Abstract:
An image forming apparatus is disclosed that includes an examining unit, a configuration unit, and an activating unit. The configuration unit stores a corresponding relation between the examining unit and a hardware-related program. The examining unit examines a hardware resource and determines whether the examined hardware resource satisfies a predetermined condition, before the activating unit activates the hardware-related program. Since the program does not need to examine the hardware resource to determine whether the examined hardware resource satisfies the predetermined condition, the program does not need to have a redundant portion that can be shared with another program in common.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention generally relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus that activates programs in compliance with a predetermined configuration file, a method of activating programs for the image forming apparatus, and a computer program for activating programs.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     A multifunctional peripheral (MFP) is an image forming apparatus that can print computer data as a printer. The MFP also can scan documents as a scanner, duplicate documents as a copier, and exchange facsimile messages via a public channel as a facsimile machine. The MFP also can communicate with computers and exchange e-mail messages via a network. The MFP includes a display unit, a printer unit, and a scanner unit. An operator can easily switch the above functions of the MFP by switching software running in the MFP. Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No. 2002-84383 discloses an example of the MFP.  
         [0005]     When the MFP is turned on, a basic input/output system (BIOS) and a boot loader are activated. The boot loader loads a kernel and a root file system in random access memory (RAM), and activates the kernel. The activated kernel mounts the root file system, that is, activates a file system and/or a peripheral unit and sets them accessible.  
         [0006]     After the kernel is activated, an application/service layer activation program activates application programs and/or various services. The application/service layer activation program is the first process that is activated in the MFP. It mounts the file system and activates processes of the service layer and processes of the application layer that are necessary for the operation of the MFP in compliance with a predetermined configuration file.  
         [0007]     In a conventional MFP, the activated processes of the application layer and/or the service layer checks hardware resources such as the display unit, the printer unit, and the scanner unit of the MFP  2  in their operations. Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No. 2000-20203 discloses an exemplary program that activates application programs in compliance with a predetermined configuration file.  
         [0008]     In a conventional MFP, each process needs to check the hardware resources that the processes access in common, and consequently, the processes have redundant portions for checking the hardware resources. Additionally, in the conventional MFP, since the processes check the hardware resources while the processes are running, the processes need to be activated for checking whether the hardware resources are accessible and how high the performances of the hardware resources are.  
         [0009]     Accordingly, in the conventional MFP, a process needs to be activated even if it is not usable due to the lack of suitable hardware resources (there is no hardware resource that the process needs to access, or the performance of the accessible hardware resources is too low). The invention disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Laid-open Application is not applicable to this problem because the program does not check the hardware resources.  
         [0010]     Additionally, when an SD card is inserted, the application/service layer activation program mounts the file system in accordance with a configuration file stored in the SD card, for example, and activates the process of the application stored in the SD card.  
         [0011]     In the case of a conventional MFP, the process of the application stored in the SD card checks hardware resources (such as a display unit, a printer unit, and an image capture unit), the model of the MFP, and a slot number into which the SD card is inserted.  
         [0012]     The SD card may store a plurality of application programs corresponding to different MFP models. Since the processes of the application programs stored in the SD card check the MFP model, for example, the processes may contain redundant portions. Moreover, it is difficult to check the MFP model unless each process is activated because only the activated processes can check the MFP model. Accordingly, in the case of a conventional MFP, the processes of the application program corresponding to other MFP models need to be activated in vain in order to check the MFP model. The technique disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No. 2000-20203 does not check the MFP model corresponding to an application to be activated, and as a result, does not solve this problem.  
         [0013]     The SD card may contain an identification number of a slot into which the SD card is to be inserted. Conventionally, because the processes of applications programs stored in the SD card check the identification number of the slot into which the SD card is inserted, the processes need to redundantly contain the same portion. Additionally, the processes need to be activated in vain just to check the identification number of the slot into which the SD card is inserted because only the activated processes can check the identification number. Accordingly, even if the SD card is inserted into a slot other than the slot into which the SD card is to be inserted, the processes need to be activated just to check the identification number of the slot.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     It is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel and useful image forming apparatus in which one or more of the above problems are eliminated.  
         [0015]     Another and more specific object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which the redundant portion of the programs can be reduced, and programs that access the hardware resources can be efficiently activated.  
         [0016]     Yet another specific object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which the redundant portion of the programs stored in a removable recording medium can be reduced, and programs stored in the removable recording medium can be activated efficiently, a method of activating the programs, and a program for activating the programs.  
         [0017]     To achieve one or more of the above objects, an image forming apparatus includes: a hardware resource; a program; an examining unit that examines said hardware resource; a configuration unit in which the relation between said examining unit and said program is configured; and an activating unit that activates said program having the relation with said examining unit based on the examination of said hardware resource.  
         [0018]     The configuration unit stores a corresponding relation between the examining unit and the program. The examining unit examines the hardware resource and determines whether the examined hardware resource satisfies a predetermined condition, for example, before the activating unit activates the program corresponding to the examining unit. Since the program does not need to examine the hardware resource and determine whether the examined hardware resource satisfies the predetermined condition, the program does not need to have a redundant portion that can be shared with another program in common. Additionally, the image forming apparatus does not activate the program if the program does not fit the hardware resource. The image forming apparatus can efficiently activates only programs that fit the hardware resource the image forming apparatus has.  
         [0019]     According to another aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus includes: a hardware resource; a program; a configuration unit in which the relation between examining processing and said program is configured; and an activating unit that performs the examining processing and activates said program having the relation with the examining processing based on the result of the examining processing.  
