Network-device management apparatus and method, recording medium, and transmission apparatus

• US 7,028,081 B2
• Filed: 10/20/1999
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kawashima, Masanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Thong
• Application Number:
  US09/422,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20030115314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,365 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/223, 709/224, 709/220, 709/219, 709/200, 709/202, 709/206, 707/10, 707/3, 707/104, 714/4, 705/7, 705/76, 360/27, 713/500, 711/135, 379/93, 702/182, 702/186, 702/188, 600/419, 600/410, 701/120, 345/501, 368/10, 370/252, 370/48, 725/112, 725/134, 378/265, 340/825, 715/500
• 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 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In a management system for managing network devices connected to a network, it is considered to reduce the load of the network and the devices by preserving device information acquired from each device and not acquiring new information from the device for a predetermined period. However, this approach has a problem in that the user cannot know when the displayed information was acquired. In the present invention, when preserving device information, the time of acquisition of the device information is preserved as acquisition-time data, which is displayed within displayed information together with the device information. The above-described probem is thereby solved, and the user can acquire very reliable information.

Claims

1. A network-device management method for managing a network device via a network comprising:

a device information acquisition step of acquiring device information relating to the network device from the network device via the network;

a time acquisition step of acquiring time data indicating a time at which device information is acquired by acquiring step, the time data being acquired in response to the device information being acquired via the network from the network device in said device information acquisition step;

a generating step of generating display data regarding the acquired device information and the acquired time data in a form capable of being displayed on a display, the generated display data including the acquired device information and the acquired time data; and

a transmission step of transmitting the display data generated in said generating step to a host computer via the network, wherein the acquired device and the acquired time data are displayed on the host computer.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a storage step of storing the acquired device information and the acquired time data in a memory, or storing the generated display data in the memory.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising a determination step of determining whether in said storage step the acquired device information and the acquired time data are stored in the memory, or the generated display data is stored in the memory.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a storage step of storing the acquired device information and the acquired time data in a memory, and a discrimination step of discriminating whether or not the device information stored in the memory is old, wherein, when it is discriminated in said discrimination step that the stored device information is not old, the display data including the acquired device information and the acquired time data stored in the memory is generated in said generating step.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein, when it is discriminated in said discrimination step that the device information stored in the memory is old, the device information is acquired in said device information acquisition step, the time data is acquired in said time acquisition step, and the display data including the acquired device information and the acquired time data is generated in said generating step.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein said discrimination step discriminates whether or not the stored device information is old on the basis of the acquired time data stored in the memory.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a storage step of storing the generated display data in a memory, and a discrimination step of discriminating whether or not the generated display data stored in the memory is old, wherein, when it is discriminated in said discrimination step that the generated display data is not old, the generated display data stored in the memory is transmitted to a host computer, and when it is discriminated in said discrimination step that the generated display data is old, the display data is generated in said generating step and the generated display data is transmitted to the host computer.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the acquired time data indicates at least one of (1) a time when the device information has been acquired from the network device, (2) a time when the acquired device information has been stored in a memory, and (3) a time when the display data has been generated in said generating step.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a reception step of receiving a command from the host computer, wherein, the generated display data is transmitted in said transmission step in response to the command.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the generated display data is generated in a display format which a web browser can display.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of items of device information are acquired in said device information acquisition step and the time data is acquired for each of the respective plurality of items in said time acquisition step.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein said device information acquisition step is performed using an SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), and wherein the device information is MIB (Management Information Base) information of the network device.

13. A network-device management apparatus for managing a network device via a network, said apparatus comprising:

device information acquisition means for acquiring device information relating to the network device from the network device via the network;

time acquisition means for acquiring time data indicating a time at which device information is acquired by acquiring step, the time data being acquired in response to the device information being acquired via the network from the network device by the device information acquisition means;

generating means for generating display data regarding the acquired device information and the acquired time data in a form capable of being displayed on a display, the generated display data including the acquired device information and the acquired time data; and

transmission means for transmitting the display data generated in said generating step to a host computer via the network, wherein the acquired device and the acquired time data are displayed on the host computer.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising transmission means for transmitting the display data generated by the generating means to a host computer connected to the network, wherein the host computer displays the acquired device information and the acquired time data.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising reception means for receiving a command from the host computer, wherein, the generated display data is transmitted by the transmission means in response to the command.

