Log management device

• US 7,707,228 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2005
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Kawai, Sunao
• Primary Examiner(s): Vy; Hung T
• Application Number:
  US11/235,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20060069691A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,673 Days
• Field of Search: 707 3- 5, 707/100, 707/791, 707/795, 707/796, 707/802, 707/807, 707/809, 709/225, 715/202
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3068 where the reporting involves data format conversion

Abstract

A computer program product includes computer accessible instructions that cause a computer to carry out the steps of (a) retrieving a log file from a log file storage that stores log data output by at least one device as the log file and (b) converting the log data contained in the retrieved log file in accordance with a script that is stored in a script storage to output a registration file to be registered with a database. The script includes a description of conversion information, and the registration file is generated in accordance with a standardized language specification.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon, said computer executable instructions causing a computer to carry out steps comprising:

a retrieving step that retrieves a log file from log file storage that stores log data output by at least one device as the log file, the log file being based on a non-SQL specification;

a converting step that converts the log data contained in the retrieved log file using a script that is stored in a script storage, the script being modifiable by incorporating character strings necessary for converting the log data to a first registration file and a second registration file to be registered with a first database and a second database, respectively, the first and second registration files complying with an SQL specification, said first database complying with the SQL specification and a first language specification, said second database complying with the SQL specification and a second language specification which is different from said first language specification.

2. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein the at least one device includes a plurality of devices,

wherein the log file storage stores a plurality of log files corresponding to the plurality of devices, respectively,

wherein a plurality of pieces of log data contained in the plurality of log files have different formats corresponding to a plurality of types of information provided by the plurality of devices,

wherein the script stored in the script storage describes the conversion information corresponding to the plurality of types of information, and

wherein the step of converting further includes the steps of:

retrieving the log files from the log file storage;

carrying out the conversion in accordance with the conversion information contained in the script corresponding to the log data to output the registration file.

3. The computer-readable medium according to claim 2,

wherein the types of information provided by the plurality of devices depends on at least one of methods of storing the log data of respective devices and a method of providing the log data of respective devices.

4. The computer-readable medium according to claim 2,

wherein the types of information provided by the plurality of devices depends on types of respective devices.

5. The computer-readable medium according to claim 2,

wherein the script stored in the script storage describes information regarding table items which are described in a table that is generated by conversion corresponding to the log data for each device, and

wherein the step of converting carries out the conversion such that the description of the information regarding the table items to be registered in the registration file is a description that can be registered in a single table.

6. The computer-readable medium according to claim 2,

wherein the script stored in the script storage describes information regarding registration of at least one piece of the plurality of pieces of log data with a plurality of tables, and

wherein the step of converting carries out the conversion such that the registration file is generated from at least one piece of the plurality of pieces of log data.

7. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein the device includes an image forming device.

8. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, further including instructions to cause the computer to carry out steps of obtaining one of the log data and a log file containing the log data and storing the one of the log data and the log file in the log file storage.

9. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, further including instructions to cause the computer to carry out a step of generating the script based on information input through a graphical user interface and storing the script in the script storage.

10. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the script file is a text file.

11. A log management server comprising:

a storage configured to store computer-executable instructions;

a processor configured to execute the computer executable instructions,

wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the log management server to;

retrieve a log file from log file storage that stores log data output by at least one device as the log file, the log file being based on a non-SQL specification;

convert the log data contained in the retrieved log file using script that is stored in a script storage, the script being modifiable by incorporating character strings necessary for converting the log data to output a first registration file and a second registration file to be registered with a first database and a second database, respectively, the first and second registration files complying with an SQL specification, said first database complying with the SQL specification and a first language specification, said second database complying with the SQL specification and a second language specification which is different from said first language specification.

12. The log management server according to claim 11, wherein the script file is a text file.

13. A log management system, comprising:

at least one device that outputs log data; and

a log management server having a log file storage that stores the log data output by at least one device and a script storage that stores a script containing conversion information;

wherein log management server executes computer executable instructions that cause the server to carry out the steps of;

a retrieving step that retrieves a log file from the log file storage, the log file being based on a non-SQL specification;

a converting step that converts the log data contained in the retrieved log file using a script that is stored in the script storage, the script being modifiable by incorporating character strings necessary for converting the log data to a first registration file and a second registration file to be registered with a first database and a second database, respectively, the first and second registration files complying with an SQL specification, said first database complying with the SQL specification and a first language specification, said second database complying with the SQL specification and a second language specification which is different from said first language specification.

