JP2005309893A - Management system, its management center, and communication server - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a composite machine management system capable of reducing the load on a management server. <P>SOLUTION: A composite machine management system 10 has a management center 12 and a plurality of composite machines 14. The management center 12 includes a management server 20 and a communication server 22. The management server 20 stores data on requests to each composite machine 14 and reports to the communication server 22 request object information showing the composite machine 14 of interest. The communication server 22 includes a request object information storage means for storing the request object information and a polling accepting means for accepting confirmation polling from the composite machine 14 for determining presence of a request to the composite machine 14, and when presence is determined, returning request data by accessing the management server 20, while when determining that there is no request to the composite machine 14, answering that there is no request, without accessing the management server 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a management system that manages a plurality of devices to be managed, a management center used for the management system, and a communication server.

  Conventionally, there has been a demand to centrally manage a plurality of devices to be managed, such as multifunction peripherals and computer terminals. In view of this, a management system has been proposed in which a management server connected to a network is provided and the status of each managed device is grasped and operated by this management server. The management server grasps the status of each managed device by transmitting information from each managed device to the management server. The operation of each managed device on the management server is performed by transmitting a request describing the operation content from the management server to the managed device. According to such a management system, a plurality of devices to be managed can be centrally managed by the management center.

  However, this management system cannot be managed beyond the firewall. In other words, a firewall is usually provided in the network environment of the office where each managed device is set in order to prevent unauthorized access from the outside, and a management server located outside the firewall is connected to each managed device. The request cannot be sent. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a management system that can manage a managed device (managed device) with a relay server (management server) regardless of the presence or absence of a firewall. This realizes notification of a request from the relay server to the managed device by periodically inquiring (polling) the presence or absence of the request from the managed device to the relay server. Thereby, regardless of the presence or absence of the firewall, the managed device inside the firewall can be managed from the relay server outside the firewall.

JP 2002-82792 A

  However, there are usually many devices to be managed (managed devices) with respect to the management server on the administrator side. When polling occurs from a large number of devices to be managed, a large load is generated on the management server. As a countermeasure, it is conceivable to increase the polling interval or add a management server. However, if the polling interval is increased, it is impossible to quickly notify the management target device of the presence or absence of a request. Further, the expansion of the management server requires a large change in the entire system, which requires a great deal of cost and labor.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a management system, a management center, and a communication server that can reduce the load on the management server.

  The management system of the present invention includes a management center and a plurality of managed devices connected to the management center via a network, and operates the managed devices by notifying the managed devices of requests from the management center. A management system for managing a plurality of managed devices, wherein the managed device checks the management center for confirmation polling means for confirming whether there is a request from the management center, If it can be confirmed by polling that there is a request for itself, it has request acquisition means for acquiring request data that is data of the request, and request execution means for executing an operation recorded in the acquired request data. The management center has at least a management server and a communication server. The management server includes request storage means for storing request data to each managed device, and request target information notifying means for notifying the communication server of request target information indicating the managed device that is the target of the request data. And the communication server accepts request target information storage means for storing the request target information notified from the management server, and confirmation polling from the management target device, and requests the management target device based on the request target information. If it is determined that there is a request, the management server is accessed and the request data for the managed device is returned, and if it is determined that there is no request for the managed device, the management server is not accessed. A polling reception means for returning the absence of a request. And wherein the Rukoto.

  In a preferred aspect, the management target device includes target device information transmission means for transmitting target device information indicating the state of the management target device to the management center, and the management server receives the target device information transmitted from each management target device. The management center further includes a plurality of management terminals connected to the management server, and the management terminal refers to the target device information stored in the target device information storage means. Device information reference means, and request transmission means for transmitting request data created based on the referenced target device information to the management server.

  In another preferred aspect, the managed device includes a success / failure notification means for notifying the management center of the success / failure after execution of the request, and the management server includes an update means for updating the request storage means based on the transmitted success / failure. The request target information storage unit of the communication server updates the request target information to be stored in response to the update of the request storage unit of the management server.

  In another preferred embodiment, the management center has a plurality of communication servers, and the management center is further connected to the plurality of communication servers, and confirmation polling from each managed device is distributed and notified to the plurality of communication servers. Having a dispersing device.

