Information processing system and information processing method and quality of service supplying method for use with the system

• US 6,094,674 A
• Filed: 06/29/1998
• Issued: 07/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Oeda, Takashi, Hara, Tsutomu, Ogura, Toshihiko, Osaka, Hideki, Hattori, Ryuichi, Tobita, Tsunehiro, Okazawa, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Peikari, B. James
• Application Number:
  US09/106,291
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.33, 395/200.09, 395/200.06, 395/200.01, 395/200.02, 395/200.1, 395/200.11, 395/200.12, 395/200.13, 395/200.15, 395/200.03 , 395/831
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5015 Service provider selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

In each of the information processing apparatuses connected to each other via a network, there is arranged a quality of service (QOS) table to which functions and performance thereof are registered. When an information processing apparatus is additionally linked with the network, a QOS table thereof is automatically registered to a local directory of the network such that an agent converts the contents of the QOS table into service information to be supplied via a user interface to the user. Thanks to the operation, information of functions and performance of each information processing apparatus connected to the network is converted into service information for the user. Consequently, the user can much more directly receive necessary services.

Claims

1. A client server information processing system, comprising:

a plurality of information processing apparatuses each having a QOS table to which information of functions and performance is registered;

a network for connecting the plural information processing apparatuses to each other;

a local directory for controlling a plurality of QOS tables in a unit of local areas;

a global directory for controlling the local directory in a global area of the unit of local areas;

a terminal agent operable in either one of the information processing apparatuses for referencing, when a service request is received from a user, contents of the local directory to which an agent function belongs;

referencing, when there is missing a QOS table matching the service requested by the user, the local directory of a local area at a hierarchic level higher than that of the local area to which the agent function belongs or the global directory of the global area; and

converting, when there exists a QOS table matching the service requested by the user, the information of functions and performance of the information processing apparatus registered to the QOS table into service information representing quality of service, thereby supplying the service information representing quality of service to the user; and

a personal agent which makes inquiries of said global and local directories about the functions and performances of at least one apparatus connected to the client server information processing system, converts the functions and performances obtained as a result of the inquiries to service information required by the user, and supplies the user with said service information obtained as a result of the inquiries.

2. A client server information processing system according to claim 1, wherein said local directory is connected to the network.

3. A client server information processing system according to claim 1, wherein any desired one of the apparatus collects, when the apparatus is activated, information of input/output devices connected to the network and notifies other information processing apparatuses of the information via the network.

4. A client server information processing system according to claim 1, wherein any desired one of the apparatus issue, when the apparatus is activated, a request for input/output device information to another information processing apparatus via the network and acquires the input/output information.

5. An information processing method for a plurality of information processing apparatuses connected to each other via a network in a client server system, each information processing apparatus having a QOS table to which information of functions and performance is registered, said method comprising the steps of:

referencing, when a service request is received from a user, contents of a local directory to which a terminal agent belongs, the local directory controlling a plurality of QOS tables in a local area;

referencing, when a QOS table matching the service requested by the user is missing, a local directory of a local area at a hierarchic level higher than that of the local area to which the terminal agent belongs or a global directory of the global area;

converting, when there exists a QOS table matching the service requested by the user, the information of functions and performance of the information processing apparatus registered to the QOS table into service information representing quality of service, thereby supplying the service information representing quality of service to the user;

making inquiries of said global and local directories about the functions and performances of at least one apparatus connected to the client server system;

converting the functions and performances obtained as a result of the inquiries to service information required by the user; and

supplying the user with said service information obtained as a result of the inquiries.

6. An information processing method according to claim 5, comprising the step of executing a predetermined benchmark program for a new information processing apparatus and registering a result of the test to a QOS table.

7. An information processing method according to claim 5, comprising the further step of, when an information processing apparatus is activated, collecting information of each input/output device connected to the network and notifying other information processing apparatus of the information via the network.

8. An information processing method according to claim 7, wherein the information of the state of each section is collected independently of operation of the apparatus and transmitted via a network interface of state monitor means for monitoring the state of each section.

9. An information processing method according to claim 8, wherein the information is received according to a communication protocol via the network, converted according to the communication protocol and the resulting converted information is transmitted.