         [0020]     The activating unit may have the same function as the examining unit. The activating unit examines the hardware resource and determines whether the examined hardware resource satisfies a predetermined condition, for example, before activating the program corresponding to the examining unit. Since the program does not need to examine the hardware resource and determine whether the examined hardware resource satisfies the predetermined condition, the program does not need to have a redundant portion that can be shared with another program in common. Additionally, the image forming apparatus does not activate the program if the program does not fit the hardware resource. The image forming apparatus can efficiently activate only programs that fit the hardware resource the image forming apparatus has.  
         [0021]     According to yet another aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus includes: a hardware resource; a slot that accepts a recording medium in which a program to be mounted and activated is stored; and an activating unit that compares first machine information indicating an apparatus model corresponding to said program with second machine information indicating the apparatus model of the image forming apparatus, and if the first machine information and the second machine information match, activates the program stored in the recording medium.  
         [0022]     Additionally or alternatively, an image forming apparatus may include: a hardware resource; a slot that accepts a recording medium in which a program to be mounted and activated is stored; and an activating unit that compares first identification information of a slot into which the recording medium is to be inserted and second identification information of a slot into which the recording medium is actually inserted, and activates the program stored in the recording medium if said activating unit determines that the first identification information and the second identification information match.  
         [0023]     Before activating a program stored in a recording medium, the activating unit determines whether the first machine information of an apparatus model for which the program is designed matches the apparatus model of the image forming apparatus in which the recording medium is set or whether the first identification information of a slot designated in the program stored in the recording medium matches the slot into which the recording medium is inserted. The activating unit activates the program only if the first machine information and the second machine information match or the first identification information and the second identification information match. Accordingly, the program does not need to check whether the program fits the apparatus model or whether the recording medium is inserted in a right slot, and the program does not need to have a redundant portion that can be shared with other programs in common. Additionally, the activating unit does not activate the program stored in the recording medium if the program does not fit the apparatus model. The activating unit can efficiently activate only programs that fit the apparatus model of the image forming apparatus.  
         [0024]     Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0025]      FIG. 1  is a configuration diagram showing the software structure of an MFP according to an embodiment;  
         [0026]      FIG. 2  is a configuration diagram showing the hardware structure of the MFP according to the embodiment;  
         [0027]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an MFP activation unit according to an embodiment;  
         [0028]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart showing processing of an MFP activation unit according to an embodiment;  
         [0029]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart showing processing of a program activation unit according to an embodiment;  
         [0030]      FIG. 6  is a configuration file according to an embodiment;  
         [0031]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart showing processing of a check program “fcucheck” according to the embodiment;  
         [0032]      FIG. 8  is a flowchart showing processing of a check program “cpucheck 1 ” according to the embodiment;  
         [0033]      FIG. 9  is a flowchart showing processing of a check program “cpucheck 2 ” according to the embodiment;  
         [0034]      FIG. 10  is a flowchart showing processing of a check program “memcheck 1 ” according to the embodiment;  
         [0035]      FIG. 11  is a flowchart showing processing of a check program “memcheck 2 ” according to the embodiment;  
         [0036]      FIG. 12  is a schematic diagram showing another configuration file according to an embodiment;  
         [0037]      FIG. 13  is a flowchart showing processing of a check program “hddnonexist” according to an embodiment;  
         [0038]      FIG. 14  is a schematic diagram showing another configuration file according to an embodiment;  
         [0039]      FIG. 15  is a schematic diagram showing files stored in an SD card according to an embodiment;  
         [0040]      FIG. 16  is a flowchart showing processing of a check program “sdcommand” according to an embodiment;  
         [0041]      FIG. 17  is a relation diagram among main programs, check programs, the program activation unit  52 , the OS, and hardware resources according to an embodiment;  
         [0042]      FIG. 18  is another relation diagram in which the check program and the main programs have a 1-to-n relation according to an embodiment;  
         [0043]      FIG. 19  is a schematic diagram showing another configuration file according to an embodiment;  
         [0044]      FIG. 20  is a schematic diagram showing a configuration file that prevents a directory from being mounted according to an embodiment;  
         [0045]      FIG. 21  is another relation diagram in which the check programs and the main program have an n-to-1 relation according to an embodiment;  
         [0046]      FIG. 22  is a schematic diagram showing another configuration file according to an embodiment;  
         [0047]      FIG. 23  is a first portion of a flowchart showing processing of the program activation unit and the check program according to an embodiment;  
         [0048]      FIG. 24  is a second portion of the flowchart shown in  FIG. 23 ;  
         [0049]      FIG. 25  is a flowchart showing processing of an MFP activation unit according to an embodiment;  
         [0050]      FIG. 26  is a flowchart showing processing of a program activation unit according to an embodiment;  
         [0051]      FIG. 27  is a configuration file according to an embodiment;  
         [0052]      FIG. 28  is a flowchart showing check processing “fcucheck” according to an embodiment;  
         [0053]      FIG. 29  is a flowchart showing check processing “cpucheck 1 ” according to an embodiment;  
         [0054]      FIG. 30  is a flowchart showing check processing “cpucheck 2 ” according to an embodiment;  