  Another management center according to the present invention is connected to a plurality of managed devices via a network, and manages the managed devices by operating the managed devices by notifying each managed device of a request. A management center of the management system that includes at least a management server and a communication server. The management server includes request storage means for storing request data for each managed device, request data Request target information notification means for notifying the communication server of request target information indicating a target management target device, and the communication server stores request target information stored in the request target information notified from the management server; Confirmation polling from the managed device to confirm whether there is a request is accepted and requested. If there is a request for the managed device based on the target information, if there is a request, the management server is accessed to return request data for the managed device, and there is no request for the managed device Polling accepting means for returning that there is no request without accessing the management server.

  Another communication server according to the present invention is a communication server of a management center connected to a management server that manages request data to each managed device and a plurality of managed devices that are managed, A request target information receiving unit that receives request target information indicating a management target device that is a target of request data transmitted from the server, a request target information storage unit that stores the request target information received by the request target information reception unit, and self Confirmation polls sent from each managed device are accepted to check whether there is a request for the device, and it is determined whether there is a request for the managed device based on the request target information. Access and return request data for the managed device, If it is determined that the request to the management subject device is not returned that there is no request without access to the management server, having a polling receiving unit.

  Here, the management target device refers to various devices that can be connected to a network, for example, a multifunction device having a communication function, a computer terminal, a communication terminal, and the like. Request data can be created either manually or automatically.

  According to the present invention, confirmation polling from each MFP can be processed only by the communication server without accessing the management server, thereby reducing the load on the management server.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, a management system that uses a multifunction peripheral as a management target device will be described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a management system that manages other types of devices by appropriately changing the management target device and the request data to be transmitted. FIG. 1 shows a schematic overall view of a management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The multi-function peripheral management system 10 includes a plurality of multi-function peripherals 14 and a management center 12 that manages them. The multifunction device 14 is a composite printer having at least a communication function and a printing function, and is connected to the Internet 18 via a firewall 16. The multifunction device information indicating the state of the multifunction device 14, for example, the occurrence status of the failure, is transmitted to the management center 12 via the Internet 18.

  The management center 12 includes a communication server 22, a management server 20, and a plurality of management terminals 24 connected to the management server 20. The management center 12 manages a plurality of multifunction devices 14 by grasping the status of the multifunction devices 14 and performing remote operation. The status of the multifunction device 14 is grasped by storing and managing the multifunction device information transmitted from each multifunction device 14. The remote operation of the multifunction device 14 is performed by providing a request created by the administrator of the management center 12 to the multifunction device 14 that requires remote operation. The request is a record of the operation content that the multifunction device 14 wants to perform and information necessary for the operation. The multifunction device 14 that has acquired this request is configured to execute the operation recorded in the request. Therefore, the MFP 14 can be remotely operated from the management center 12 by transmitting a request from the management center 12 to the MFP 14.

  However, as described above, each multifunction device 14 is connected to the Internet 18 via the firewall 16. As is well known, the firewall 16 allows communication from the inside to the outside, while communication from the outside to the inside allows only a predetermined form of communication. This prevents unauthorized access from the outside. Among the communication from the outside to the inside, the allowable communication includes a response message for a request message in an HTTP communication or the like, an electronic mail message, and the like.

  A request cannot be transmitted directly from the management center 12 to the multi-function device 14 in which the firewall 16 is constructed. Therefore, in this embodiment, as will be described in detail later, a request is transmitted using polling from the multifunction device, communication load is reduced by polling, and communication speed is increased. Hereinafter, the multifunction peripheral management system 10 will be described in detail.

  First, the management server 20 of the management center 12 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the management server 20. The management server 20 is connected to the communication server 22 and the management terminal 24 via a LAN. Then, communication with the communication server 22 and the management terminal 24 is performed as appropriate, and various types of information are stored and managed (see FIG. 1). The management server 20 includes two databases 28 and 30 (hereinafter referred to as “DB”), a communication server communication unit 34, a management terminal communication unit 36, a request update unit 32, and a communication interface 26 (hereinafter referred to as “communication I”). / F26 ").

  The two DBs include a multifunction machine information management DB 28 and a request management DB 30. The MFP information management DB 28 stores and manages information indicating the state of the MFP 14 and MFP information transmitted from each MFP 14. In this multifunction device information management DB 28, for example, information held in each multifunction device 14 such as failure information and meter values of each multifunction device 14 is stored in association with the identification ID of the multifunction device 14. . The administrator of the management center 12 refers to this multifunction device information to grasp the state of each multifunction device 14 and creates a request as necessary.

