System and method for managing devices using configuration information organized in a layered structure

• US 20030204712A1
• Filed: 03/28/2003
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Takahashi, Naoki, Yoshiyama, Noritoshi, Inui, Takashi, Yomo, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 6,970,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/022 Multivendor or multi-standard integration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0846 based on copy from other elements

Abstract

A computer program or the like is provided for reducing changes to the setting information by the computer. A management apparatus is provided for managing devices connected to a computer using a layered structure including a managing section for setting information associated with each of the devices by recording it in a setting information database using a layered structure; an adding section, if an existing device has been replaced by a new device for adding the setting information for the new device into the setting information database; a condition deciding section to determine whether the existing device and the new device have a predetermined relationship; and a changing section, if the existing device and the new device have the predetermined relationship, for managing the setting information for a low level device, which is a device managed as a lower layer of the existing device, as the lower layer of setting information for the new device and recording it in the setting information database.

Claims

1. A program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for execution on a computer for managing in a computer a plurality of devices connected to the computer using a layered structure, the computer readable program code in said program product being effective when executing to;

manage setting information associated with each of the plurality of devices by recording the setting information in a setting information database using the layered structure;

add setting information for a new device to the setting information database if replacing an existing device;

decide whether the existing device and the new device have a predetermined relationship; and

change setting information for a low level device, which is a device managed as a lower layer of the existing device, as a lower layer of setting information for the new device and recording the setting information in the setting information database if the existing device and the new device have the predetermined relationship.

2. The program product of claim 1, wherein:

in said decision, the computer decides whether a device detected as a lower layer of the new device is identical to the existing low level device; and

in said change, the computer manages setting information for the existing low level device as a lower layer of setting information for the new device and records the new setting information in the setting information database if a device managed as a lower layer of the new device is identical to the existing low level device.

3. The program product of claim 1, wherein said change establishes a link to the setting information for the existing low level device in the setting information for the new device wherein the computer manages the setting information for the existing low level device as a lower layer of the setting information for the new device and records the link to the setting information in the setting information database.

4. The program product of claim 1, wherein:

in said decision, the computer decides whether identifying information which is information associated with each of the existing device and the new device and shows the identified information of the new device is identical; and

in said change, the computer manages the setting information for the low level device as a lower layer of setting information for the new device and records the setting information in the setting information database if the identifying information associated with each of the existing device and the new device is identical.

5. The program product of claim 1, further being effective when executing to:

input a user input of whether to manage the setting information for the low level device as the lower layer of setting information for the new device,

wherein, in said decision, the computer decides whether the existing device and the new device have the predetermined relationship.

6. The program product of claim 1 wherein, in said change, the computer manages setting information for the low level device as the lower layer of setting information for each of the existing device and the new device and records the setting information in the setting information database if the existing device and the new device have the predetermined relationship.

7. The program product of claim 1, wherein:

the setting information is registry information which an operating system of the computer manages to control the plurality of devices; and

said change makes the computer set up a low level registry information, which is a registry information managed as a lower layer of the registry information associated with the existing device, as a lower layer of registry information associated with the new device and records the setting information in the setting information database if the existing device and the new device have the predetermined relationship.

8. The program product of claim 1, wherein:

the existing device and the new device is an interface device for controlling an interface connecting the computer and the low level device; and

the low level device is a device connected to the interface.

9. A program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for execution on a computer for managing in a computer a plurality of devices connected to the computer, the computer readable program code in said program product being effective when executing to;

manage a setting information database containing the setting information for an existing device;

retrieve previously saved device setting information in association with the device identification information from a setting information candidate database;

decide whether the existing device is replaced with a new device; and

generate setting information for the new device on the basis of the setting information for the existing device and the retrieved setting information and recording the new setting information in the setting information database if the existing device is replaced with the new device.

10. A program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for execution on a computer for managing in a computer a plurality of devices connected to the computer, the computer readable program code in said program product being effective when executing to;

add and record setting information used to control a device if the device is newly connected to the computer;

decide whether an existing device is replaced with a new device; and

decide whether the existing device and the new device have a predetermined relationship; and

retain the setting information for the existing device as is without adding at least a portion of the setting information used to control the new device if the existing device and the new device have the predetermined relationship.

