Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and control program

• US 7,552,432 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2004
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Aiba, Tsukasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam; Tuan Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee; Marina
• Application Number:
  US10/889,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20050028173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: 717174-178
• US Class Current: 717/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A push installation system including a server and clients connected via a network, the server installing a device driver on one or more clients via the network, is provided. The server includes an acquisition unit for acquiring, via the network, an operating state of each of the clients connected to the network; a determination unit for determining whether or not each of the clients is in a ready-for-installation state, in which installation can be performed, based on the operating state of each of the clients acquired by the acquisition unit; and an installation unit for performing processing, via the network, for installing or updating the device driver on at least one client that is determined to be in the ready-for-installation state.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus connectable to a plurality of clients via a network and configured to perform a push installation to install or update, via the network, a device driver on at least one of the clients, the information processing apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire, via the network, an operating state including a load of central processing unit of each of the clients;

a determination unit configured to determine, for each of the clients, whether the respective client is in a ready-for-installation state based on the operating state of the respective client acquired by the acquisition unit, where it is determined that the respective client is in the ready-for-installation state if the load of the central processing unit in the operating state of the client acquired by the acquisition unit is lower than a predetermined load amount and it is determined that the respective client is not in the ready-for-installation state if the load of the central processing unit in the operating state of the client acquired by the acquisition unit is equal to or higher than the predetermined load amount;

a selection unit configured to select the clients that are determined by the determination unit to be in the ready-for-installation state;

an installation unit configured to perform processing for installing or updating a device driver on the clients selected by the selection unit;

a sending unit configured to send an instruction to the clients that are determined by the determination unit not to be in the ready-for-installation state so that the clients can become in the ready-for-installation state;

a displaying unit configured to display a first indication including a client which has sent a notification for completion of installation and status information corresponding to the client indicating the completion of installation in the client, and a second indication including a client which received the instruction from the sending unit and has not sent the notification for the completion of installation and status information corresponding to the client indicating the incompletion of installation in the client;

a retry instruction portion on a graphical user interface to install the device driver to the clients in which the device drivers are not installed; and

a repeating unit configured to repeat, in response to input to the retry instruction portion on the graphical user interface, the determination process by the determination unit, the selecting process by the selection unit and the process for installing or updating as device driver selected on the clients by the selection unit,

wherein processing by the installation unit and the sending unit are executed in parallel.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a designation unit configured to designate the device driver to be installed or updated and to designate, from among the plurality of clients, at least one of the clients as an installation destination of the designated device driver, wherein:

the determination unit is configured to determine, for each of the designated clients, whether the respective designated client is in the ready-for-installation state based on the operating state of the respective designated client acquired by the acquisition unit; and

the installation unit is configured to perform processing for installing or updating, via the network, the designated device driver on each of the designated clients determined to be in the ready-for-installation state.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit configured to transmit, via the network, a message urging a respective client determined not to be in the ready-for-installation state to be changed to the ready-for-installation state.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the load of the central processing unit in the operating state of each of the clients includes an operating rate of a central processing unit of the respective client.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the determination unit is configured to determine that a respective client having an operating rate of the central processing unit less than a predetermined operating rate of the central processing unit is in the ready-for-installation state.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the load of the central processing unit in the operating state of each of the clients includes an amount of memory usage of the respective client.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the determination unit is configured to determine that the respective client having an amount of memory usage less than a predetermined amount of memory usage is in the ready-for-installation state.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a driver information notification unit configured to receive an installation completion notification from each of the respective clients on which the device driver is installed, and sending, via the network, information about the installed device driver to the respective clients in response to reception of the installation completion notification.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a driver information notification unit configured to receive an update completion notification from each of the respective clients on which the device driver is updated, and sending, via the network, information about the updated device driver to the respective clients in response to reception of the update completion notification.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the installation unit is configured to determine if a version of the device driver is already installed on a respective client, and to update the device driver to be updated by performing processing for uninstalling the version of the device driver already installed on the respective client before performing processing for updating the device driver by installing, via the network, the device driver on the respective client.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the device driver is a printer driver.

12. A push installation method for a server to install or update, via a network, a device driver on one or more clients, the push installation method comprising:

(i) acquiring, via the network, an operating state including a load of central processing unit of each of the clients;

(ii) determining whether each of the clients is in a ready-for-installation state based on the operating state of each of the clients, where it is determined that the respective client is in the ready-for-installation state if the load of the central processing unit in the operating state of the client acquired is lower than a predetermined load amount and it is determined that the respective client is not in the ready-for-installation state if the load of the central processing unit in the operating state of the client acquired is equal to or higher than the predetermined load amount;

(iii) selecting the clients that are determined to be in the ready-for-installation state;

(iv) performing processing for installing or updating the device driver;

(v) sending an instruction to the clients that are determined to not be in the ready-for-installation state so that the clients can become in the ready-for-installation state;

(vi) displaying a first indication including a client which has sent a notification for completion of installation and status information corresponding to the client indicating the completion of installation in the client, and a second indication including a client which received the instruction from a sending unit and has not sent the notification for the completion of installation and status information corresponding to the client indicating the incompletion of installation in the client;

(vii) displaying a retry instruction portion on a graphical user interface to install the device driver to the clients in which the device drivers are not installed; and

(iii) repeating (i)-(vii) in response to input to the retry instruction portion on the graphical user interface,

wherein (iv) and (v) are performed in parallel.