  The request management DB 30 is a database for managing and storing request data created by an administrator. The request data is created by the administrator at the management terminal 24 and transmitted to the management server 20 via the LAN in the management center 12. Each request data stores an identification ID of the MFP 14 that is the target of the request, an identification ID of the request, the contents of the operation that the target MFP 14 wants to perform, information necessary for the operation, and the like. This request data is provided to the target multifunction machine 14 by the communication server 22 as appropriate.

  Here, a request transmitted from the management center 12 to the MFP 14 will be briefly described. A request transmitted from the management center 12 to the multifunction device 14 includes an instruction for changing a polling interval when performing polling from the multifunction device 14, which will be described later, an instruction for updating firmware in the multifunction device 14, and a copy count or consumption for the multifunction device 14. There are several types, such as notification instructions that notify the status of goods. Upon receiving the polling interval change instruction request, the multifunction device 14 changes the polling interval for polling to the management center 12 to the numerical value given in the request. In response to the request for the firmware update instruction, the multi-function peripheral 14 acquires the update firmware data from the management center 12 or from another firmware storage server (not shown). Then, for example, the firmware stored in the NVM (nonvolatile memory) in the multifunction device 14 is updated. In response to the notification instruction request, the multifunction device 14 receives various states held by the multifunction device 14, for example, the number of copies and the number of output sheets, the state of consumables such as toner and paper, or print / copy processing. Is notified to the management center 12 or another server (not shown).

  The request management DB 30 that manages such requests is updated by the request update unit 32. The request update unit 32 updates the request management DB 30 based on information provided from the management terminal 24 and the communication server 22. Specifically, if request data created by the administrator is provided from the management terminal 24, the request data is added to the request management DB 30.

  The communication server 22 provides success / failure information on the execution of request data by each multifunction device 14. The request update unit 32 deletes the request data from the request management DB 30 if the request data is normally executed in each MFP 14. On the other hand, if the execution fails, it is determined whether to delete or save the request data according to the content of the error, and the request management DB 30 is updated based on the determination.

  The contents of the update of the request management DB 30 are also notified to the request target information providing unit 40 described later. The request target information providing unit 40 provides update information of the request target information to the communication server 22 according to the notified update content.

  The communication server communication unit 34 performs communication processing with the communication server 22. This includes a multifunction device information receiving unit 38, a request target information providing unit 40, and a success / failure information receiving unit 42. The multifunction device information reception unit 38 receives multifunction device information (for example, failure information of the multifunction device 14) transmitted from the communication server 22, and adds or updates this information to the multifunction device information management DB 28.

  The request target information providing unit 40 provides the communication server 22 with information on the MFP 14 that is the target of the issued request. The request target information transmitted here includes an ID (request ID) of a request that is currently created, and an ID (multifunction machine ID) of the MFP 14 that is the target of this request. This request target information is passed from a request receiving unit 44 described later. Further, when the request management DB 30 is updated based on the success / failure information, the request target information providing unit 40 is notified of the update contents from the request update unit 32. When the update content is deletion of request data, the request target information providing unit 40 provides the communication server 22 with the request ID of the deleted request data and the deletion.

  The success / failure information reception unit 42 receives success / failure information on the execution of request data in each multifunction device 14. The success / failure information is transmitted from each multifunction device 14 to the communication server 22 and from the communication server 22 to the management server 20. The success / failure information reception unit 42 passes the received success / failure information to the request update unit 32.

  The management terminal communication unit 36 performs communication processing with the management terminal 24. This includes a multifunction device information providing unit 46 and a request receiving unit 44. In response to a request from each management terminal 24, the multifunction device information providing unit 46 provides each management terminal 24 with the multifunction device information stored in the multifunction device information management DB. The administrator who uses each management terminal 24 determines whether or not request data can be created, the content of request data when creating the request data, etc., by looking at the MFP information provided here.

  The request receiving unit 44 receives request data created by the administrator at the management terminal 24. The request reception unit 44 passes the received request data to the request update unit 32. In addition, based on the request data, request target information (request ID and MFP ID of the target MFP 14) is created and passed to the request target information providing unit 40. In other words, the request receiving unit 44 passes the request entity data to the request management DB 30 and only the request target information to the communication server 22. Normally, the actual data and request data of this request have a larger data capacity than the request target information.

  Next, the communication server 22 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the communication server 22. The communication server 22 processes communication to each multifunction device 14 and passes information provided from the multifunction device 14 to the management server 20. The communication server 22 includes a request target information processing unit 50, a polling reception unit 52, a relay unit 54, and a communication I / F 48 that provides a communication function with each multifunction device 14 and the management server 20.