11. The program product of claim 10, further being effective when executing to;

manage revision identity information which identifies the revision associated with each of the plurality of devices;

wherein, in said addition and recordation, the computer holds at least a portion of the existing setting information for each of the plurality of devices if the associated revision identity information for each of the existing devices and the new devices that are determined to be identical.

12. Apparatus comprising:

a manager module which manages a setting information associated with each of a plurality of devices connected to a computer using a layered structure by recording the setting information in a setting information database using the layered structure;

an adder module, coupled to said manager module, which adds new setting information to the setting information database if an existing device has been replaced with a new device;

a condition deciding module, coupled to said manager module, which decides whether the existing device and the new device have a predetermined relationship; and

a change module, coupled to said manager module and effective if the existing device and the new device have the predetermined relationship, which manages a setting information for a low level device, which is a device managed as a lower layer of the existing device, as a lower layer of setting information for the new device and recording the setting information in the setting information database.

13. Apparatus comprising:

a manager module which manages a setting information database holding a setting information for an existing device in a computer having a plurality of devices;

a setting information candidate manager module, coupled to said manager module, which retrieves previously saved setting information for each of the plurality of devices in association with a device identification information;

a decision module, coupled to said manager module, which decides whether the existing device is replaced with a new device; and

a change module, coupled to said manager module, which records a setting information for the new device in the setting information database if the existing device is changed with the new device on the basis of the setting information for the existing device and a setting information provided by said setting information candidate manager module and associated with the new device.

14. Apparatus comprising:

an adder module which adds and records a setting information used to control a device if the device is newly connected to a computer;

a decision module, coupled to said adder module, which decides whether an existing device is changed with a new device; and

a condition deciding module, coupled to said adder module, which decides whether the existing device and the new device have a predetermined relationship; and

a setting information addition control module, coupled to said condition deciding module, which holds said setting information for the existing device as is without adding at least a portion of the setting information used to control the new device if the existing device and the new device have the predetermined relationship.

15. A method comprising the steps of:

managing a setting information which associates the setting information to each of a plurality of devices connected to a computer using a layered structure by recording the setting information in a setting information database using the layered structure;

adding new setting information to the setting information database if an existing device is replaced by a new device;

deciding whether the existing device and the new device have a predetermined relationship; and

managing a setting information for a low level device, which is a device managed as a lower layer of the existing device, as a lower layer of setting information for the new device and recording the setting information in the setting information database if the existing device and the new device have the predetermined relationship.

16. A method comprising the steps of:

managing a setting information database containing a setting information for an existing device of a computer having a plurality of devices;

retrieving previously saved setting information for each of the plurality of devices in association with an identification information for each of the existing devices;

deciding whether the existing device is replaced by a new device; and

recording a setting information for the new device in the setting information database, on the basis of the setting information for the existing device and a setting information associated with the new device if the existing device is determined to be replaced with the new device.

17. A method comprising the steps of:

adding and recording a setting information used to control a device if the device is newly connected to a computer;

deciding whether an existing device is replaced by a new device;

deciding whether the existing device and the new device have a predetermined relationship; and

retaining the setting information for the existing device as is without adding at least a portion of the setting information used to control the new device if the existing device and the new device have the predetermined relationship.

18. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a data recording media on which a setting information for controlling each of a plurality of devices on a computer is recorded, said data recoding media including;

a first setting information recording area for recording the first setting information which controls a first device connected to a central processing unit of the computer;

a first device identification information recording area for recording an information identifying the first device in association with the first setting information;

a first identification information recording area for recording a first identification information which is an information identifying said first setting information;

a second setting information recording area for recording a second setting information which controls a second device connected to said central processing unit of said computer;

a second device identification information recording area for recording an information identifying the second device in association with said second setting information;

a second identification information recording area for recording a second identification information which is an information identifying the second setting information;

a third setting information recording area for recording a third setting information which controls a third device connected to said central processing unit of said computer through the first device or the second device;

a third device identification information recording area for recording an information identifying

the third device in association with the third setting information; and

a third identification information recording area for recording a third identification information which is an information identifying said third setting information;

wherein the first identification information and the second identification information are identical and the third device identification information recording area includes the identical identification information.