         [0055]      FIG. 31  is a flowchart showing check processing “memcheck 1 ” according to an embodiment;  
         [0056]      FIG. 32  is a flowchart showing check processing “memcheck 2 ” according to an embodiment;  
         [0057]      FIG. 33  is another configuration file according to an embodiment;  
         [0058]      FIG. 34  is a flowchart showing check processing “hddnonexist” according to an embodiment;  
         [0059]      FIG. 35  is yet another configuration file according to an embodiment;  
         [0060]      FIG. 36  is an imaginary schematic diagram showing an SD card in which files are stored according to an embodiment;  
         [0061]      FIG. 37  is a flowchart showing check processing “sdcommand” according to an embodiment;  
         [0062]      FIG. 38  is a relation diagram among the main programs, the check processings, the program activation unit  52 , the OS, and the hardware resources according to an embodiment;  
         [0063]      FIG. 39  is another relation diagram in which the check processing and the main programs have a 1-to-n relation according to an embodiment;  
         [0064]      FIG. 40  is yet another configuration file according to an embodiment;  
         [0065]      FIG. 41  is yet another configuration file that prevents a directory from being mounted according to an embodiment;  
         [0066]      FIG. 42  is another relation diagram in which the check processings and the main program have an n-to-1 relation according to an embodiment;  
         [0067]      FIG. 43  is yet another configuration file according to an embodiment;  
         [0068]      FIG. 44  is a first portion of a flowchart showing check processing performed by the program activation unit according to an embodiment;  
         [0069]      FIG. 45  is a second portion of the flowchart showing check processing performed by the program activation unit according to an embodiment;  
         [0070]      FIG. 46  is a flowchart showing processing of an MFP activation unit according to an embodiment;  
         [0071]      FIG. 47  is a schematic diagram showing a portion of an MFP according to an embodiment;  
         [0072]      FIG. 48  is a flowchart showing processing for activating a program stored in an SD card;  
         [0073]      FIG. 49  is another configuration file according to an embodiment;  
         [0074]      FIG. 50A through 50C  are module information files according to an embodiment;  
         [0075]      FIG. 51  is a schematic diagram for explaining steps S 215  through S 217  shown in  FIG. 48 ;  
         [0076]      FIG. 52  is another flowchart showing processing for activating a program stored in an SD card according to an embodiment;  
         [0077]      FIG. 53  is yet another configuration file; and  
         [0078]      FIG. 54  is an image diagram showing files stored in an SD card.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0079]     A description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is given below with reference to the drawings.  
         [0080]      FIG. 1  illustrates the software structure of a multifunctional peripheral (MFP) according to an embodiment. The MFP  1  includes software  2 , an MFP activation unit  3 , and hardware resources  4 .  
         [0081]     The hardware resources  4  include a plotter  11 , a scanner  12 , and other hardware resources  13  such as a facsimile unit, for example. The software  2  includes an application layer  5  and a platform  6  that are executed on an operating system (OS) such as UNIX (registered trade mark).  
         [0082]     The application layer  5  includes programs each dedicated for a specific user service related to image forming such as printing, copying, facsimile, and scanning. The application layer  5  of  FIG. 1  includes a printer application  21 , a copy application  22 , a facsimile application  23 , a scanner application  24 , an a net file application  25 . The net file application  25  causes the MFP  1  to function as a file server, and manages data exchange between the MFP  1  and other devices connected to the MFP  1  via a network.  
         [0083]     The platform  6  includes a control service layer  9 , a system resource manager (SRM)  39 , and a handler layer  10 . The control service layer  9  interprets requests for processing issued by the application layer  5 , and issues requests for reserving the hardware resources  4 . The SRM  39  manages the hardware resources  4  and arbitrates requests for reserving the hardware resources  4  issued by the control service layer  9 . The handler layer  10  controls the hardware resources  4  in response to the requests for reserving the hardware resources  4  issued by the SRM  39 .  
         [0084]     The control service layer  9  includes a plurality of service modules such as NCS  31 , DCS  32 , OCS  33 , FCS  34 , ECS  35 , MCS  36 , UCS  37 , and SCS  38 . The platform  6  supports an API  53  through which the application layer  5  can use the platform  6  by calling predefined functions. The programs of the application layer  5  and the programs of the platform  6  are executed as processes on the OS.  
         [0085]     The process of the NCS (network control service)  31  distributes, as a mediator, data received from other resources via the network to the applications, and transmits, as a mediator, data received from the applications to other resources via the network. The NCS  31  manages data exchange between the MFP  1  and another apparatus connected to the MFP  1  via the network.  
         [0086]     The process of the DCS (delivery control service)  32  delivers document data stored in the MFP  1 . The process of the OCS (operations panel control service)  33  controls an operations panel, of which description is given below.  
         [0087]     The process of the FCS (facsimile control service)  34  transmits/receives facsimile messages created by the application layer  5  via the PSTN and/or the ISDN, registers/retrieves facsimile messages stored in a backup memory, and reads/prints facsimile messages.  
         [0088]     The process of ECS (engine control service)  35  controls engines such as the plotter  11 , the scanner  12 , and the other hardware resources  13 . The process of the MCS (memory control service)  36  reserves/discharges memory regions, controls a HDD, and compresses/decompresses image data. The process of the UCS (user information control service)  37  manages user information.  
         [0089]     The process of the SCS (system control service)  38  controls the operations unit, displays system screens, controls LEDs, the hardware resources, the applications, and further manages interruptions of the applications.  
         [0090]     The process of the SRM  39  controls system and manages the hardware resources  4  together with the SCS  38 . The process of the SRM  39 , for example, arbitrates requests for reserving the hardware resources  4  such as the plotter  11  and the scanner  12  issued by an upper rank layer, and controls the operations of the hardware resources  4 .  