  The request target information processing unit 50 processes and manages request target information provided from the management server 20. This includes a request target information receiving unit 58 and a request target information storage unit 56. The request target information receiving unit 58 receives the request target information transmitted from the management server 20 and stores it in the request target information storage unit 56. Further, if the management server 20 notifies that the request data has been deleted, the request target information for the request data is deleted.

  The request target information storage unit 56 is a storage unit that accumulates and stores request target information provided from the management server 20. That is, it can be said that the request related to the request target information stored in the storage unit is a request that currently exists. Therefore, by reading the request target information storage unit 56, it is possible to determine which MFP 14 is currently requested in the management server 20.

  The polling reception unit 52 processes confirmation polling sent from each multifunction device 14. As will be described in detail later, each multifunction device 14 performs confirmation polling for repeatedly transmitting a request presence / absence confirmation message in order to confirm the presence / absence of a request to itself. The polling reception unit 52 receives the confirmation message from each multifunction device 14 and returns the presence or absence of a request. In order to perform the processing, the polling reception unit 52 includes a reception unit 60, a determination unit 62, a request acquisition unit 64, and a response unit 66.

  The receiving unit 60 receives the confirmation message transmitted from each multifunction device 14 and passes it to the determining unit 62. The determination unit 62 reads the confirmation message and identifies the multifunction device 14 that has transmitted the message. Then, it is determined whether there is a current request for the multifunction device 14. The presence / absence determination of this request can be made by reading the request target information storage unit 56. In other words, the request target information storage unit 56 stores the currently existing request and the ID of the target multifunction device 14. Therefore, the presence or absence of the request can be confirmed by confirming whether the ID of the MFP 14 that has transmitted the confirmation message is in the request target information storage unit 56. If the determination unit 62 determines that there is a request for the multi-function device 14, the determination unit 62 passes the request to the request acquisition unit 64. If it is determined that there is no request, a message to that effect is passed to the response unit 66.

  The request acquisition unit 64 obtains the request entity data and request data for the MFP 14 from the management server 20. That is, the request management DB 30 of the management server 20 is accessed, and request data for the multifunction device 14 is retrieved and acquired. The acquired request data is passed to the response unit 66.

  The response unit 66 returns a response to the confirmation message from each multifunction device 14. The content of this response varies depending on the determination result in the determination unit. That is, if it is determined that there is no request for the multifunction device 14, a message “EMPTY”, that is, a message indicating that there is no request is returned as a response. On the other hand, if there is a request, the request data is returned to the multi-function device 14 as a response. Since the request data is a response to the confirmation message from the multi-function device 14, it can be transmitted to the multi-function device 14 through the firewall 16.

  The relay unit 54 performs processing for transmitting information transmitted from each multifunction device 14 to the management server 20. This comprises a success / failure information relay unit 68 and a multifunction device information relay unit 70. The success / failure information relay unit 68 transmits success / failure information on the execution of the request transmitted from each multifunction device 14 to the management server 20. The multi-function peripheral information relay unit 70 transfers multi-function peripheral information (for example, fault information and meter values) transmitted from each multi-function peripheral 14 to the management server 20. That is, it can be said that the relay unit 54 relays communication between each multifunction device 14 and the management server 20.

  Next, the management terminal 24 will be briefly described. A plurality of management terminals 24 are connected to the management server 20, and a plurality of management terminals 24 are provided in one management center 12 (see FIG. 1). The management terminal 24 is a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”) that is directly operated by an administrator. The management terminal 24 has been created with a multifunction device information reference unit that accesses the multifunction device information management DB 28 of the management server 20 and displays it, and a request generation unit that receives an administrator's instruction and generates a request. A request transmission unit that transmits the request to the management server 20. The administrator refers to multifunction device information displayed on a display unit (for example, a display) of the management terminal 24 and grasps the current state of the multifunction device 14. If necessary, a request generation instruction is issued to the multifunction device 14 to create a request. The created request is transmitted to the management server 20 by the request transmission unit.

  Next, each multifunction device 14 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the multifunction machine 14. However, the configuration of the multi-function device 14 is appropriately different depending on the model and version.

