Directory-enabled device management

• US 20060010232A1
• Filed: 09/12/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Page, Martin, Wilson, Richard Alexander Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,478,153 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00236 using an image reading or reproducing device, e.g. a facsimile reader or printer, as a local input to or local output from a computer image input to or image output from a computer via a network H04N1/00209
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32529 of different type, e.g. internal and external devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32539 Detecting or indicating the status of the output devices

Abstract

Managing a plurality of network devices on a network by detecting the presence of at least one of the plurality of network devices on the network by using a first communication protocol, obtaining, by using the first communication protocol, an information block from each of the detected network devices, wherein the information block contains information related to the corresponding network device, formatting each information block into a directory entry, and sending each directory entry to a directory server via a second communication protocol.

Claims

1. A method for managing a plurality of network devices on a network, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting the presence of at least one of the plurality of network devices on the network by using a first communication protocol;

obtaining, by using the first communication protocol, from the detected network device, information related to the corresponding network device;

formatting the obtained information into a directory entry;

sending the directory entry to a directory server by using a second communication protocol;

monitoring for issuance of an update message from the directory server indicating that a directory entry has been updated in the directory server;

obtaining, in the case that an update message is issued, the updated directory entry from the directory server by using the second communication protocol;

extracting updated data from the updated directory entry; and

sending the updated data to the network device which corresponds to the updated directory entry for placement into the information of the corresponding network device,

wherein the directory entry is formatted according to a standardized schema, and wherein the standardized schema of the directory entry includes a source-flag to indicate the source of the directory entry.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step for detecting the presence of at least one of the plurality of network devices on the network includes:

sending a broadcast query message in the first communication protocol; and

receiving a reply message in the first communication protocol from each of the plurality of network devices that supports the first communication protocol,

wherein, the reply message contains network identification information related to the corresponding network device that sent the reply message.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the step for obtaining information from the detected network device includes:

sending an information request message in the first communication protocol to the detected network device; and

receiving an information response message in the first communication protocol from the detected network device in response to the information request message, the information response message containing the information from the detected network device,

wherein the information request message contains the network identification information related to the corresponding detected network device.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the information from the detected network device contains network-related information, feature information and status information for the corresponding network device.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein each directory entry is formatted according to the standardized schema and a schema extension.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of sending each directory entry to the directory server includes sending an entry-addition message in the second communication protocol to the directory server for each directory entry, wherein each entry-addition message contains the corresponding directory entry.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein, in the case that an error message is received from the directory server in response to the entry-addition message which indicates that a directory entry already exists for the corresponding network device, an entry-modify message in the second communication protocol is sent to the directory server to replace the directory entry for the corresponding network device.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the source-flag is set to a high state in the formatting step to indicate that the directory entry contains information obtained from the corresponding network device.

15. A method according to claim 1, further including the steps of:

monitoring, by using the first protocol, each of the detected network devices for an update of the information of the network device; and

obtaining, in the case that the information of one of the detected network devices has been updated, the updated information from the corresponding network device by using the first communication protocol; and

sending the updated information to the directory server by using the second communication protocol for placement into the directory entry for the corresponding network device.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the step of monitoring each of the detected network devices for an update includes:

sending, on a frequent basis, a change query message in the first communication protocol to each detected network device; and

receiving a change indication message in the first communication protocol, in reply to one of the change query messages, from each detected network device in which the information has changed.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the step of obtaining the updated information from the corresponding network device includes:

sending an information request message in the first communication protocol to each detected network device for which a change indication message was received; and

receiving an information response message in the first communication protocol from each detected network device to which an information request message was sent, the information response message containing the information from the corresponding detected network device,

wherein the information request message contains the network identification information related to the corresponding detected network device.

19. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring for issuance of an update message from the directory server includes:

monitoring the network for issuance of a multicast message which indicates the identity of a directory entry that has been updated in the directory server.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the multicast message is issued from a directory plug-in module which interfaces with the directory server and which monitors the directory server for detecting when a directory entry is updated.

21. A method according to claim 19, wherein the step of obtaining the updated directory entry from the directory server includes:

sending an entry-query message in the second communication protocol to the directory server, wherein the entry-query message contains the identity of the updated directory entry; and

receiving an entry-return message in the second communication protocol from the directory server, wherein the entry-return message contains the updated directory entry,

wherein sending the updated data to the network device which corresponds to the updated directory entry includes sending an information update message in the first communication protocol to the corresponding network device.

22. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method is performed in a directory proxy software module.

23. A method according to claim 1, wherein the source-flag in each directory entry is utilized by a directory plug-in module which interfaces with the directory server and which monitors the directory server for detecting when a directory entry is updated,

wherein, in the case that an updated directory entry is detected and the corresponding source-flag of the updated directory entry is set to a low state, the directory plug-in module sends a multicast message over the network which indicates that an updated directory entry has been detected, and

wherein, in the case that an updated directory entry is detected and the corresponding source-flag of the updated directory entry is set to a high state, the directory plug-in module resets the source-flag of the updated directory entry to the low state.