         [0091]     Specifically, the process of the SRM  39  determines whether a hardware resource  4  that is requested to be reserved by an application is not occupied (usable) by another application, for example. If the requested hardware resource  4  is usable, the process of the SRM  39  informs the requesting application that the hardware resource  4  is usable. The process of the SRM  39  schedules the use of the hardware resource  4  in response to receipt of requests for reserving the hardware resources  4  issued by the upper rank layer, and causes the hardware resources  4  to operate as requested. For example, the process of the SRM  39  causes a printer engine to transport paper and form an image on the paper. The process of the SRM  39  reserves a memory region and creates a file, for example.  
         [0092]     The handler layer  10  includes a facsimile control unit handler (FCUH)  40  that controls a facsimile control unit (FCU) (described below) and an image memory handler (IMH)  41  that allocates memory regions to processes and manages the allocated memory regions. The SRM  39  and the FCUH  40  request the hardware resources  4  to operate by issuing functions predefined as an engine interface (I/F)  54 .  
         [0093]     According to the structure shown in  FIG. 1 , the platform  6  of the MFP  1  can monistically provide the applications with services that are commonly used by the applications. The hardware structure of the MFP  1  is described below.  
         [0094]      FIG. 2  shows the hardware structure of the MFP  1  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The MFP  1  includes a controller  60 , an operations panel  80 , the FCU  81 , and an engine unit  82 .  
         [0095]     The controller  60  includes a CPU  61 , a system memory  62 , a NB  63 , a SB  64 , an ASIC  66 , a local memory  67 , an HDD  68 , a NIC  69 , an SD card slot  70 , a USB I/F  71 , an IEEE 1394 I/F  72 , and a Centronics I/F  73 .  
         [0096]     The operations panel  80  is connected to the ASIC  66  of the controller  60 . The FCU  81  and the engine unit  82  are connected to the ASIC  66  of the controller  60  via a PCI bus  83 .  
         [0097]     The local memory  67  and the HDD  68  are connected to the ASIC  66 . The CPU  61  and the ASIC  66  are connected to each other via the NB  63  (a CPU chip set). The ASIC  66  and the NB  63  are connected to each other via an AGP (accelerated graphics port)  65 .  
         [0098]     The CPU  61  controls the entire system of the MFP  1 . The CPU  61  activates the plurality of service modules  31  through  38  (the control service layer  9 ), the SRM  39 , and the FCUH  40  and IMH  41  (the handler layer  10 , and then, activates the printer application  21 , the copy application  22 , the facsimile application  23 , the scanner application  24 , and the net file application  25  (the application layer  5 ).  
         [0099]     The NB (north bridge)  63  is a bridge that connects the CPU  61 , the system memory  62 , the SB  64 , and the ASIC  66 , the NIC  69 , the SD card slot  70 , the USB I/F  71 , the IEEE 1394 I/F  72 , and the Centronics I/F  73  to one another. The NB  63  is connected to the SB  64 , the NIC  69 , the SD card slot  70 , the USB I/F  71 , the IEEE 1394 I/F  72 , and the Centronics I/F  73  via the PCI bus  74 . The SB (south bridge)  64  is a bridge that connects ROM and peripheral devices to the PCI bus  74 .  
         [0100]     The system memory  62  is memory used for image forming. The local memory  67  is used as an image buffer for copying a document and a code buffer. The ASIC  66  is an application specific integrated circuit designed for various hardware elements used for image forming. The HDD  68  is a storage device in which image data, document data, programs, font data, and forms, for example, are stored.  
         [0101]     The NIC (network interface card)  69  connects the MFP  1  to the network such as the Internet and a LAN. The SD card slot  70  is an adaptor to which an SD card is inserted. The SD card slot  70  issues an interrupt to its device driver in response to the insertion or the removal of the SD card.  
         [0102]     The USB I/F  71 , the IEEE 1394 I/F  72 , and the Centronics I/F  73  are interfaces supporting corresponding standards. The operations panel  80  is an operations unit that receives inputs from an operator and displays information to the operator. The FCU  81  includes a battery-backed up memory unit in which facsimile messages received while the MFP  1  is turned off are temporally stored.  
         [0103]      FIG. 3  shows the structure of the MFP activation unit according to an embodiment. When the MFP  1  is turned on, the MFP activation unit  3  is first activated. Then, the MFP activation unit  3  activates the application layer  5  and the platform  6 . The MFP activation unit  3  includes a ROM monitor  51  and a program activation unit  52 . Processing of the MFP activation unit  3  is described with reference to a flowchart of  FIG. 4 .  
       First Embodiment  
       [0104]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the MFP activation unit. In step S 1 , when the MFP  1  is turned on, the BIOS and the ROM monitor  51  (boot loader) are executed. The ROM monitor  51  initializes the hardware of the MFP  1 , diagnoses the controller  60 , and initializes the software of the MFP  1 , for example. In step S 2  after step S 1 , the ROM monitor  51  loads the OS and the root file system in the system memory  62  and activates them. The OS mounts the root file system.  
         [0105]     In step S 3  after step S 2 , the OS acquires, as soon as it is activated, information about devices connected to the controller  60 . The information includes the clock frequency of the CPU  61 , the memory size of the system memory  62  and the local memory  57 , and the board type of the controller  60 , for example.  
         [0106]     In step S 4  after step S 3 , the OS activates the program activation unit  52  (application/service activation program). The program activation unit  52  reserves memory regions in the system memory  62  and the local memory  67 . The program activation unit  52  is the first process that is activated in the MFP  1 . In step S 5  after step S 4 , the program activation unit  52  mounts the file system in compliance with a configuration file.  