  The multi-function device 14 is roughly divided into a basic function unit 72 and a managed unit 74. The basic function unit 72 is provided with an original function of the multifunction machine 14, in other words, various functions that are directly used by the user of the multifunction machine 14. The configuration of the basic function unit 72 varies depending on the model, version, and the like. For example, a user interface 76 (hereinafter referred to as “U / I 76”) that provides an interface between the user and the MFP 14 and a copy function are provided. A copy unit 78 to provide, a printer unit 80 to provide a printer function, and the like are provided. Further, a communication I / F 84 for realizing communication with other communication devices and the management center 12 is also provided. Processing information, fault information, and the like in the basic function unit 72 are passed to the multifunction device information transmission unit 86.

  The managed unit 74 is for realizing management by the management center 12. The managed unit 74 includes a multi-function peripheral information transmission unit 86, a confirmation polling unit 88, a request acquisition unit 90, a request execution unit 92, and a success / failure information transmission unit 94. The multi-function peripheral information transmission unit 86 transmits multi-function peripheral information including processing information and failure information in the basic function section 72 to the management center 12 together with the multi-function peripheral ID. The transmission of the multifunction machine information may be performed periodically, or may be performed when any event occurs (for example, when a failure occurs or power is turned on).

  The confirmation polling unit 88 performs confirmation polling for repeatedly transmitting a confirmation message for confirming whether or not there is a request to the management center 12. The confirmation message includes an identification ID of the multifunction machine 14 and a flag indicating that the confirmation message is received. This confirmation message is repeatedly transmitted at a predetermined polling interval. If an “EMPTY” message is returned as a response to the transmitted confirmation message, transmission of the confirmation message is repeated at regular time intervals (for example, every 24 hours). If request data is returned as a response to the confirmation message, processing based on this request data is performed.

  The request acquisition unit 90 receives request data transmitted as a response to confirmation polling. Then, the received request data is read and the content is passed to the request execution unit 92. The request execution unit 92 executes a process according to the content stored in the request data. The execution result, that is, success / failure information such as whether or not the execution has been successful or the error content in the case of failure is passed to the success / failure information transmission unit 94. The success / failure information transmission unit 94 transmits the passed success / failure information to the management center 12.

  As described above, the management center 12 and the plurality of multifunction devices 14 as described above constitute the multifunction device management system 10 of the present embodiment. Next, the management flow of the multifunction device 14 in the multifunction device management system 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing a management flow in the MFP management system 10.

  First, information indicating the state and multifunction device information are transmitted from each multifunction device 14 to the management center 12 (M10). The MFP information is received by the communication server 22 and then transmitted to the management server 20 (M12). The management server 20 stores the received multifunction device information in the multifunction device information management DB 28 (S10).

  On the other hand, the multi-function device 14 always performs confirmation polling to the management center 12 (M14, M18, M22, etc.) for confirming whether or not there is a request for itself at a predetermined polling interval. That is, each multifunction device 14 transmits a confirmation message to the communication server 22. Upon receiving the confirmation message, the communication server 22 searches the request target information storage unit 56 and confirms whether or not there is a request for the MFP 14. In other words, the request target information storage unit 56 stores the ID of a request that currently exists and the ID of the target MFP 14. Therefore, it is searched whether the ID of the multifunction device 14 is in the request target information storage unit 56. If there is no ID, it can be determined that there is no request for the multifunction device 14 at present. On the other hand, if the ID of the multifunction device 14 is in the request target information storage unit 56, it can be determined that there is currently a request for the multifunction device 14.

  If it is determined that there is no request at present, an “EMPTY” message is returned to the multi-function device 14 as a response to the confirmation message (M16, M20, M24). Here, since the determination of the presence or absence of this request can be made based on the request target information held by the communication server 22, it can be performed only by the communication server 22. In other words, it is possible to quickly determine without performing communication with the management server 20. Further, this request target information has a smaller information amount than the request entity data, and can be searched at high speed. Therefore, when it is determined that there is no request in the multifunction device 14, in other words, when an “EMPTY” message is returned, the communication server 22 can process at high speed without inquiring of the management server 20.

  In general, the number of multifunction devices 14 is extremely large compared to the management server 20 and the management terminal 24. Therefore, the result of confirmation polling is often missed (a request cannot be acquired). In other words, most of the processing performed by the polling reception unit 52 of the communication server 22 can be said to be processing for returning an “EMPTY” message in response to a confirmation message from the multifunction device 14. In the present embodiment, the process of returning the “EMPTY” message in response to the confirmation message from the multifunction device 14 can be quickly processed by holding the request target information in the communication server 22. As a result, confirmation polling from a large number of multifunction devices 14 can be quickly processed as a whole, and the load on the management server 20 can be reduced.