2-6. -6. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

24-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A method for managing a plurality of network devices on a network, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting the presence of at least one of the plurality of network devices on the network by using a first communication protocol;

obtaining, by using the first communication protocol, an information block from each of the detected network devices, wherein the information block contains information related to the corresponding network device;

formatting each information block into a separate directory entry;

sending each directory entry to a directory server by using a second communication protocol;

monitoring, by using the first protocol, each of the detected network devices for an update of the information in the information block of the network device;

obtaining, in the case that the information in the information block of one of the detected network devices has been updated, the updated information of the information block from the corresponding network device by using the first communication protocol, and sending the updated information to the directory server by using the second communication protocol for placement into the directory entry for the corresponding network device;

monitoring, by using a third communication protocol, for issuance of an update message from the directory server indicating that a directory entry has been updated in the directory server; and

obtaining, in the case that an update message is issued, the updated directory entry from the directory server by using the second communication protocol, extracting updated data from the updated directory entry, and sending the updated data to the network device which corresponds to the updated directory entry for placement into the information block of the corresponding network device,

wherein the directory entry is formatted according to a standard schema, and wherein the standardized schema of the directory entry includes a source-flag to indicate the source of the directory entry.

27. A directory-enabled network device for managing a plurality of network devices on a network, comprising:

a program memory for storing executable process steps, the executable process steps comprising, (a) detecting the presence of at least one of the plurality of network devices on the network by using a first communication protocol, (b) obtaining, by using the first communication protocol, from the detected network device, information related to the corresponding network device, (c) formatting the obtained information into a directory entry, (d) sending the directory entry to a directory server by using a second communication protocol, (e) monitoring, for issuance of an update message from the directory server indicating that a directory entry has been updated in the directory server, (f) obtaining, in the case that an updated message is issued, the updated directory entry from the directory server by using the second communication protocol, (g) extracting updated data from the updated directory entry, and (h) sending the updated data to the network device which corresponds to the updated directory entry for placement into the information of the corresponding network device,

wherein the directory entry is formatted according to standardized schema, and wherein the standardized schema of the directory entry includes a source-flag to indicate the source of the directory entry; and

a processor for executing the process steps stored in said program memory.

28-52. -52. (canceled)

53. Computer-executable process steps stored on a computer readable medium, said computer-executable process steps for managing a plurality of network devices on a network, said computer-executable process steps comprising:

detecting the presence of at least one of the plurality of network devices on the network by using a first communication protocol;

obtaining, by using the first communication protocol, an information block from the detected network device, information related to the corresponding network device;

formatting the obtained information into a directory entry;

sending the directory entry to a directory server by using a second communication protocol;

monitoring, for issuance of an update message from the directory server indicating that a directory entry has been updated in the directory server;

obtaining, in the case that an update message is issued, the updated directory entry from the directory server by using the second communication protocol;

extracting updated data from the updated directory entry; and

sending the updated data to the network device which corresponds to the updated directory entry for placement into the information of the corresponding network device,

wherein the directory entry is formatted according to a standardized schema, and wherein the standardized schema of the directory entry includes a source-flag to indicate the source of the directory entry.

54-104. -104. (canceled)

105. A method comprising the steps of:

obtaining at a proxy device, via a network by using a first communication protocol, from at least one network device of up to plural network devices, information related to said one network device;

formatting at the proxy device, the obtained information into a directory entry;

sending from the proxy device, the directory entry to a directory server via the network by using a second communication protocol;

obtaining at the proxy device, in the case that a directory entry corresponding to said one network device has been updated in the directory server, the updated directory entry from the directory server via the network by using the second communication protocol;

extracting at the proxy device, update data from the updated directory entry; and

sending from the proxy device, the updated data to said one network device which corresponds to the updated directory entry for placement into the information of said one network device.

106. A method according to claim 105, further comprising the steps of:

detecting the presence of said one network device on the network by using the first communication protocol,

wherein in said obtaining step, the information related to the detected network device is obtained.

107. A method according to claim 106, wherein the step for detecting the presence of said one network device includes:

sending a broadcast query message in the first communication protocol; and

receiving a reply in the first communication protocol from said one network device that supports the first communication protocol,

wherein the reply message contains network identification information related to said one network device.

108. A method according to claim 105, further including the steps of:

monitoring, by using the first communication protocol, said one network device for an update of the information of said one network device;

obtaining, in the case that the information of said one network device has been updated, the updated information from said one network device by using the first communication protocol; and

sending the updated information to the directory server by using the second communication protocol for placement into the directory entry for said one network device.

109. A proxy device for communicating with at least one network device on a network of plural network devices, comprising:

a program memory for storing executable process steps, the executable process steps comprising;

(a) obtaining, via the network by using a first communication protocol, from said network device, information related to said one network device,

(b) formatting the obtained information into a directory entry,

(c) sending the directory entry to a directory server via the network by using a second communication protocol,

(d) obtaining, in the case that a directory entry corresponding to said one network device has been updated in the directory server, the updated directory entry from the directory server via the network by using the second communication protocol,

(e) extracting updated data from the updated directory entry, and

(f) sending the updated data to said one network device which corresponds to the updated directory entry for placement into the information of said one network device; and

a processor for executing the process steps stored in said program memory.

110. Computer-executable process steps stored on a computer readable medium, said computer-executable process steps comprising:

obtaining at a proxy device, via a network by using a first communication protocol, from at least one network device of up to plural network devices, information related to said one network device;

formatting at the proxy device, the obtained information into a directory entry;

sending from the proxy device, the directory entry to a directory server via the network by using a second communication protocol;

obtaining at the proxy device, in the case that a directory entry corresponding to said one network device has been updated in the directory server, the updated directory entry from the directory server via the network by using the second communication protocol;

extracting at the proxy device, update data from the updated directory entry; and

sending from the proxy device, the updated data to said one network device which corresponds to the updated directory entry for placement into the information of said one network device.