MANAGEMENT APPARATUS, MANAGEMENT METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM

• US 20120317286A1
• Filed: 05/21/2012
• Published: 12/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kawana, Yoshimasa, Hirahara, Akiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,966,076 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

A management apparatus that causes control unit to execute first management software for managing a plurality of devices on a network comprises: a first storing unit which stores authentication information to be used to access a device using a function of the first management software; a second storing unit configured to store authentication information to be used to access the device using a function of second management software that is added to the first management software to add a new function; a registration unit configured to register the device to be managed by the second management software; and a second setting unit configured to set the authentication information to be used to access the device using the function of the second management software.

Claims

1. A management apparatus that causes control unit to execute first management software for managing a plurality of devices on a network, comprising:

a first storing unit configured to store authentication information to be used to access a device using a function of the first management software;

a second storing unit configured to store authentication information to be used to access the device using a function of second management software that is added to the first management software to add a new function;

a registration unit configured to register the device to be managed by the second management software; and

a second setting unit configured to set the authentication information to be used to access the device using the function of the second management software,

wherein when said second setting unit sets the authentication information, said second storing unit stores the set authentication information as the information to be used to access the registered device, and

when said second setting unit does not set the authentication information, and said first storing unit stores the authentication information to be used to access the registered device, said second storing unit stores the authentication information stored in said first storing unit as the information to be used to access the registered device.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when said second setting unit does not set the authentication information, and said first storing unit does not store the authentication information to be used to access the registered device, said second storing unit stores authentication information managed as a default by the second management software as the information to be used to access the registered device.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising first setting unit configured to set the authentication information to be used to access the device using the function of the first management software,

wherein when said first setting unit sets the authentication information, said first storing unit stores the set authentication information as the information to be used to access the device, and

when said first setting unit does not set the authentication information, said first storing unit stores authentication information managed to be commonly used for the plurality of devices as the information to be used to access the device.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display unit configured to display detailed information of the device registered by said registration unit as the function of the second management software,

wherein when displaying the information to be used to access the device as the detailed information of the device, if said second storing unit stores the authentication information stored in said first storing unit, said display unit displays not the authentication information but a notification representing that the authentication information is set.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

upon receiving a request to update the authentication information to be used to access the device using the function of the second management software,

if said first storing unit does not store the authentication information designated by the update request, the authentication information stored in said second storing unit is not updated in accordance with the update request, and

if said first storing unit already stores the authentication information designated by the update request, said second storing unit stores the authentication information designated by the update request as the information to be used to access the device in accordance with the update request.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the second management software has failed in accessing the device using the authentication information stored in said second storing unit, said second storing unit acquires the authentication information enabling access to the device, which is stored in said first storing unit, and updates the stored authentication information to the acquired authentication information.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the authentication information to be used to access the device is authentication information of SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol).

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the authentication information of SNMP includes a community name of SNMP version 1 or a user name and password of SNMP version 3.

9. A management method of a management apparatus that causes control unit to execute first management software for managing a plurality of devices on a network, the management apparatus including a first storing unit configured to store authentication information to be used to access a device using a function of the first management software, and a second storing unit configured to store authentication information to be used to access the device using a function of second management software that is added to the first management software to add a new function, comprising:

a registration step of registering the device to be managed by the second management software; and

a second setting step of setting the authentication information to be used to access the device using the function of the second management software,

wherein when the authentication information is set in the second setting step, the second storing unit stores the set authentication information as the information to be used to access the registered device, and

when the authentication information is not set in the second setting step, and the first storing unit stores the authentication information to be used to access the registered device, the second storing unit stores the authentication information stored in the first storing unit as the information to be used to access the registered device.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein when the authentication information is not set in the second setting step, and the first storing unit does not store the authentication information to be used to access the registered device, the second storing unit stores authentication information managed as a default by the second management software as the information to be used to access the registered device.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising a first setting step of setting the authentication information to be used to access the device using the function of the first management software,

wherein when the authentication information is set in the first setting step, the first storing unit stores the set authentication information as the information to be used to access the device, and

when the authentication information is not set in the first setting step, the first storing unit stores authentication information managed to be commonly used for the plurality of devices as the information to be used to access the device.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein when the second management software has failed in accessing the device using the authentication information stored in the second storing unit, the authentication information stored in the second storing unit is updated to the authentication information enabling access to the device, which is stored in the first storing unit.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the authentication information to be used to access the device is authentication information of SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol).

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the authentication information of SNMP includes a community name of SNMP version 1 or a user name and password of SNMP version 3.

15. A computer-readable medium storing a program to be executed by a computer to add a new function to management software for managing a plurality of devices on a network, the computer including a first storing unit configured to store authentication information to be used to access a device using a function of the management software, and a second storing unit configured to store authentication information to be used to access the device using the function of the program added to the management software, wherein

the program causes the computer to execute:

a registration step of registering the device to be managed by the program; and

a setting step of setting the authentication information to be used to access the device using the function of the program,

when the authentication information is set in the setting step, the second storing unit stores the set authentication information as the information to be used to access the registered device, and

when the authentication information is not set in the setting step, and the first storing unit stores the authentication information to be used to access the registered device, the second storing unit stores the authentication information stored in the first storing unit as the information to be used to access the registered device.

16. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein when the authentication information is not set in the setting step, and the first storing unit does not store the authentication information to be used to access the registered device, the second storing unit stores authentication information managed as a default by the function of the program as the information to be used to access the registered device.

17. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein when the function of the program has failed in accessing the device using the authentication information stored in the second storing unit, the second storing unit acquires the authentication information enabling access to the device, which is stored in the first storing unit, and updates the stored authentication information to the acquired authentication information.

18. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the authentication information to be used to access the device is authentication information of SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol).

19. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the authentication information of SNMP includes a community name of SNMP version 1 or a user name and password of SNMP version 3.