         [0107]     The program activation unit  52  activates a check program in compliance with the configuration file of the program activation unit  52 . The program activation unit  52  determines whether the check program is completed, and in accordance with the determination, further determines whether the program activation unit  52  should activate a program (hereinafter referred to a “main program”) of the application layer  5  and/or the platform  6 .  
         [0108]     When the program activation unit  52  determines that it should activate the main program, the program activation unit  52  reads the main program from the ROM, for example, in accordance with the configuration file, and loads the read main program in the memory regions reserved in the system memory  62  and the local memory  67 . Then, the program activation unit  52  activates the main program. Processing of the program activation unit  52  in step S 5  is described in further detail.  
         [0109]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart showing processing of the program activation unit  52 . In step S 10 , the program activation unit  52  interprets the configuration file. In step S 11  after step S 10 , the program activation unit  52  mounts the file system in compliance with the configuration file.  
         [0110]     In step S 12  after step S 11 , the program activation unit  52  reads an “exec” command written in the configuration file, and determines whether the “exec” command has a “−c” option therein.  FIG. 6  shows an exemplary configuration file. In this case, the program activation unit  52  determines that the “exec” command in the first line has a “−c” option. If the program activation unit  52  determines that there is a “−c” option in the “exec” command (YES in step S 12 ), in step S 13 , the program activation unit  52  activates the check program designated by the “−c” option. In the case of the configuration file shown in  FIG. 6 , the program activation unit  52  activates a check program “fcucheck” designated in the “exec” command in the first line.  
         [0111]     The activated check program checks the hardware resources (whether a specific hardware resource exists, and whether the existing hardware resource satisfies a predetermined performance requirement, for example), and informs the program activation unit  52  of the result of the check.  
         [0112]     In step S 14  after step S 13 , the program activation unit  52  determines whether the check program has been normally completed based on the result of the check reported by the check program. If the program activation unit  52  determines that the check program has been normally completed (YES in step S 14 ), the process proceeds to step S 15 . In step S 15 , the program activation unit  52  activates the main program designated in the “exec” command. For example, in the case of the configuration file shown in  FIG. 6 , the program activation unit  52  activates the main program “/fax/bin/fax” designated in the “exec” command in the first line.  
         [0113]     In step S 16  after step S 15 , the program activation unit  52  determines whether there remains any main program that is to be activated, that is, whether there is any “exec” command that remains unread in the configuration file. If the program activation unit  52  determines that there is an unread “exec” command (YES in step S 16 ), the program activation unit  52  returns to step S 12 , and reads the unread “exec” command from the configuration file. Steps after step S 12  are then executed again.  
         [0114]     On the other hand, if the program activation unit  52  determines that no unread “exec” command remains in the configuration file (NO in step S 16 ), processing of the program activation unit  52  ends. In addition, if the program activation unit  52  determines that an “exec” command has no “−c” option (No in step S 12 ), the process proceeds to step S 15 . The program activation unit  52  activates the main program designated in the “exec” command. If an “exec” command is accompanied by a “−c” option, the program activation unit  52  always activates the main program that is designated in the “exec” command.  
         [0115]     In step S 14 , if the program activation unit  52  determines that the check program has not completed normally (NO in step S 14 ), the process proceeds to step S 16 . If the execution of the check program ended abnormally, the program activation unit  52  does not activate the main program designated in the “exec” command.  
         [0116]     As described above with reference to the flowchart shown in  FIG. 5 , the program activation unit  52 , if the execution of the check program ended normally, activates the main program designated in the “exec” command, and if the execution of the check program ended abnormally, does not activates the main program designated in the “exec” command.  
         [0117]     A description of processing of a plurality of check programs included in the configuration file shown in  FIG. 6  is given below. Since the “exec” command in the first line of the configuration file shown in  FIG. 6  includes a “−c” option, the check program “fcucheck” is activated. The check program “fcucheck” activated by the program activation unit  52  performs, for example, processing shown in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0118]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart showing exemplary processing of the check program “fcucheck”. In step S 20 , the check program opens the device driver of the FCU  81 . In step S 21  after step S 20 , the check program determines whether the opening of the device driver is successful.  
         [0119]     If the check program determines that the opening of the device driver is successful (YES in step S 21 ), the process proceeds to step S 23 . The check program determines that the FCU  81  is connected to the MFP  1 , and sends a value “0” indicating the successful opening to the program activation unit  52 . If the check program determines that that the opening of the device driver is unsuccessful (NO in step S 21 ), the process proceeds to step S 22 . The check program determines whether the device driver of the FCU  81  has been opened and consequently busy. The check program determines whether the FCU  81  is busy by determining whether “errno” contains “EBUSY”.  
         [0120]     If the check program determines that the FCU  81  is already opened and busy (YES in step S 22 ), the process proceeds to step S 24 . The check program determines that the FCU  81  is connected to the MFP  1 , and the check program sends a value “0” indicating its successful completion to the program activation unit  52 . However, if the check program does not determine that the FCU  81  has been opened and busy (NO in step S 22 ), the process proceeds to step S 25 . The check program determines that the FCU  81  is not connected to the MFP  1 , and sends a value “1” indicating its abnormal completion to the program activation unit  52 .  
         [0121]     According to processing described in the flowchart shown in  FIG. 7 , if the FCU  81  is connected to the MFP  1 , the check program informs the program activation unit  52  of its normal ending. If the FCU  81  is not connected to the MFP  1 , the check program informs the program activation unit  52  of its abnormal ending. In response to receipt of information about the check program&#39;s normal ending, the program activation unit  52  activates the application “fax”. However, the program activation unit  52 , in response to receipt of information about the check program&#39;s abnormal ending, does not activate the application “fax”.  
