APPARATUS, METHOD OF MANAGING A SYSTEM, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

• US 20120259965A1
• Filed: 04/06/2012
• Published: 10/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Buffalo Incorporated (Melco Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Buffalo Incorporated (Melco Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Goki, Tsuzuki, Masanao
• Application Number:
  US13/441,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20120259965A1
• 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]

Abstract

A apparatus manages a system including a gateway device, a first device and a second device. The apparatus obtains configuration information and connected device identification information with respect to at least one device, obtains software from a server, and applies the software to the device.

Claims

1. An apparatus configured to manage a system including a gateway device, a first device connected with the gateway device and a second device that is connected with the first device and has a greater number of devices intervening before the gateway device than the first device, the apparatus comprising:

a configuration information acquirer that acquires configuration information and connected device identification information from a first target device that is at least one of the gateway device, the first device and the second device, wherein the configuration information includes information indicating a type of a connection interface included in the first target device and device identification information identifying the first target device, and the connected device identification information identifies a device connected to the first target device;

a software acquirer that acquires software to be applied to at least the first target device from a server based on the obtained configuration information, wherein the server is connected with the apparatus via a network; and

a software application controller that applies the acquired software to the first target device.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display; and

a map display controller that controls the display to display a connection configuration map indicating a connection configuration among the gateway device, the first device and the second device based on the obtained configuration information.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the connection configuration map includes a symbol representing the first device arranged at a position closer to a symbol representing the gateway device than a symbol representing the second device.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the connection configuration map includes information identifying connection interfaces of the gateway device, the first device and the second device.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the connection configuration map includes connections between the symbol representing the gateway device, the symbol representing the first device and the symbol representing the second device that indicate actual connections between the gateway device, the first device and the second device.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the configuration information acquirer acquires the configuration information including information regarding a device type of the first target device, from the first target device, and

the connection configuration map includes information indicating device types of the gateway device, the first device and the second device.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first target device includes at least the first device and the second device,

the software acquirer acquires, from the server, first software to be applied to the first device, second software to be applied to the second device and applied order information representing an applied order of the first software and the second software, and

the software application controller applies the first software to the first device and the second software to the second device in the applied order specified by the acquired applied order information.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the software acquirer acquires a plurality of software to be applied to a device that is identical to the first target device and applied order information representing an applied order of the plurality of software, from the server, and

the software application controller applies the plurality of software to the identical device in the applied order specified by the obtained applied order information.

9. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the configuration information includes software identification information identifying software to be applied to the first target device, and

the connection configuration map includes information related to the software identification information at a position corresponding to a symbol of the first target device.

10. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a log information acquirer that acquires log information of a second target device that is at least one of the gateway device, the first device and the second device, wherein

the connection configuration map includes information related to the acquired log information at a position corresponding to a symbol of the second target device.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the configuration information acquirer acquires, from the second target device, the configuration information including information regarding a device type of the second target device, and

the connection configuration map includes information related to at least one of the device type, the information regarding the type of the connection interface, the device identification information and the software identification information at a position corresponding to a symbol of the second target device,

when the log information includes information indicating occurrence of a failure, the connection configuration map represents the log information or the information indicating occurrence of a failure, prior to the additional information.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the configuration information includes software identification information identifying software to be applied to the first target device, and

the software identification information includes at least version information of the software.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a connection interface between the first device and the second device is a bus,

the first device acquires, from the second device, the configuration information and the connected device identification information of the second device, and

the configuration information acquirer acquires, from the first device, the configuration information and the connected device identification information of the second device.

14. A method of managing a system by using an apparatus having a display, wherein the system comprises a gateway device, a first device connected with the gateway device and a second device that is connected with the first device and has a greater number of devices intervening before the gateway device than the first device, the method comprising:

acquiring, by the apparatus, configuration information and connected device identification information from a first target device that is at least one of the gateway device, the first device and the second device, wherein the configuration information includes information indicating a type of a connection interface included in the first target device and device identification information identifying the first target device, and the connected device identification information identifies a device connected to the first target device;

acquiring, by the apparatus from a server, software to be applied to at least the first target device based on the obtained configuration information, wherein the server is connected with the apparatus via a network; and

applying the acquired software to the first target device.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

displaying, by the display, a connection configuration map that includes information indicating a connection configuration among the gateway device, the first device and the second device based on the acquired configuration information, wherein

the connection configuration map includes

a symbol representing the first device arranged at a position closer to a symbol representing the gateway device than a symbol representing the second device,

information identifying connection interfaces of the gateway device, the first device and the second device, and

connections between the symbol representing the gateway device, the symbol representing the first device and the symbol representing the second device that indicate actual connections between the gateway device, the first device and the second device.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein

the acquiring configuration information includes obtaining, by the apparatus from the first target device, the configuration information including information indicating a device type of the first target device, and

the connection configuration map includes information indicating device types of the gateway device, the first device and the second device.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer program instructions, which when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform a method of managing a system comprising a gateway device, a first device connected with the gateway device and a second device that is connected with the first device and has a greater number of devices intervening before the gateway device than the first device, the method of managing a system comprising:

acquiring configuration information and connected device identification information from a first target device that is at least one of the gateway device, the first device and the second device, wherein the configuration information includes information indicating a type of a connection interface included in the first target device and device identification information identifying the first target device, and the connected device identification information identifies a device connected with the first target device;

acquiring software to be applied to at least the first target device from a server based on the obtained configuration information, wherein the server is connected with the apparatus via a network; and

applying the acquired software to the first target device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the method of managing further comprises:

displaying a connection configuration map that includes information indicating a connection configuration among the gateway device, the first device and the second device based on the acquired configuration information, wherein

the connection configuration map includes

a symbol representing the first device arranged at a position closer to a symbol representing the gateway device than a symbol representing the second device,

information identifying connection interfaces of the gateway device, the first device and the second device, and

connections between the symbol representing the gateway device, the symbol representing the first device and the symbol representing the second device that indicate actual connections between the gateway device, the first device and the second device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein

the acquiring configuration information includes obtaining, from the first target device, the configuration information including information indicating a device type of the first target device, and

the connection configuration map includes information indicating device types of the gateway device, the first device and the second device.