Device management network system, management server, and computer readable medium

• US 6,631,407 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2000
• Issued: 10/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Mukaiyama, Masanori, Gunji, Nobuhiro, Takizawa, Toshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean, Frantz B.
• Application Number:
  US09/541,901
• Time in Patent Office: 1,282 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224
• 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 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/045 comprising client-server management architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A device management network system is capable of monitoring the operation status of network devices in real time with a Web browser without wasting network resources. The device management network system includes a management server, client devices, and network devices to be managed. Each of the network devices transmits an SNMP trap indicating a change of its own operation status to the management server when a status change occurs. In response to a device-details screen request from a client device, the management server provides HTML data, by which the client device running the Web browser is caused to execute a displaying applet for displaying a device-details screen and to execute a notifying applet causing displaying applet to be re-executed in response to receipt of a change notifying packet, which is outputted from the management server receiving the SNMP trap from the network device.

Claims

1. A device management network system including a management server, one or more network devices to be managed, and one or more client devices each having a Web browser, each of said one or more network devices comprising:

a monitoring part for motoring status of managed objects;

a status information storing part for storing status information representing monitoring results of said monitoring part;

an informing part for informing said management server of a change of operation status when a change in the status of the managed objects is detected by said monitoring part; and

a request responding part for responding to a status information request from said management server with the status information in said status information storing part, and said management server comprising;

a screen data request responding part for, when receiving a screen data request containing identification information to identify a network device among said one or more network devices, obtaining status information of the network device specified by the identification information by sending the status information request to the network device, generating screen data based on the obtained status information, then sending the screen data to the client device that sent the screen data request;

a device-details screen request responding part for responding with device-details HTML data to a device-details screen request containing identification information to identify a network device among said one or more network devices from a client device running a Web browser, said device-details HTML data causing the client device to execute a device-details screen display process, which is to send said screen data request to said management server, and to display a device-details screen using the screen data that is sent from said screen data responding part in response to the screen data request, said device-details HTML data also causing the client device to re-execute the device-details screen display process upon receiving a change notifying message;

a usage situation information storing part for storing usage situation information representing relationship between a client device to which a screen data has been sent and a network device associating with the screen data;

a specifying part for, when a change of operation status is informed from a network device among said one or more network devices, specifying a client device that is displaying a device-details screen of the network device based on the usage situation information stored in said usage situation storing part; and

a message sending part for sending the status change notifying message to the client device specified by the specifying part.

2. The device management network system according to claim 1, wherein said management server further comprising an applet storing part for storing an displaying applet, which causes a client device to execute said device-details screen display process, and an notifying applet, which causes the client device in which the displaying applet is executed to re-execute the displaying applet when receiving the change notifying message, and

wherein said device-details screen request responding part of said management server generates the device-details HTML data including an applet tag for the displaying applet in said applet storing part and an applet tag for the notifying applet in said applet storing part.

3. The device management network system according to claim 1, wherein said device-details screen request responding part of said management server generates the device-details HTML data including data for causing said client device to send termination notifying message to said management server when use of the device-details HTML data is terminated, and

wherein said management server further comprises a deleting part for, when termination notifying message is received, deleting usage situation information relating to the client device that has outputted the termination notifying message in said usage situation storing part.

4. The device management network system according to claim 1, wherein said management server further has functions of said client device.

5. The device management network system according to claim 1, wherein said network device is a network printer.

6. The device management network system according to claim 1, wherein said informing part of said network device informs said management server of the change of the operation status with an SNMP trap message.

7. A management server to be attached to a network including one or more network devices and one or more client devices having a Web browser, the management server comprising:

a screen data request responding part for, when receiving a screen data request which is a request containing identification information to identify a network device among said one or more network devices, obtaining status information of the network device specified by the identification information, generating screen data based on the obtained status information, then sending the screen data to the client device that sent the screen data request;

a device-details screen request responding part for responding with device-details HTML data to a device-details screen request containing information to identify a network device among said one or more network devices from a client device running a Web browser, said device-details HTML data causing the client device to execute a device-details screen display process, which is to send said screen data request to said management server, and to display a device-details screen using the screen data that is sent from said screen data request responding part in response to the screen data request, said device-details HTML data also causing the client device to re-execute the device-details screen display process upon receiving a change notifying message;

a usage situation information storing part for storing usage situation information representing relationship between a client device to which a screen data has been sent and a network device associating with the screen data;

a specifying part for, when a change of operation status is informed from a network device among said one or more network devices, specifying a client device that is displaying a device-details screen of the network device based on the information stored in said usage situation storing part; and

a message sending part for sending the status change notifying message to the client device specified by the specifying part.

8. The management server according to claim 7, further comprising an applet storing part for storing an displaying applet, which causes a client device to execute said device-details screen display process, and an notifying applet, which causes the client device in which the displaying applet is executed to re-execute the displaying applet when receiving the change notifying message, and

wherein said device-details screen request responding part generates the device-details HTML data including an applet tag for the displaying applet in said applet storing part and an applet tag for the notifying applet in said applet storing part, and

wherein said device-details screen request responding part generates the device-details HTML data including an applet tag for causing said client device to execute said device-details screen display process and an applet tag for causing said client device to re-execute said device-details screen display process when receiving a change notifying message.

9. The device management server according to claim 7, wherein said device-details screen request responding part generates the device-details HTML data including data for causing said client device to send termination notifying message to said management server when use of the device-details HTML data is terminated, and

further comprises a deleting part for, when termination notifying message is received, deleting status situation information relating to the client device that has outputted the termination notifying message in said status situation information storing part.

10. A computer readable medium stored with a program for causing a computer to function as a management server, wherein the management server is to be attached to a network including one or more network devices and one or more client devices having a Web browser, the management server comprising:

a screen data request responding part for, when receiving a screen data request which is a request containing identification information to identify a network device among said one or more network devices, obtaining status information of the network device specified by the identification information, generating screen data based on the obtained status information, then sending the screen data to the client device that sent the screen data request;

a device-details screen request responding part for responding with device-details HTML data to a device-details screen request containing information to identify a network device among said one or more network devices from a client device running a Web browser, said device-details HTML data causing the client device to execute a device-details screen display process, which is to send said screen data request to said management server, and to display a device-details screen using the screen data that is sent from said screen data request responding part in response to the screen data request, said device-details HTML data also causing the client device to re-execute the device-details screen display process upon receiving a change notifying message;

a usage situation information storing part for storing usage situation information representing relationship between a client device to which a screen data has been sent and a network device associating with the screen data;

a specifying part for, when a change of operation status is informed from a network device among said one or more network devices, specifying a client device that is displaying a device-details screen of the network device based on the information stored in said usage situation storing part; and

a message sending part for sending the status change notifying message to the client device specified by the specifying part.

11. The computer readable medium according to claim 10, wherein said device-details screen request responding part generates the device-details HTML data including an applet tag for causing said client device to execute said device-details screen display process and an applet tag for causing said client device to re-execute said device-details screen display process when receiving the change notifying message.

12. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein said device-details screen request responding part generates the device-details HTML data including data for causing said client device to send termination notifying message to said management server when use of the device-details HTML data is terminated, and

wherein said management server further comprises a deleting part for, when termination notifying message is received, deleting information relating to a client device that has outputted the termination notifying message from said storing part.