         [0122]     According to the above arrangement, using the information indicating normal ending or abnormal ending of the check program, the program activation unit  52 , if the FCU  81  is connected to the MFP  1 , can activate the application “fax”, and if the FCU  81  is not connected to the MFP  1 , can avoid activating the application “fax”. In other words, the program activation unit  52  can control the activation of the FCU  81  based on the determination of whether the FCU  81  is connected to the MFP  1 . Processing of the check program is described using the FCU  81  as an example of the hardware resource with reference to the flowchart shown in  FIG. 7 . The hardware resource is not limited to the FCU  81 . The hardware resource may be an optional board, for example, to be connected to the MFP  1 . According to the flowchart shown in  FIG. 7 , the MFP  1  can control the activation of the programs of the application layer and/or platform based on the information of whether the optional board, for example, is connected thereto.  
         [0123]     Referring to the configuration file shown in  FIG. 6 , when processing of the “exec” command in the first line is completed, the “exec” command in the second line is executed. Because the “exec” command in the second line includes a “−c” option, another check program “cpucheck 1 ” is activated. Processing of the check program “cpucheck 1 ” is shown, for example, in the flowchart of  FIG. 8 .  
         [0124]      FIG. 8  shows a flowchart of exemplary processing of the check program “cpucheck 1 ”. In step S 30 , the check program issues a system call “getINFO(CPU)”, and acquires the clock frequency included in device information of the CPU  61 .  
         [0125]     In step S 31  after step S 30 , the check program determines whether the clock frequency of the CPU  61  acquired in step S 30  is 500 MHz or less. If the check program determines that the clock frequency is 500 MHz or less (YES in step S 31 ), the process proceeds to step S 32 , and the check program sends a value “0” indicating the normal ending of the check program to the program activation unit  52 . If the check program determines that the clock frequency is not 500 MHz or less (NO in step S 31 ), the process proceeds to step S 33 , and the check program sends a value “1” indicating the abnormal ending of the check program to the program activation unit  52 .  
         [0126]     According to processing shown in the flowchart of  FIG. 8 , if the clock frequency of the CPU  61  is 500 MHz or less, the check program informs the program activation unit  52  that the check program has normally ended, and if the clock frequency of the CPU  61  is not 500 MHz or less, the check program informs the program activation unit  52  that the check program has abnormally ended. In response to receipt of the information that the check program has normally ended, the program activation unit  52  activates an application “setfont_bitmap” designated in the “exec” command, but in response to receipt of the information that the check program has abnormally ended, the program activation unit  52  avoid activating the application “setfont_bitmap”.  
         [0127]     According to the above arrangement, using the information sent from the check program as to whether the check program has ended normally, the program activation unit sets the bitmap font as the default font of the printer. Accordingly, even if the clock frequency of the CPU  61  is 500 MHz or less, the program activation unit  52  can cause the MFP  1  to print data at high speed using the bit map font as the default font.  
         [0128]     Referring to the configuration file shown in  FIG. 6 , after executing the “exec” command in the second line, the program activation unit executes the “exec” command in the third line. Since the “exec” command in the third line includes the “−c” option, a check program “cpucheck 2 ” is activated. The check program “cpucheck 2 ” activated by the program activation unit  52  performs, for example, processing as shown in  FIG. 9 .  
         [0129]      FIG. 9  shows an exemplary flowchart showing processing of the check program “cpucheck 2 ”. In step S 40 , the check program issues a system call “getINFO(CPU)”, and acquires the clock frequency included in device information of the CPU  61  from the OS.  
         [0130]     In step S 41  after step S 40 , the check program determines whether the clock frequency of the CPU  61  acquired in step S 40  is 501 MHz or higher. If the check program determines that the clock frequency is 501 MHz or higher (YES in step S 41 ), the process proceeds to step S 42 , and the check program sends a value “0” indicating the normal ending of the check program to the program activation unit  52 . If the check program determines that the clock frequency is not 501 MHz or higher (NO in step S 41 ), the process proceeds to step S 43 , and the check program sends a value “1” indicating the abnormal ending of the check program to the program activation unit  52 .  
         [0131]     According to processing shown in the flowchart of  FIG. 9 , if the clock frequency of the CPU  61  is 501 MHz or higher, the check program informs the program activation unit  52  that the check program has normally ended, and if the clock frequency of the CPU  61  is not 501 MHz or higher, the check program informs the program activation unit  52  that the check program has abnormally ended. In response to receipt of the information that the check program has normally ended, the program activation unit  52  activates an application “setfont_vector” designated in the “exec” command, but in response to receipt of the information that the check program has abnormally ended, the program activation unit  52  avoid activating the application “setfont_vector”.  
         [0132]     According to the above arrangement, using the information sent from the check program as to whether the check program has ended normally, the program activation unit  52  sets the vector font as the default font of the printer. Accordingly, if the clock frequency of the CPU  61  is 501 MHz or higher, the program activation unit  52  can cause the MFP  1  to print high quality fine images using the vector font as the default font.  
         [0133]     According to the flowcharts shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the MFP  1  according to an embodiment of the present invention can print data using, when the CPU  61  is provided with a higher clock frequency, the vector fonts so as to output images of high quality and, when the CPU  61  is provided with a lower clock frequency, the bit map fonts so as to accelerate the outputting of images.  
