Patent ID: 8214322
Filing Date: 2012-07-03
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. An information processing apparatus which has network communication means, and which can detect a network device via the network communication means to automatically install a corresponding device driver, comprising: setting means for setting one or more network configuration information, each of which includes specifying information specifying a network configuration and installation information indicating whether or not to automatically install the corresponding device driver, and for storing the set network configuration information in a memory, wherein in a case that the installation information in the network configuration information set by said setting means indicates that the corresponding device driver is installed automatically, the installation information further includes information indicating that the device driver is installed automatically by at least one of a first function which installs the device driver in response to a reception of a network entry message issued from a network device on a connected network, and a second function which installs the device driver by multicasting a network device search message to the connected network and detecting an acknowledge from a network device on the connected network to which the network device search message is multicasted; first determination means for determining, when detecting a connection to a network by the network communication means, a network configuration of the connected network; second determination means for determining which of the network configuration information stored in the memory includes specifying information corresponding to the network configuration determined by said first determination means; display means for displaying the installation information included in the network configuration information determined by said second determination means, to inform a user of how the installation of a device driver will be performed and to permit the user to change the installation information; and control means for controlling, in order to execute a process according to the installation information displayed by said display means, to switch whether or not to automatically install a device driver corresponding to a network device on the connected network, wherein if the installation information indicates enabling of the first function and a network entry message is received from the network device on the connected network, said control means provides the network entry message to a upper layer process to execute the automatic installation of the device driver for the network device, wherein if the installation information indicates disabling of the first function and the network entry message is received from the network device on the connected network, said control means does not provide the network entry message to the upper layer process, so as not to execute the automatic installation of a device driver for the network device, wherein if the installation information indicates enabling of the second function, said control means permits multicasting the network device search message to the connected network; and wherein if the installation information indicates disabling of the second function, said control means inhibits multicasting the network device search message to the connected network.