16. An apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising storage means that stores the acquired device information and the acquired time data in a memory, or that stores the generated display data in the memory.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising determination means for determining whether said storage means stores the acquired device information and the acquired time data in the memory, or stores the generated display data in the memory.

18. An apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising storage means that stores the acquired device information and the acquired time data in a memory, and discrimination means for discriminating whether or not the device information stored in said memory is old, wherein, when it is discriminated by the discrimination means that the stored device information is not old, the display data including the acquired device information and the acquired time data stored in the memory is generated by the generating means.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein, when it is discriminated by the discrimination means that the stored device information is old, the device information is acquired by said device information acquisition means, the time data is acquired by the time acquisition means, and the display data including the acquired device information and the acquired time data is generated by the generating means.

20. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said discrimination means discriminates whether or not the stored device information is old on the basis of the time data stored in the memory.

21. An apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a storage means which stores the generated display data in a memory, and a discrimination means that discriminates whether or not the generated display data stored in the memory is old, wherein, when said discrimination means has discriminated that the generated display data is not old, the generated display data stored in the memory is transmitted to a host computer, and when said discrimination means has discriminated that the generated display data is old, the display data is generated by said generating means and the generated display data is transmitted to the host computer.

22. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the acquired time data indicates at least one of (1) a time when the device information has been acquired from the network device, (2) a time when the device information has been stored in a memory, and (3) a time when the display data has been generated by the generating means.

23. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the generated display data is generated in a display format which a web browser can display.

24. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a plurality of items of device information are acquired by the device information acquisition means and the time data is acquired for each of the respective plurality of items by the time acquisition means.

25. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said device information acquisition means acquires the device information using an SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), and wherein the device information is MIB (Management Information Base) information of the network device.

26. A network-device management system including a network-device management apparatus for managing a network device via a network, and an information processing apparatus capable of displaying device information relating to the network device managed by the network-device management apparatus, said network-device management apparatus comprising:

reception means for receiving a command from said information processing apparatus to acquire device information of the network device;

device information acquisition means for acquiring the device information relating to the network device from the network device via the network;

time acquisition means for acquiring time data indicating a time at which device information is acquired by acquiring step, the time data being acquired in response to the device information being acquired via the network from the network device by the device information acquisition means;

generating means for generating display data regarding the acquired device information and the acquired time data in a form capable of being displayed on a display, the generated display data including the acquired device information and the acquired time data; and

transmission means for transmitting the acquired device information and the acquired time data to said information processing apparatus,

and said information processing apparatus comprising;

command transmission means for transmitting the command for acquiring the device information to said network-device management apparatus; and

information reception means for receiving the acquired device information and the acquired time data from the network-device management apparatus.

27. A computer-readable recording medium storing a network-device management program for managing a network device via a network, said network-device management program comprising:

a device information acquisition step of acquiring device information relating to the network device from the network device via the network;

a time acquisition step of acquiring time data indicating a time at which device information is acquired by acquiring step, the time data being acquired in response to the device information being acquired via the network from the network device in the device information acquisition step;

a generating step of generating display data regarding the acquired device information and the acquired time data in a form capable of being displayed on a display, the generated display data including the acquired device information and the acquired time data; and

a transmission step of transmitting the display data generated in said generating step to a host computer via the network, wherein the acquired device and the acquired time data are displayed on the host computer.

28. A network-device management program stored on a computer-readable medium for managing a network device via a network, said network-device management program comprising the steps of:

a device information acquisition step of acquiring device information relating to the network device from the network device via the network;

a time acquisition step of acquiring time data indicating a time at which device information is acquired by acquiring step, the time data being acquired in response to the device information being acquired via the network from the network device in the device information acquisition step;

a generating step of generating display data regarding the acquired device information and the acquired time data in a form capable of being displayed on a display, the generated display data including the acquired device information and the acquired time data; and

a transmission step of transmitting the display data generated in said generating step to a host computer via the network, wherein the acquired device and the acquired time data are displayed on the host computer.