  A request for each multifunction device 14 is created by the administrator at the management terminal 24. The management terminal 24 can refer to the MFP information by accessing the MFP information management DB 28 of the management server 20 (M26). The referenced multifunction machine information is displayed on the display unit of the management terminal 24. The administrator looks at the display and instructs the creation of a request if necessary (S12). The management terminal 24 creates a request according to an instruction from the administrator and transmits the request data to the management server 20 (M28).

  The management server 20 stores the transmitted request data in the request management DB 30 (S14). Further, request target information (request ID and target MFP ID) for the request is created and transmitted to the communication server 22 (M30).

  The communication server 22 stores the transmitted request target information in the request target information storage unit 56 (S16). If a confirmation message is transmitted (confirmation polling) from the multifunction machine 14 to be requested after this storage (M32), the communication server 22 can determine that there is a request for the multifunction machine 14 (S18). That is, at this time, the ID of the multifunction machine 14 exists in the request target information storage unit 56. Therefore, it can be determined that there is currently a request for the multifunction device 14. When determining that there is a request, the communication server 22 accesses the request management DB 30 of the management server 20 and acquires the actual data of the request (M34). Then, the acquired request data is transmitted to the multi-function device 14 as a response to the confirmation message (M36). Since the transmission of the request data is returned as a response to the request from the multifunction device 14 (inside the firewall 16), even if the communication is from the communication server 22 (outside the firewall 16), the request data must pass through the firewall 16. Can do.

  In this way, the communication server 22 accesses the request management DB 30 of the management server 20 only when request request data is required. Therefore, an excessive load on the request management DB 30 can be prevented, and in turn, a quick management process can be performed.

  When receiving the request data from the communication server 22, the multi-function device 14 reads the request data and executes a process according to the content of the request data (S20). As a result, remote control of the multi-function device 14 can be realized from the management center 12 located away from the multi-function device 14.

  When executing the request, the multi-function device 14 transmits the success / failure information to the communication server 22 (M38). Here, a case where the request can be normally executed (success) will be described. If the communication server 22 receives the success / failure information from the multi-function device 14, the communication server 22 transmits it to the management server 20 (M40). The management server 20 executes processing according to the contents of success / failure information. If successful, the request data is deleted from the request management DB 30 (S24). In the case of failure, it is determined whether or not to delete the request data according to the cause of failure (content of error). When deleting the request data, the communication server 22 is notified to that effect (M42).

  If deletion of request data is notified from the management server 20, the communication server 22 deletes request target information for the request data (S26). Thereby, the information held by the communication server 22 and the management server 20 can be synchronized. Then, only the communication server 22 can determine the presence / absence of a request for each multifunction device 14. Therefore, even if a confirmation message is transmitted from the multifunction device 14 to the communication server 22 after the deletion, the communication server 22 can determine that there is no request without inquiring of the management server 20. Then, the “EMPTY” message can be returned promptly without imposing a load on the request management DB 30. Further, the administrator can grasp the current state of the request (S28) by referring to the request management DB 30 via the management terminal 24 (M48).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the load on the request management DB 30 can be reduced by holding the request target information in the communication server 22. In addition, it is possible to quickly process a large number of confirmation polling misses.

  In this embodiment, the administrator creates request data using the management terminal 24, but the management terminal 24 or the management server 20 may automatically generate request data. In addition, after the MFP 14 executes the request data, the request target information for the request data is updated based on the notification from the management server 20, but the communication server 22 itself determines whether to update the request target information. May be.

  Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a multifunction machine management system 10 according to another embodiment. This multi-function peripheral management system 10 is particularly suitable for managing a larger number of multi-function peripherals 14 than the above-described embodiment. Further, the scale of the entire system can be flexibly changed in accordance with the number of multifunction devices 14. Hereinafter, the multifunction peripheral management system 10 will be described in detail.

  The basic configuration of the multifunction machine management system 10 is almost the same as that of the above-described embodiment, but the management center 12 of the multifunction machine management system 10 includes a plurality of communication servers 22 and one distribution device 100. The point is different.

  The distribution apparatus 100 receives communication from each multifunction device 14 and distributes the communication to a plurality of communication servers 22 to transmit. This communication distribution is performed so that only a specific communication server 22 does not have an excessive communication load according to the communication load of each communication server 22 or the like. Further, the distribution apparatus 100 receives information transmitted from each communication server 22 and appropriately transmits it to the multifunction machine 14. That is, the distribution apparatus 100 can be said to be an apparatus that relays between the multifunction machine 14 and the communication server 22.

