Method and apparatus for managing network devices

• US 7,266,601 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2002
• Issued: 09/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Igarashi, Toshiaki, Maekawa, Yoshito
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess; Glenton B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Higa; Brendan Y.
• Application Number:
  US10/191,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20030014511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,882 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-225, 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/026 using e-messaging for transporting management information, e.g. email, instant messaging or chat
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0677 Localisation of faults

Abstract

A sever manages a network device connected to a network by storing location information of a providing site that provides state information associated with the network device and a status of the network device. The server determines whether a change in state of the network device has occurred by communicating with the network device, and if so, acquires the stored location information. Then, the server generates an electrical message (an e-mail message, for example) which contains the acquired location information associated with the network device and the determined state of the network device. The electrical message is sent by the server to a user'"'"'s computer related to a predetermined address such tat the location information can be used by a displaying application in the user'"'"'s computer to acquire information related to the network device.

Claims

1. A server apparatus for managing at least one managed network device connected to a network, comprising:

a storage component that stores location information indicating locations of providing sites that provide categorized operational state information associated with the managed network device and a status of the managed network device, wherein different information storage units corresponding to respective location information stored in the storage component store and provide different categorized operational state information, respectively;

a generation component that generates an electrical message;

a monitoring component that monitors status information of the managed network device by communicating with the managed network device;

a determination component that determines whether a change in the operational state of said managed network device has occurred in accordance with the status information monitored by said monitoring component;

a specifying component that specifies a category of the monitored status information;

a creating component that creates categorized state information according to the specified category;

an acquiring component that acquires one of the corresponding location information from among the plurality of different location information stored in said storage component based on the specified category, and that provides the acquired location information to said generation component; and

a sending control component that controls a process of sending the electrical message generated by said generation component to a predetermined address,

wherein said acquiring component acquires the location information from said storage component when said determination component determines that a change of operational state of said managed network device has occurred, and the generation component generates the electrical message so as to contain the acquired location information associated with the categorized state information of the managed network device when it is determined by the determination component that a change in the operational state has occurred, and

wherein the electrical message is sent by the sending control component to a user'"'"'s computer corresponding to the predetermined address such that the location information can be used by a displaying application in the user'"'"'s computer to acquire the categorized state information related to the managed network device from the providing site corresponding to the location information.

2. The server apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a providing component that provides the operational state information associated with the managed network device stored at the providing site.

3. The server apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said providing component comprises a Web application that provides the operational state information associated with the managed network device in a format displayable on a Web browser.

4. The server apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said providing component comprises a Web server that provides the operational state information associated with the managed network device in a format displayable on a Web browser on a display screen of the user'"'"'s computer.

5. The server apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said providing component is formed by an information processing apparatus externally connected to the managed network device.

6. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operational state information associated with the managed network device includes information that indicates an operating state of the managed network device.

7. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said storage component stores a table, list, or database which describes a correspondence between a plurality of pieces of location information, and a plurality of operating states of the managed network device.

8. The server apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a recognition component that recognizes the location information corresponding to a given operating state of the managed network device on the basis of that operating state, and wherein said generation component generates an electrical message that contains the location information about a providing site corresponding to the location information recognized by said recognition component.

9. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the location information is a network address of a site that provides information associated with the managed network device on the network.

10. The server apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the network address is a URL address.

11. The server apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the network address is an IP address.

12. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said server apparatus for managing the managed network device is mounted in a network device.

13. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said server apparatus for managing the managed network device is formed by an information processing apparatus externally connected to the network device.

14. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the managed network device is a printer.

15. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrical message is an e-mail message.

16. A method performed by a server apparatus for managing at least one network device connected to a network, comprising the steps of:

storing, in a storage component of the server apparatus, location information indicating locations of providing sites that provide categorized operational state information associated with the managed network device and a status of the managed network device, wherein different information storage units corresponding to respective location information stored in the storage component store and provide different categorized operational state information, respectively;

generating an electrical message;

monitoring status information of the managed network device by communicating with the managed network device;

determining whether a change in the operational state of said managed network device has occurred in accordance with the status information monitored by said monitoring step;

specifying a category of the monitored status information;

creating categorized state information according to the specified category;

acquiring one of the corresponding location information from among the plurality of different location information stored in the storing step based on the specified category, and providing the acquired location information to the generating step when the determining step determines that a change of operational state of said managed network device has occurred; and

sending the electrical message generated by the generating step to a predetermined address,

wherein the electrical message is generated in the generating step so as to contain the acquired location information associated with categorized state information of the managed network device when it is determined in the determining step that a change in the operational state has occurred, and

wherein the electrical message is sent by the sending step to a user'"'"'s computer corresponding to the predetermined address such that the location information can be used by a displaying application in the user'"'"'s computer to acquire the categorized state information related to the managed network device from the providing site corresponding to the location information.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising a step of providing the operational state information associated with the managed network device stored at the providing site.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the providing step provides the operational state information associated with the managed network device in a format displayable on a Web browser.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the providing step is executed by an information processing apparatus externally connected to the managed network device.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein the operational state information associated with the managed network device includes information that indicates an operating state of the network device.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein the acquiring step includes a step of obtaining the location information from a table, list, or database which describes correspondence between a plurality of pieces of location information, and a plurality of operating states of the network device.

22. The method according to claim 20, further comprising a step of recognizing the location information corresponding to a given operating state of the managed network device on the basis of that operating state, and

wherein the generating step generates an electrical message that contains the location information about a providing site corresponding to the location information recognized in the recognition step.

23. The method according to claim 16, wherein the location information is a network address of a site that provides the information associated with the managed network device on the network.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the network address is a URL address.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein the network address is an IP address.

26. The method according to claim 16, wherein said server is mounted in the managed network device.

27. The method according to claim 16, wherein said server comprises an information processing apparatus externally connected to the managed network device.

28. The method according to claim 16, wherein said server is comprised in a printer.

29. The method according to claim 16, wherein the electrical message is an e-mail message.

30. A computer readable storage medium on which is stored a computer readable program executed by a server for managing at least one managed network device connected to a network, said computer program comprising code for executing the steps of:

storing, in a storage component of the server apparatus, location information indicating locations of providing sites that provide categorized operational state information associated with the managed network device and a status of the managed network device, wherein different information storage units corresponding to respective location information stored in the storage component store and provide different categorized operational state information, respectively;

generating an electrical message;

monitoring status information of the managed network device by communicating with the managed network device;

determining whether a change in the operational state of said managed network device has occurred in accordance with the status information monitored by said monitoring step;

specifying a category of the monitored status information;

creating categorized state information according to the specified category;

acquiring one of the corresponding location information from among the plurality of different location information stored in the storing step based on the specified category, and providing the acquired location information to the generating step when the determining step determines that a change of operational state of said managed network device has occurred; and

sending the electrical message generated by the generating step to a predetermined address

wherein the electrical message is generated in the generating step so as to contain the acquired location information associated with categorized state information of the managed network device when it is determined in the determining step that a change in the operational state has occurred,

and wherein the electrical message is sent by the sending step to a user'"'"'s computer corresponding to the predetermined address such that the location information can be used by a displaying application in the user'"'"'s computer to acquire the categorized state information related to the managed network device from the providing site corresponding to the location information.

31. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 30, wherein the electrical message is an e-mail message.