14. The log management system according to claim 13, wherein the script file is a text file.

15. A method of converting a log file into a registration file to be registered with a first database or a second database, the method comprising:

a retrieving step that retrieves the log file from a log file storage, the log file being based on a non-SQL specification;

a converting step that converts the log data contained in the retrieved log file using a script that is stored in the script storage, the script being modifiable by incorporating character strings necessary for converting the log data to a first registration file and a second registration file to be registered with the first database and the second database, respectively, the first and second registration files complying with an SQL specification, said first database complying with the SQL specification and a first language specification, said second database complying with the SQL specification and a second language specification which is different from said first language specification.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the script file is a text file.

17. A computer comprising:

a storage configured to store instructions;

a processor configured to execute the stored instructions, the stored instructions causing the computer to convert a log file based on a non-SQL specification into a registration file that is capable of being registered with a first database or a second database via the computer by retrieving the log file from log file storage that stores log data output by at least one device as the log file, and convening the log data contained in the retrieved log file using a script that is stored in script storage, the script being modifiable by incorporating character strings necessary for converting the log data to a first registration file and a second registration file to be registered with a first database and a second database, respectively, the registration file complying with an SQL specification, said first database complying with the SQL specification and a first language specification, said second database complying with the SQL specification and a second language specification which is different from said first language specification.

18. The computer according to claim 17, wherein the script file is a text file.

19. A computer-readable medium containing computer-readable instructions of a log management program, that when executed by a computer convert a log file into a registration file, the computer including a log file storage means for storing log data output from devices as log files, a script storing means for storing a script in which conversion information for converting a log file into a registration file is written, where each of the log files stores plural pieces of log data corresponding to data item names,

the script file containing:

a database name indicating a database in which the log data is to be stored;

a table name indicating a table in which the log data is to be stored;

field names indicating fields of the table;

correspondence information representing the correspondence between the data item names and the field names;

a first character string which will become a command character string for generating the database indicated by the database name and for declaring the database name as the name of the database to be accessed when the database name is embedded into a predetermined position;

a second character string which will become a command character string for newly generating a table indicated by the table name when the table name is embedded into a predetermined position;

a third character string which will become a command character string for registering the log data into the fields of the table indicated by the table name when the table name is embedded into a predetermined position, and

the log management program is configured to control the computer to perform as;

a first means for generating a command character string, which is a character string made by combining the database name and the first character string, as a first registration character string and storing the command character string in the registration file, wherein a database server newly generates the database indicated by the database name and declares the database name as the name of the database to be accessed, by loading the command character string;

a second means for generating a command character string, which is a character string made by combining the table name and the second character string, as a second registration character string and storing the command character string in the registration file, wherein the database server newly generates the table indicated by the table mime, by loading the command character string; and

a third means for generating a command character string as a third registration character string and storing the command character string in the registration file, wherein the command character string is made by combining a character string which is made by combining log data, which is stored in the log file, and the field name corresponding to the log data, for each piece of log data stored in the log file, based on the correspondence information, and a character string, which is made by combining the table name and the third character string, wherein the database server registers log data to each field corresponding to each field name in the table indicated by the table name, by loading the command character string.

20. The computer-readable medium according to claim 19,

wherein the script file includes plural sets of data comprising:

a log file name;

a registration file name;

the database name;

the table name;

the field names of the files contained in the table;

the correspondence information;

the first character string;

the second character string; and

the third character string;

wherein the plural sets of data are stored in the script file sequentially, and

wherein the log management program lets the computer perform as a control means for operating the first means, the second means, and the third means by making the first means, the second means, and the third means utilize the plural sets of data sequentially from the first set of data to the last set of data.

21. A log server configured to execute the log management program according to claim 19.

22. A log management system comprising:

devices to output log data; and

a log management server configured to execute a program according to claim 19, the log management server being provided with a log file storing means for storing the log data output from the devices as a log file, and a script storing means for storing a script in which conversion information is described.