  The configuration of each communication server 22 is almost the same as that of the above-described embodiment. The difference is that each communication server 22 is connected to both the distribution apparatus 100 and the management server 20. Therefore, the communication server 22 does not directly accept communication from each multifunction device 14 but always accepts it via the distribution device 100. Further, since communication from each multifunction device 14 is distributed by the distribution device 100 and transmitted to the communication server 22, the communication load on each communication server 22 is reduced.

  Since the configuration of each multifunction device 14, the management server 20, and the management terminal 24 is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, the description is omitted here.

  Next, a management flow in the multifunction machine management system 10 will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating the flow of multifunction machine information in the multifunction machine management system 10. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a flow during request confirmation polling. 7 and 8, the MFP management system 10 includes a first MFP 14a with ID = 123, a second MFP 14b with ID = 456, a first communication server 22a, and a second communication server 22b. Shall.

  First, MFP information indicating the state of each MFP 14a, 14b is transmitted from each MFP 14a, 14b to the distribution apparatus 100. The distribution device 100 distributes communication from each of the multifunction peripherals 14 a and 14 b and transmits the communication to the communication server 22. Here, the MFP information transmitted from the first MFP 14a (ID = 123) is transmitted to the first communication server 22a, and the MFP information transmitted from the second MFP 14b (ID = 456) is transmitted to the second communication server. It is assumed that the data is distributed and transmitted to 22b.

  The first communication server 22a transmits the received multifunction device information to the management server 20, and the management server 20 stores it in the multifunction device information management DB. The second communication server 22b also transmits the received multifunction device information to the management server 20, and the management server 20 saves this in the multifunction device information management DB 28. That is, the MFP information is stored in the MFP information management DB 28 of the management server 20 regardless of which communication server 22 is used. Therefore, the management terminal 24 can refer to the MFP information of all the MFPs 14 by accessing the MFP information management DB 28 of the management server 20. That is, even when the distributed device 100 and the plurality of communication servers 22 are provided, each management terminal 24 can normally acquire the multifunction machine information.

  Next, a case where request data for the first multifunction device 14a is created by the management terminal 24 will be described. When the management terminal 24 creates request data (the target is the first multifunction device 14 a with ID = 123), it transmits this to the management server 20. The management server 20 stores the request data in the request management DB 30. In addition, the communication server 22 is notified that a request has been created for the first MFP 14a with ID = 123. This notification is made by transmitting the request ID and the MFP 14 ID (ie, “123”) as request target information. If the 1st communication server 22a and the 2nd communication server 22b receive request object information, this will be memorized.

  On the other hand, each multifunction device 14a, 14b transmits a confirmation message for confirming the presence / absence of a request for itself. The distribution apparatus 100 appropriately distributes this confirmation message and transmits it to the communication server 22. Here, a case where a confirmation message from the first multifunction device 14a (ID = 123) is transmitted to the first communication server 22a and a confirmation message from the second multifunction device 14b (ID = 456) is transmitted to the second communication server 22b. Think.

  Both the first communication server 22a and the second communication server 22b hold request target information for the MFP ID = 123. Therefore, the first communication server 22a that has received the confirmation message from the first multifunction device 14a (ID = 123) determines that there is currently a request for the first multifunction device 14a. Then, the request management DB 30 of the management server 20 is accessed, the request data for the first multifunction device 14a is acquired, and this is returned to the first multifunction device 14a.

  On the other hand, the second communication server 22b that has received the confirmation message from the second multifunction device 14b (ID = 456) does not hold the request target information for the multifunction device ID = 456. Therefore, it can be determined that there is currently no request for the second multifunction device 14b (ID = 456). This determination can be made quickly without accessing the management server 20. Then, the second communication server 22b can quickly return that there is no request (“EMPTY” message) to the second multifunction device 14b.

  Further, by providing a plurality of communication servers 22, the amount of communication to be processed by one communication server 22 can be reduced. Therefore, even when managing a large number of MFPs 14, the load on each communication server 22 can be reduced. In particular, when the number of multifunction devices 14 is large, the amount of request data and multifunction device information transmitted increases, but more confirmation polling is required. The processing for this very large number of confirmation polling is communication that can be processed only by the communication server 22 in many cases (when there is no request data for the MFP 14). Therefore, by increasing the number of communication servers 22, this very large amount of confirmation polling can be processed.

