Patent ID: 8037172
Filing Date: 2011-10-11
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. An operation monitoring apparatus for monitoring operation statuses of plural monitoring target apparatuses connected to the operation monitoring apparatus over a network, the operation monitoring apparatus comprising: a sending unit for periodically sending a connection confirmation mail which is directed to the operation monitoring apparatus itself, via a notification server located on the network; a receiving unit for receiving the connection confirmation mail that the sending unit has sent and an operation confirmation mail that is sent from any of the monitoring target apparatuses; a storing unit for storing a scheduled transmission time of a next operation confirmation mail to be sent from a monitoring target unit that is contained in the operation confirmation mail received by the receiving unit, as part of apparatus information of the monitoring target apparatus; a judging unit for making a judgment as to whether a next operation confirmation mail has been received by the scheduled transmission time of the next operation confirmation mail, wherein the judging unit refrains from making the judgment whether a next operation confirmation mail has been received for a certain time period after the judging unit has judged that the receiving unit has not received a latest connection confirmation mail sent from the operation monitoring apparatus itself, and judges whether the latest connection confirmation mail is received after the certain time period has elapsed; and an operation status changing unit for changing operation status information that is included in the apparatus information of the monitoring target apparatus corresponding to the next operation confirmation mail to information indicating that the monitoring target apparatus is not in operation, if the judging unit judges that the next operation confirmation mail has not been received.