Patent ID: 7761470
Filing Date: 2010-07-20
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. An information processing method executed by at least one information processing apparatus, the information processing apparatus communicating with a plurality of servers and at least one search server, comprising: a first search requesting step of requesting the search server to perform a first search for at least one of the servers for performing a desired data processing requested from the information processing apparatus; a first receiving step of receiving a result of the first search showing a first server which is different from the search server; a first data processing requesting step of requesting the first server to perform the desired data processing, wherein the first server can either accept the request or cannot accept the request to process the desired data processing; a counting step of counting the number of times the first server rejects the request; an inquiry-excluded server registering step of registering information indicating the first server as an inquiry-excluded server in the storage when the number of times is not less than a predetermined number of times; a substitute server determination step of determining whether information indicating a substitute server for the first server is registered in a storage, when the first server cannot accept a request for performing the desired data processing from the information processing apparatus; a second search requesting step of requesting the search server to perform a second search for at least one of the servers for performing the desired data processing, when the first server cannot accept a request for performing the desired data processing from the information processing apparatus, and it is determined by the substitute server determination step that information indicating a substitute server for the first server is not registered in the storage; a second receiving step of receiving a result of the second search showing a second server which is different from the first server and from the search server; a second server determination step of determining whether the second server can perform the desired data processing and satisfy a predetermined condition; a registering step of registering information indicating the second server as a substitute server for the first server in the storage, while also retaining information indicating the first server in the storage, when it is determined by the second server determination step that the second server can perform the desired data processing and satisfy a predetermined condition; and a second data processing requesting step of requesting the second server to perform the desired data processing without requesting the search server to perform the second search requesting step, when the first server cannot accept the request for performing the desired data processing from the information processing apparatus, and it is determined by the substitute server determination step that the information indicating the second server as the substitute server is registered in the storage; wherein said substitute server determination step comprises determining whether the information indicating the substitution server for the first server is registered in the storage without requesting the search server to perform the desired data processing, when the information indicating the first server shown due to the result of the first search is registered as the inquiry-excluded server in the storage.