         [0134]     When the “exec” command in the third line is executed, the next “exec” command in the fourth line is executed. Since the fourth “exec” command in the configuration file shown in  FIG. 6  is accompanied by the “−c” option, a check program “memcheck 1 ” is activated. The check program “memcheck 1 ” activated by the program activation unit  52  performs, for example, processing shown in  FIG. 10 .  
         [0135]      FIG. 10  shows exemplary processing of the check program “memcheck 1 ”. In step S 50 , the check program issues a system call “getINFO(mem)”, and acquires information about the memory size (combined memory size) of the system memory  62  and the local memory  67  stored in the device information from the OS. In step S 51  after step S 50 , the check program determines whether the memory size acquired in step S 50  is 64 MB or more and 128 MB or less.  
         [0136]     If a determination is made that the memory size is 64 MB or more and 128 MB or less (YES in step S 51 ), the process proceeds to step S 52 , and the check program sends a value “0” indicating its normal ending to the program activation unit  52 . If a determination is made that the memory size is not 64 MB or more and 128 MB or less (NO in step S 51 ), the process proceeds to step S 53 , and the check program sends a value “1” indicating its abnormal ending to the program activation unit  52 .  
         [0137]     According to processing shown in the flowchart of  FIG. 10 , the check program can inform the program activation unit  52  that, if the memory size is 64 MB or more and 128 MB or less, the check program has ended normally, and if the memory size is not 64 MB or more and 128 MB or less, the check program has ended abnormally. In response to receipt of information from the check program that the check program has ended normally, the program activation unit  52  activates five http daemons (hereinafter referred to as “httpd”) and, in response to receipt of information from the check program that the check program has ended abnormally, the program activation unit  52  does not activate the httpds.  
         [0138]     According to the above arrangement, the program activation unit  52  can determine the number of activated daemons depending on the information from the check program as to whether it has ended normally. If the memory size of the system memory  62  and the local memory  67  is small, the program activation unit  52  can reduce the number of activated daemons so as to save memory.  
         [0139]     After the fourth “exec” command of the configuration file shown in  FIG. 6  is executed, the “exec” command in the fifth line is executed. Because the fifth “exec” command is accompanied by a “−c” option, a check program “memcheck 2 ” is activated. The check program “memcheck 2 ” performs processing shown in  FIG. 11 , for example.  
         [0140]      FIG. 11  shows exemplary processing of the check program “memcheck 2 ”. In step S 60 , the check program issues a system call “getINFO(mem)”, and acquires information about the memory size of the system memory  62  and the local memory  67  stored in the device information from the OS. In step S 61  after step S 60 , the check program determines whether the memory size acquired in step S 60  is 128 MB or more.  
         [0141]     If a determination is made that the memory size is 128 MB or more (YES in step S 61 ), the process proceeds to step S 62 , and the check program sends a value “0” indicating its normal ending to the program activation unit  52 . If a determination is made that the memory size is not 128 MB or more (NO in step S 61 ), the process proceeds to step S 63 , and the check program sends a value “1” indicating its abnormal ending to the program activation unit  52 .  
         [0142]     According to processing shown in the flowchart of  FIG. 11 , the check program can inform the program activation unit  52  that, if the memory size is 128 MB or mote, the check program has ended normally, and if the memory size is not 128 MB or more, the check program has ended abnormally. In response to receipt of information from the check program that the check program has ended normally, the program activation unit  52  activates ten httpds and, in response to receipt of information from the check program that the check program has ended abnormally, the program activation unit  52  does not activate the httpds.  
         [0143]     According to the above arrangement, the program activation unit  52  can determine the number of activated daemons depending on the information from the check program as to whether it has ended normally. If the memory size of the system memory  62  and the local memory  67  is large, the program activation unit  52  can increase the number of activated daemons so as to improve the response of the MFP  1  to requests from clients.  
         [0144]     According to processing shown in the flowcharts of  FIGS. 10 and 11 , the MFP  1  according to an embodiment of the present invention can determine the number of httpds depending on the memory size of the system memory  62  and the local memory  67 .  
         [0145]     Referring to another configuration file shown in  FIG. 12 , a description of a check program is given below. The configuration file includes a “mount” command accompanied with a “−c” option. Accordingly, When the “mount” command is executed, a check program “hddnonexist” is activated first. The check program, when activated by the program activation unit  52 , performs processing shown in  FIG. 13 , for example.  
         [0146]      FIG. 13  is a flowchart showing exemplary processing of the check program “hddnonexist”. In step S 70 , the check program issues a system call “getINFO(hdd)”, and acquires information as to whether a HDD is connected (stored in the device information) from the OS.  
         [0147]     In step S 71  after step S 70 , the check program determines whether the HDD is connected to the MFP  1  based on the information acquired in step S 70 . If a determination is made that no HDD is connected to the MFP  1  (NO in step S 71 ), the process proceeds to step S 72 , and the check program sends a value “0” indicating that the check has ended normally to the program activation unit  52 . On the other hand, if a determination is made that a HDD is connected to the MFP  1  (YES in step S 71 ), the process proceeds to step S 72 , and the check program sends a value “1” indicating that the check program has ended abnormally to the program activation unit  52 .  
         [0148]     According to processing shown in the flowchart of  FIG. 13 , if no HDD is connected to the MFP  1 , the check program can inform the program activation unit  52  of its normal ending. If a HDD is connected to the MFP  1 , the check program can inform the program activation unit  52  of its abnormal ending. In response to receipt of the value indicating normal ending from the check program, the program activation unit  52  mounts a ramdisk. Specifically, “/dev/md0c” is mounted to the mount point “/ramdisk”. In response to receipt of the value indicating abnormal ending, the program activation unit  52  does not mount the ramdisk.  
