Information processing apparatus and program and method for setting identification information

• US 8,171,183 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2010
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Hiroki, Masahide
• Primary Examiner(s): TSENG, CHENG YUAN
• Application Number:
  US12/718,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20100228882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 787 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices

Abstract

An information processing apparatus communicates within a system by using identification information for identifying a device includes, a first device in which a first identifier is uniquely set, a holding part that holds a second identifier settable arbitrarily for a device in the system, an acquiring part that acquires identification information corresponding to a second device connected in the system and is different from the first device, a determining part that determines whether the second identifier to be set for the first device is used in the system as the identification information based on the identification information corresponding to the second device acquired by the acquiring part and the second identifier held in the holding part, and a setting part that sets the second identifier as the identification information of the first device based on the determination by that the second identifier is not used in the system.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus that performs communication within a system by using identification information for identifying a device, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a first device in which a first identifier is uniquely set for the first device;

a holding part that holds a second identifier that is settable arbitrarily for a device provided in the system;

an arrangement change determining part that determines whether an arrangement of the first device within the system is changed;

an identification information acquiring part that acquires identification information corresponding to at least one second device that is connected in the system and that is different from the first device when the arrangement change determining part determines that the arrangement of the first device within the system is not changed;

an identification information determining part that determines whether the second identifier to be set for the first device is used in the system as the identification information based on the identification information corresponding to the at least one second device acquired by the identification information acquiring part and the second identifier held in the holding part; and

an identifier setting part that sets the second identifier as the identification information of the first device based on the identification information determining part determining that the second identifier is not used in the system,

the identifier setting part setting the first identifier as the identification information of the first device further based on the arrangement change determining part determining that the arrangement of the first device within the system is changed.

2. An information processing apparatus using identification information for identifying a device to perform communication in a system, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a first device having a first identifier uniquely set therefor;

an arrangement change determining part that determines whether the arrangement of the first device within the system is changed;

an identification information acquiring part that acquires identification information set for at least one second device that is connected in the system and that is different from the first device based on the first identifier of the first device when the arrangement change determining part determines that the arrangement of the first device within the system is not changed;

an identification information determining part that determines whether a second identifier that is set for the first device and that is settable arbitrarily is used in the system as the identification information based on the identification information corresponding to the at least one second device acquired by the identification information acquiring part and a content of the second identifier; and

an identifier setting part that sets the second identifier as the identification information of the first device when the identification information determining part determines that the second identifier is not used in the system.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the identifier setting part clears the identification information that is set for the first device and sets the first identifier as the identification of the first device when it is determined that the second identifier is used as identification information for any of the at least one second device.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the first identifier is set as the identification information of the first device based at least on the arrangement change determining part determining that the arrangement of the first device within the system is changed.

5. The information processing apparatus according claim 2, further comprising:

a holding part that holds the second identifier set for the first device provided in the information processing apparatus.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a holding part that holds specific information used for identifying the information processing apparatus in which the device is mounted and mounting position information indicating a position where the device is mounted in the information processing apparatus,

wherein the arrangement change determining part determines whether the arrangement of the first device is changed in the system based on at least one of the specific information about the information processing apparatus corresponding to the first device and the mounting position information, which are held in the holding part.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the identification information acquiring part acquires the identification information set for the at least one second device again when a transmission line between the first device and the second device is linked down while acquiring the identification information of the at least one second device.

8. A computer-readable recording medium holding a program causing a computer to execute a process to set identification information of a device mounted in the computer, the process comprising:

determining whether an arrangement of a first device for which a first identifier that identifies the first device is set is changed in a system;

acquiring the identification information set for at least one second device that is connected in the system and that is different from the first device by using the first identifier upon the determining that the arrangement of the first device within the system is not changed;

determining whether a second identifier that is to be set for the first device and that is settable arbitrarily by a user is used as the identification information of any device in the system based on the second identifier to be set for the first device and the second identifier set for the second device;

setting the second identifier as the identification information of the first device upon the determining that the second identifier is not used in the system, and

setting the first identifier as the identification information of the first device when it is determined that the arrangement of the first device within the system is changed.