METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING NETWORK DEVICES

• US 20080016210A1
• Filed: 07/13/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: IGARASHI, Toshiaki, MAEKAWA, Yoshito
• Granted Patent: US 7,600,018 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/026 using e-messaging for transporting management information, e.g. email, instant messaging or chat
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0677 Localisation of faults

Abstract

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for managing network devices, which allow the user to intuitively recognize errors that have occurred in network devices. When an error monitoring module (701) detects any error that has occurred in a network device, a corresponding URL address acquisition module (702) acquires a URL address corresponding to an error category. An electrical generation component generates electrical message data for error information, which contains the acquired URL address, and sends it to an electrical sending module (706). Since the user can access error information provided by an HTTP server module (708) by clicking the URL address described on the received electrical message once, he or she can intuitively recognize the error contents by simple operations.

Claims

1. to 38. (canceled)

39. A server apparatus for managing at least one managed network device connected to a network, comprising:

a storage component that stores a plurality of location information each of which indicates a location that provides operational state information of the network device corresponding to a predetermined category;

an obtaining component that obtains operational state information from the network device;

a specifying component that specifies location information corresponding to a category of the obtained operational state information, wherein the location information is stored by the storage component; and

a sending control component that controls a process of sending an electrical message, including the location information specified by the specifying component, to a predetermined address.

40. A server apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the specifying component specifies the location information in response to said obtaining component obtaining the operational state information.

41. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein said storage component stores a table, list, or database which describes a correspondence between a plurality of pieces of the location information, and a plurality of operational state information of the network device.

42. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the operation state information is categorized into a category indicating deficient states of expendables, a category indicating a service call error, and a category indicating an error that the user can recover.

43. A method for managing at least one managed network device connected to a network, comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of location information, each of which indicates a location that provides operational state information of the network device corresponding to a predetermined category;

obtaining operational state information from the network device;

specifying location information corresponding to a category of the obtained operational state information, wherein the location information is stored in the storing step; and

controlling a process of sending an electrical message, including the location information specified in the specifying step, to a predetermined address.

44. The method according to claim 43, wherein the specifying step specifies the location information in response to the operational state information being obtained in the obtaining step.

45. The method according to claim 43, wherein the storing step stores a table, list, or database which describes a correspondence between a plurality of pieces of the location information, and a plurality of operational state information of the network device.

46. The method according to claim 43, wherein the operation state information is categorized into a category indicating deficient states of expendables, a category indicating a service call error, and a category indicating an error that the user can recover.

47. A computer readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program for making a computer execute a method for managing at least one managed network device connected to a network, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of location information, each of which indicates a location that provides operational state information of the network device corresponding to a predetermined category;

obtaining operational state information from the network device;

specifying location information corresponding to a category of the obtained operational state information, wherein the location information is stored in the storing step; and

controlling a process of sending an electrical message, including the location information specified in the specifying step, to a predetermined address.