Network management server, control method, computer program, computer readable storage medium, and network system

• US 20070088814A1
• Filed: 10/12/2006
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Torii, Minoru
• Granted Patent: US 7,636,771 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0273 using web services for network management, e.g. simple object access protocol [SOAP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements

Abstract

Even in a large-scale network environment in which many clients and many devices exist on a network, this invention allows the network to function as an aggregation of logical small-scale networks in the execution of device driver setup. For this purpose, a management server manages a plurality of clients on the network as client groups, and a plurality of network devices as device groups. The management server then associates each client group with each device group. When a network device belonging to the device group A is newly installed and the power supply is turned on, the network device issues a Hello message indicating entry to the network. Upon receiving the Hello message, the management server transmits a setup request message for a device driver for the network device to only each client belonging to the client group A.

Claims

1. A network management apparatus for managing a plurality of client apparatuses and a plurality of network devices, comprising:

storage management means for storing and managing client group information indicating to which client group each of said plurality of client apparatuses belongs, and device group information indicating to which device group each of said plurality of network devices belongs, and stores logical connection information between a client group and a device group;

specifying means for, when receiving a predetermined network connection message from a network device through the network, determining to which device group the network device which has issued the network connection message belongs by referring to said storage management means, and specifying a client group in a logical connection with the determined device group; and

transmission means for transmitting a setup request message for a device driver corresponding to the network device which has issued the network connection message to each client apparatus as a constituent member of the client group specified by said specifying means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said specifying means also specifies the client group when receiving a message indicating a change in configuration of the network device from the network device.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising scenario setting means for setting, for each client group, a scenario which indicates whether to execute transmission of the setup request message by said transmission means immediately after said specifying means specifies the client group or designates a date and executes the transmission on the designated date.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for transmitting a setup request message for a device driver of each network device belonging to an associated device group to each client belonging to a desired client group.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

device setting information storage means for storing setting information to be set in the network device, and

setting means for, when receiving the network connection message through the network, reading out setting information for a network device as an issuing source of the network connection message from said device setting information storage means, transmitting the information to the network device as the issuing source, and making the network device set the information.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising second scenario setting means for setting, for each network device, a scenario which indicates whether to execute transmission of setting information by said setting means immediately after reception of the network connection message or designates a date and executes the transmission on the designated date.

7. A control method for a network management apparatus which manages a plurality of client apparatuses and a plurality of network devices, and comprises storage management means for storing and managing client group information indicating to which client group each of the plurality of client apparatuses belongs, and device group information indicating to which device group each of the plurality of network devices belongs, and stores logical connection information between a client group and a device group, comprising:

a specifying step of, when receiving a predetermined network connection message from a network device through the network, determining to which device group the network device which has issued the network connection message belongs, by referring to the storage management means, and specifying a client group in a logical connection with the determined device group; and

a transmission step of transmitting a setup request message for a device driver corresponding to the network device which has issued the network connection message to each client apparatus as a constituent member of the client group specified in the specifying step.

8. A computer program, stored in a computer readable storage medium, for a network management apparatus which manages a plurality of client apparatuses and a plurality of network devices, and comprises storage management means for storing and managing client group information indicating to which client group each of the plurality of client apparatuses belongs, and device group information indicating to which device group each of the plurality of network devices belongs, and stores logical connection information between a client group and a device group, functioning the computer as:

specifying means for, when receiving a predetermined network connection message from a network device through the network, determining to which device group the network device which has issued the network connection message belongs, by referring to the storage management means, and specifying a client group in a logical connection with the determined device group; and

transmission means for transmitting a setup request message for a device driver corresponding to the network device which has issued the network connection message to each client apparatus as a constituent member of the client group specified by the specifying means.

9. A computer readable storage medium storing the computer program according to claim 8.

10. A network system comprising a plurality of client apparatuses, a plurality of network devices, and a network management apparatus for managing said plurality of clients and said plurality of network devices,

wherein each of said network devices comprises means for, when a power supply is turned on or hardware is changed, broadcasting a first message indicating a hardware change to a network,

each of said plurality of client apparatuses comprises

monitoring means for monitoring a message received from the network so as not to respond to the first message from the network device and to respond to a request message from said network management apparatus, and

device driver setup means for executing device driver setup processing upon receiving a second message indicating a setup request for a device driver for a network device designated by said network management apparatus while said monitoring means is monitoring, and

said network management apparatus comprises

storage management means for storing and managing client group information indicating to which client group each of said plurality of client apparatuses belongs, and device group information indicating to which device group each of said plurality of network devices belongs, and stores logical connection information between a client group and a device group,

specifying means for, when receiving the first message from the network, determining to which device group the network device which has issued the network connection message belongs by referring to said storage management means, and specifying a client group in a logical connection with the determined device group;

and

transmission means for transmitting a second message requesting setup of a device driver corresponding to the network device which has issued the first message to each client apparatus as a constituent member of the client group specified by said specifying means.