power-saving state, the log is stored in the memory with information regarding its importance added. A step of deleting a portion of the log from the memory based on the size of the stored log or the importance corresponding to the elapsed time of the power saving state, A log management program that executes the following commands.

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