Network device

• US 7,756,937 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2007
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Kudo, Yasuhiro, Yanagi, Satoru, Hibino, Masaaki, Tsujimoto, Shohei, Izaki, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar; Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAW, ROBERT A
• Application Number:
  US11/838,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20080046521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting

Abstract

A network device is to be connected with a communication network. The network device is capable of executing a communication function by utilizing the communication network. The network device is provided with an input device, a storage, a communication device, and a communication test device. The input device inputs communication setting data for executing the communication function. The storage is capable of storing at least two patterns of the communication setting data. The communication device executes the communication function by utilizing one pattern of the communication setting data stored in the storage. The communication test device tests whether it is possible to execute the communication function by utilizing the other pattern of the communication setting data stored in the storage while maintaining a state where it is possible for the communication device to execute the communication function by utilizing the one pattern of the communication setting data.

Claims

1. A network device comprising:

a first storage configured to store first communication setting data for sending and receiving an electronic mail;

a communication device configured to send and receive an electronic mail by utilizing the first communication setting data;

an electronic mail analyzing device configured to specify, by analyzing an electronic mail received by the communication device, second communication setting data for sending and receiving an electronic mail;

a second storage configured to store the second communication setting data specified by the electronic mail analyzing device; and

a communication test device configured to test whether the communication device is able to successfully send and/or receive an electronic mail by utilizing the second communication setting data, while maintaining a state where it is possible for the communication device to send and

receive an electronic mail by utilizing the first communication setting data, wherein the electronic mail received by the communication device includes first information indicating whether a sending test is to be executed, and second information indicating whether a receiving test is to be executed,

the communication test device is configured to test, in a case in which the first information indicates that the sending test is to be executed, whether the communication device has the capability for successfully sending an electronic mail based on communication setting data for sending an electronic mail included in the second communication setting data, and

the communication test device is configured to test, in a case in which the second information indicates that the receiving test is to the executed, whether the communication device has the capability for successfully receiving an electronic mail based on communication setting data for receiving an electronic mail included in the second communication setting data.

2. The network device as in claim 1, further comprising:

an output device configured to output a test result of the communication test device.

3. The network device as in claim 2, wherein the network device is configured to connect with at least one terminal device in a communicable manner, and the output device outputs the test result of the communication test device to the terminal device.

4. The network device as in claim 1, wherein the first and second communication setting data includes data concerning a server for sending and/or receiving an electronic mail.

5. The network device as in claim 4, wherein the communication test device tests by outputting a signal to the server determined from the second communication setting data, and checking a response from the server.

6. The network device as in claim 4, wherein the second communication setting data includes a user identification and a password, and the communication test device tests by determining whether the user identification and the password included in the second communication setting data are registered in the server determined from the second communication setting data.

7. The network device as in claim 4, wherein the second communication setting data includes data concerning a user authentication method, and the communication test device tests by determining whether the user authentication method determined from the second communication setting data is identical to a user authentication method that the server determined from the second communication setting data is capable of executing.

8. The network device as in claim 4, wherein the second communication setting data includes data concerning a user authentication method, and in a case where the user authentication method determined from the second communication setting data is SMTP-AUTH, the communication test device obtains a list of SMTP-AUTH authentication mechanisms that can be executed by an electronic mail sending server determined from the second communication setting data, and tests by making the electronic mail sending server execute a user authentication with priority the authentication mechanism having the highest security level out of the authentication mechanisms included in the list.

9. The network device as in claim 4, wherein the second communication setting data includes an electronic mail address, and the communication test device tests by attempting to send an electronic mail to the electronic mail address included in the second communication setting data by utilizing an electronic mail sending server determined from the second communication setting data.

10. The network device as in claim 1, wherein the second storage is configured to continuously store the second communication setting data.

11. The network device as in claim 10, wherein the second storage is configured to continuously store the second communication setting data that has been tested by the communication test device.

12. The network device as in claim 11, further comprising:

an input device configured to input a retest instruction, wherein in a case where the retest instruction is input to the input device, the communication test device retests whether the communication device has the capability for successfully sending and/or receiving an electronic mail by utilizing the second communication setting data.

13. The network device as in claim 12, further comprising:

an operation device, wherein a user is capable of inputting the retest instruction by utilizing the operation device.

14. The network device as in claim 12, wherein the network device is configured to connect with at least one terminal device in a communicable manner, and the input device inputs the retest instruction output by the terminal device.

15. The network device as in claim 11, wherein the second storage comprises a storage area for storing the second communication setting data while the communication test device is testing, and the storage area is same as a storage area for continuously storing the second communication setting data that has been tested by the communication test device.

16. The network device as in claim 10, wherein the second storage is configured to cumulatively store the second communication setting data that have been tested by the communication test device, and third communication setting data that have been tested by the communication test device.

17. The network device as in claim 16, further comprising:

an input device configured to input a retest instruction, wherein the retest instruction includes information designating at least one communication setting data from the second and third communication setting data that have been tested by the communication test device, and in a case where the retest instruction is input to the input device, the communication test device retests whether the communication device has the capability for successfully sending and/or receiving an electronic mail by utilizing the designated at least one communication setting data in the retest instruction.

18. The network device as in claim 16, further comprising:

an input device configured to input a retest instruction, wherein in a case where the retest instruction is input to the input device, the communication test device retests, for each of the second and the third communication setting data, whether the communication device has the capability for successfully sending and/or receiving an electronic mail by utilizing the communication setting data.

19. The network device as in claim 18, wherein in a case where a retest result is obtained confirming that the communication device has the capability for successfully sending and receiving an electronic mail by utilizing only the second communication setting data, the communication device stops utilizing the first communication setting data stored in the first storage, and utilizes the second communication setting data.

20. A non-transitive computer readable storage medium for a network device, the computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions which cause a computer mounted on the network device to perform a process comprising:

storing first communication setting data for sending and receiving an electronic mail in a first storage;

sending and receiving an electronic mail by utilizing the first communication setting data, wherein the electronic mail received includes first information indicating whether a sending test is to be executed and second information indicating whether a receiving test is to be executed;

specifying, by analyzing a specific electronic mail received by utilizing the first communication setting data, second communication setting data for communicating an electronic mail;

storing the specified second communication storing data in a second storage; and

testing, in a case in which the first information indicates that the sending test is to be executed, whether it is possible to successfully send an electronic mail based on communication setting data for sending an electronic mail included in the second communication setting data;

testing, in a case in which the second information indicates that the receiving test is to be executed, whether it is possible to successfully receive an electronic mail based on communication setting data for receiving an electronic mail included in the second communication setting data; and

testing whether it is possible to successfully send and/or receive an electronic mail by utilizing the second communication setting data while maintaining a state where it is possible to send and receive an electronic mail by utilizing the first communication setting data.