  Here, the process performed by the communication server 22 is a relay process between the multifunction machine 14 and the management server 20 in addition to the confirmation polling process. The communication server 22 that performs such processing may have relatively low performance as compared with the management server 20, and can be constructed at low cost. By providing a plurality of communication servers 22 that can be constructed at a low cost and suppressing the number of management servers 20 that are constructed at a relatively high cost, the entire MFP management system 10 can be realized at a low cost.

  Further, by providing only a plurality of communication servers 22, it is possible to flexibly cope with an increase / decrease in the number of managed multifunction devices 14. That is, when the number of multifunction devices 14 increases, only the communication server 22 needs to be added, and changes in the entire multifunction device management system 10 can be reduced.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a multifunction peripheral management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of a management server. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of a communication server. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a multifunction peripheral. FIG. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating a management flow in the multi-function peripheral management system. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the multifunctional device management system which is other embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a management flow in a multifunction peripheral management system. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a management flow in a multifunction peripheral management system.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 MFP management system, 12 Management center, 14 MFP, 16 Firewall, 18 Internet, 20 Management server, 22 Communication server, 24 Management terminal, 28 MFP information management DB, 30 Request management DB, 52 Polling reception part, 56 Request target information storage unit, 86 MFP information transmission unit, 88 confirmation polling unit, 92 request execution unit, 94 success / failure information transmission unit, 100 distribution device.

Claims (6)

A management center and a plurality of managed devices connected to the management center via a network, and operating the managed devices by notifying the managed devices of requests from the management center, A management system for managing
Managed devices are
A confirmation polling means for performing confirmation polling to the management center in order to confirm whether there is a request from the management center for the self;
If confirmation polling confirms that there is a request for itself, request acquisition means for acquiring request data that is data of the request,
Request execution means for executing the operation recorded in the acquired request data;
Have
The management center includes at least a management server and a communication server.
Request storage means for storing request data to each managed device;
Request target information notifying means for notifying the communication server of request target information indicating a management target device that is a target of request data;
With
Communication server
Request target information storage means for storing request target information notified from the management server;
Confirmation polling from the managed device is accepted, it is determined whether there is a request for the managed device based on the request target information, and if it is determined, the management server is accessed and request data for the managed device is returned. Polling acceptance means for returning that there is no request without accessing the management server when it is determined that there is no request to the managed device;
A management system comprising: The management system according to claim 1,
The management target device includes target device information transmission means for transmitting target device information indicating the state of the management target device to the management center,
The management server includes target device information storage means for storing target device information transmitted from each managed device,
The management center further includes a plurality of management terminals connected to the management server,
The management terminal
Target device information reference means for referring to target device information stored in the target device information storage means;
Request transmission means for transmitting request data created based on the referenced target device information to the management server;
A management system comprising: The management system according to claim 1 or 2,
The managed device includes a success / failure notification means for notifying the management center of the success / failure after execution of the request,
The management server includes an updating unit that updates the request storage unit based on the transmitted success or failure,
A management system characterized in that the request target information storage means of the communication server updates the request target information stored in response to the update of the request storage means of the management server. The management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The management center has multiple communication servers,
The management center further includes a distribution device that is connected to a plurality of communication servers and that distributes and notifies confirmation polling from each managed device to the plurality of communication servers. A management center of a management system that is connected to a plurality of managed devices via a network, operates the managed devices by notifying each managed device, and manages the managed devices;
The management center includes at least a management server and a communication server.
Request storage means for storing request data to each managed device;
Request target information notifying means for notifying the communication server of request target information indicating a management target device that is a target of request data;
With
Communication server
Request target information storage means for storing request target information notified from the management server;
Confirmation polling from the managed device to confirm the presence or absence of the request is accepted, and it is determined whether there is a request for the managed device based on the request target information. A polling acceptance unit that returns request data for a managed device and returns that there is no request without accessing the management server when it is determined that there is no request to the managed device;
The management center characterized by having. A management center communication server connected to a management server that manages request data to each managed device and a plurality of managed devices that are managed;
Request target information receiving means for receiving request target information indicating a management target device that is transmitted from the management server and is the target of request data;
Request target information storage means for storing the request target information received by the request target information reception means;
Accepts confirmation polling sent from each managed device to check whether there is a request for itself, determines whether there is a request for the managed device based on the request target information, and if it determines that there is a management server Polling accepting means that returns request data for the managed device and returns no request without accessing the management server when it is determined that there is no request for the managed device,
A communication server characterized by comprising:

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