Control apparatus and control method

• US 7,818,438 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2008
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hachimura, Futoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUOC H
• Application Number:
  US12/132,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20080307073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/226, 709/229, 709232-234, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data

Abstract

In externally uploading data to a storage device in a network, the process for the storage device is controlled in accordance with the state in the network. This invention provides a control apparatus which controls a process for a storage device in externally uploading data to the storage device by communicating with the network to which the storage device and a remote access server are connected. The control apparatus receives an event transmitted from the storage device when it is accessed, calculates the process load of the storage device, and instructs the remote access server to limit the transfer amount of data to the storage device when the calculated process load is larger than a predetermined threshold value.

Claims

1. A control method of controlling a process load of a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device that is attached a first network, comprising the steps of:

acquiring, in an upload manager that runs in a device different from the NAS device, at least one of a process load of the NAS device, which is data transmitted from a device connected to the first network written into the NAS device, or a process load of the NAS device, which is data read out from the NAS device by a device connected to the first network; and

limiting, in the upload manager, flow rate between an upload device and a remote access server, wherein the upload device uploads data from a second network to the NAS device via the remote access server

wherein upon receiving the instruction in the limitation instructing step, the remote access server temporarily stores the received data in a storage included in the remote access server, thereby limiting the flow rate.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the upload manager runs in remote access server.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of, when the process load acquired in the acquiring step exceeds a predetermined threshold value, instructing the remote access server to limit the flow rate.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein upon receiving the instruction in the limitation instructing step, the remote access server receives the data while performing flow control, thereby limiting the flow rate.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein upon receiving the instruction in the limitation instructing step, the remote access server makes the upload device stop transmission of the data to the remote access server, thereby limiting the flow rate.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of, when the process load of the NAS device is smaller than the predetermined threshold value, instructing the remote access server to start transmitting the data.

7. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of determining a type of a device which accesses the NAS device,

wherein in the limitation instructing step, the instruction is sent to the remote access server when it is determined in the determining step that the device is a device of a predetermined type.

8. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of determining a priority function of a process of a device which accesses the NAS device,

wherein in the limitation instructing step, the instruction is sent to the remote access server when it is determined in the determining step that the process from the device corresponds to a predetermined priority function.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of determining a remaining band in the first network,

wherein in the limiting step, an upload limitation instruction is sent to the remote access server when it is determined in the determining step that the remaining band in the first network is smaller than an upload band when data is uploaded from the upload device to the remote access server.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing a computer to execute a control method set forth in claim 1.

10. An upload manager device that controls a process load of a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device that is attached a first network, comprising:

an acquisition unit that acquires at least one of a process load of the NAS device, which is data transmitted from a device connected to the first network written in the NAS device, or a process load of the NAS device, which is data read out from the NAS device by a device connected to the first network and

a limiting unit that limits flow rate between an upload devise and a remote access server, wherein the upload devise uploads data from a second network to the NAS device via the remote access server,

wherein the upload manager device is different from the NAS device and

wherein upon receiving the instruction in the limitation instructing step, the remote access server temporarily stores the received data in a storage included in the remote access server, thereby limiting the flow rate.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the upload manager device is included in the remote access server.