13. The push installation method according to claim 12, further comprising:

designating the device driver; and

designating at least one designated client from among the clients as an installation destination of the designated device driver, wherein;

determining whether each of the clients is in a ready-for-installation state comprises determining whether each of the designated clients is in the ready-for-installation state based on the operating state of each of the designated clients; and

performing processing for installing the device driver comprises performing processing for installing or updating the designated device driver, via the network, on the designated clients that are determined to be in the ready-for-installation state.

14. The push installation method according to claim 12, further comprising sending to at least one client determined not to be in the ready-for-installation state, via the network, a notification message urging the at least one client to be changed to the ready-for-installation state.

15. The push installation method according to claim 12, wherein, the load of the central processing unit in the operating state acquired from each of the clients includes an operating rate of a central processing unit of the respective client.

16. The push installation method according to claim 15, wherein, a respective client having an operating rate of the central processing unit that is less than a predetermined operating rate is determined to be in the ready-for-installation state.

17. The push installation method according to claim 12, wherein, the load of the central processing unit in the operating state acquired from each of the clients includes an amount of memory usage of the respective client.

18. The push installation method according to claim 17, wherein, the respective client having an amount of memory usage that is less than a predetermined amount of memory usage is determined to be in the ready-for-installation state.

19. The push installation method according to claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, via the network, an installation completion notification from at least one client on which the device driver is installed; and

sending, via the network, information about the installed device driver to the at least one client in response to reception of the installation completion notification.

20. The push installation method according to claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, via the network, an update completion notification from at least one client on which the device driver is updated; and

sending, via the network, information about the updated device driver to the at least one client in response to reception of the update completion notification.

21. The push installation method according to claim 12, further comprising:

determining, via the network, if the device driver needs to be uninstalled on a respective one of the clients in the ready-for-installation state because a version of the device driver is already installed on the respective client; and

if it is determined that the device driver needs to be uninstalled on the respective client, performing processing for uninstalling the version of the device driver already installed on the respective client before performing processing for installing the device driver, via the network, on the respective client.

22. The push installation method according to claim 12, wherein the device driver is a printer driver.

23. A computer-readable recording medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions executable by an information processing apparatus connectable to a plurality of clients via a network, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

an acquisition module for acquiring an operating state including a load of central processing unit of each of the plurality of clients via the network;

a determination module for determining whether each of the plurality of clients is in a ready-for-installation state based on the operating state of each of the clients, where it is determined that the respective client is in the ready-for-installation state if the load of the central processing unit in the operating state of the client acquired is lower than a predetermined load amount and it is determined that the respective client is not in the ready-for-installation state if the load of the central processing unit in the operating state of the client acquired is equal to or higher than the predetermined load amount;

a selection module for selecting the clients that are determined by the determination module to be in the ready-for-installation state;

an installation module for performing processing for installing or updating a device driver, on the clients that are selected by the selection module;

a sending module for sending an instruction to the clients determined by the determination module not to be in a ready-for-installation state so that the clients can become in the ready-for-installation state;

a displaying module for displaying a first indication including a client which has sent a notification for completion of installation and status information corresponding to the client indicating the completion of installation in the client, and a second indication including a client which received the instruction from the sending module and has not sent the notification for the completion of installation and status information corresponding to the client indicating the incompletion of installation in the client;

a retry instruction portion on a graphical user interface to install the device driver to the clients in which the device drivers are not installed; and

a repeating module for causing processing performed by the acquisition module, the determination module, the selection module and the installation module to be repeated in response to the retry instruction portion on the graphical user interface,

wherein processing performed by the sending module and the installation module is performed in parallel.

24. An information processing apparatus connectable to a plurality of clients via a network and configured to perform a push installation of a device driver to at least one of the clients via the network, the information processing apparatus comprising:

acquisition means for acquiring, via the network, an operating state including a load of central processing unit of each of the clients;

determination means for determining, for each of the clients, whether the respective client is in a ready-for-installation state based on the operating state of the respective client acquired by the acquisition means, where it is determined that the respective client is in the ready-for-installation state if the load of the central processing means in the operating state of the client acquired by the acquisition means is lower than a predetermined load amount and it is determined that the respective client is not in the ready-for-installation state if the load of the central processing unit in the operating state of the client acquired by the acquisition means is equal to or higher than the predetermined load amount;

selection means for selecting the clients that are determined by the determination means to be in the ready-for-installation state;

installation means for performing processing for installing or updating a device driver on the clients selected by the selection means;

sending means for sending an instruction to the clients determined by the determination means to not be in the ready-for-installation state so that the clients can become in the ready-for-installation state;

displaying means for displaying a first indication including a client which has sent a notification for completion of installation and status information corresponding to the client indicating the completion of installation in the client, and a second indication including a client which received the instruction from the sending means and has not sent the notification for the completion of installation and status information corresponding to the client indicating the incompletion of installation in the client;

a retry instruction portion on a graphical user interface to install the device driver to the clients in which the device drivers are not installed; and

repeating means for causing processing performed by the acquisition means, the determination means, the selection means and the installation means to be repeated in response to input to the retry instruction portion displayed by the displaying means,

wherein processing performed by the installation means and the sending means is performed in parallel.