Master Server IP Mapping for Distributed Site Servers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current information processing systems require significant time and effort for configuring PCs across distributed sites, as they need to obtain and set IP addresses of site servers manually, and managers face challenges in confirming use situations of site servers without centralized management.
Innovation Solution
An information processing system comprising a master server at a headquarters site, site servers, and personal computers at branch-offices, where the master server manages IP address mapping, authentication, and permission information, allowing PCs to automatically inquire and use the correct site server IP addresses for job generation and authentication, and site servers collect and upload use situation information to the master server for centralized management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual IP address configuration is implemented for each PC at branch offices, then each PC can be connected to the correct site server, but significant time and effort are required for configuration
Solution Approach 1:
The PC automatically inquires the site server IP address from the master server using its own PC name, without requiring manual configuration. The system performs self-service by autonomously obtaining the necessary network configuration information through automated inquiry and mapping processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The master server acts as an intermediary between PCs and site servers. It maintains the mapping table containing PC names and corresponding site server IP addresses, and responds to inquiry requests from PCs, thereby mediating the connection establishment without requiring manual IP configuration at each PC.
2Productivity
If site servers are distributed across multiple branch offices, then local processing capability is improved, but monitoring and management of use situations becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The site server collects use situation information from local image forming apparatus and feeds back this information to the master server. The master server accumulates and manages this feedback information, enabling centralized monitoring of distributed site servers while maintaining their local processing capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the local processing capability of distributed site servers with the centralized management function of the master server. The master server combines use situation information from multiple branch offices into a unified management interface, allowing administrators to monitor all sites from a single location.
3Ease of manufacture
If automatic IP address inquiry is implemented, then configuration effort is reduced, but additional communication protocols and mapping tables are required
Solution Approach 1:
The master server performs multiple functions: it maintains the PC name to site server IP mapping table, responds to inquiry requests from PCs, and collects use situation information from site servers. This multi-functional design reduces the need for separate dedicated systems while managing the added complexity through consolidation.
Data Source
AI summary
A master server includes a mapping management unit that returns, with respect to an address inquiry request for a site server to be in cooperation with a PC, the address inquiry request being sent from the PC, an IP address of the site server to be in cooperation with the PC that sent the address inquiry request. The site server includes an authentication processing unit that authenticates the user in response to an authentication request for the user from the PC, and returns an authentication result to the PC, a permission information providing unit that, when the authentication processing unit succeeds in authentication, obtains the permission information corresponding to the user from the second memory, and provides the permission information to the PC that sent the authentication request, and a second spooler that spools job data from the PC, and outputs the job data to the image forming apparatus.