         [0149]     According to the above arrangement, using the information from the check program, the program activation unit  52 , when no HDD is connected, mounts the ramdisk and, when a HDD is connected, does not mount the ramdisk. That is, even if no HDD is provided to the MFP  1 , the MFP  1  can use the ramdisk as a local storage device for PDL storage. If a HDD is connected to the MFP  1 , the MFP  1  can use the HDD as a local storage device for PDL storage.  
         [0150]     Referring to  FIG. 14 , a further description of a check program contained in the configuration file is given below. The configuration file shown in  FIG. 14  is stored in a SD card. “abc.cnf” denotes a configuration file, and “module/abc.mod” denotes a module file that is to be mounted and executed.  
         [0151]     Since the configuration file shown in  FIG. 14  is accompanied by a “−c” option, a check program “sdcommand” is activated. The check program “sdcommand” activated by the program activation unit  52  performs, for example, processing shown in  FIG. 16 .  
         [0152]      FIG. 16  is a flowchart showing exemplary processing of the check program “sdcommand”. In step S 80 , the check program interprets the configuration file shown in  FIG. 14 . In step S 81  after step S 80 , the check program determines whether a SD command is included in the configuration file based on the interpretation performed in step S 80 . If a determination is made that a SD command is included (YES in step S 81 ), the process proceeds to step S 82 . If a determination is made that no SD command is included in the configuration file (NO in step S 81 ), the process proceeds to step S 83 .  
         [0153]     In step S 82 , the check program determines whether a slot designated by the SD command and a slot into which a SD card is inserted match. The slot designated in the SD command in the configuration file shown in  FIG. 14  is “2”. If the slot into which the SD card is inserted is “2”, the check program determines that the slot designated in the SD command and the slot into which the SD card is inserted match.  
         [0154]     If a determination is made that the slot designated in the SD command and the slot into which the SD card is inserted match (YES in step S 82 ), the check program proceeds to step S 83  and sends a value “0” indicating that the check program has ended normally to the program activation unit  52 . Otherwise, the check program proceeds to step S 84  and sends a value “1” indicating that the check program has ended abnormally to the program activation unit  52 .  
         [0155]     According to the processing shown in the flowchart of  FIG. 16 , when the slot designated in the SD command and the slot into which the SD card is inserted match, the check program can inform the program activation unit  52  of the normal ending of the check program. When the slot designated in the SD command and the slot into which the SD card is inserted do not match, the check program can inform the program activation unit  52  of the abnormal ending of the check program.  
         [0156]     In response to receipt of information indicating normal ending, the program activation unit  52  mounts the ROMFS-formatted module file “abc.mod” compressed with gzip to the mount point “/mnt”, and executes the module file. The program activation unit  52 , in response to receipt of information indicating abnormal ending, does not mount and execute the module file.  
         [0157]     According to the above arrangement, the program activation unit  52  can avoid mounting the module file stored in the SD card inserted in a slot that is not designated by the SD command by using the information indicating whether the ending is normal, sent from the check program.  
         [0158]     The configuration file shown in  FIG. 6  is based on relations among the main programs, the check programs, the program activation unit  52 , the OS, and the hardware resources, for example, as shown in  FIG. 17 .  FIG. 17  is a relation diagram showing the main programs, the check programs, the program activation unit  52 , the OS, and the hardware resources.  
         [0159]     The program activation unit  52  activates the check programs in a designated order and, if the check program ends normally, activates the main program corresponding to the check program. In  FIG. 17 , the main program and the check program surrounded by a dotted line correspond to each other.  
         [0160]     The check programs and the main programs may have 1-to-1 relations as shown in  FIG. 17 , or they may have 1-to-n relations as shown in  FIG. 18 .  
         [0161]      FIG. 18  is a relation diagram in which a plurality of main programs are related to a check program. In  FIG. 18 , the check program “a” corresponds to the main programs “a” and “b”. The program activation unit  52  activates the check program “a”, and if the check program “a” is completed normally, activates the main programs “a” and “b”. When the check program “a” corresponds to the main programs “a” and “b” as shown in  FIG. 18 , the 1-to-2 relation, for example, may be represented in the configuration file as shown in  FIG. 19 .  FIG. 19  shows an exemplary configuration file in which the check program and the main programs have a 1-to-2 relation. Processing of the program activation unit  52  is identical to that shown in  FIG. 5 , therefore no further description is given.  
         [0162]     If multiple main programs in a directory need to be activated based on the determination by the same check program, the program activation unit  52  may prevent the directory from being mounted.  
         [0163]      FIG. 20  shows an exemplary configuration file in which a directory is prevented from being mounted. In the configuration file shown in  FIG. 20 , the program activation unit  52  activates a check program “memcheck 3 ” of the “mount” command in the first line. For example, an assumption is made that, if the memory size of the system memory  62  and the local memory  67  is 64 MB or more, the check program “memcheck 3 ” shown in  FIG. 20  be completed normally.  
         [0164]     The program activation unit  52 , if the check program is normally completed, mounts “web.romfs” designated in the “mount” command to a directory “/web”. If the check program is abnormally completed, the program activation unit  52  does not mount the “web.romfs” designated in the “mount” command to the directory “/web”. In this case, if the “mount” command shown in  FIG. 20  is followed by the “exec” commands shown in  FIG. 6 , the program “/web/bin/httpd” under the directory “/web” becomes not executable. Accordingly, the program activation unit  52  can prevent the system memory  62  and the local memory  67  from being wasted depending on their memory size.  
         [0165]     “Mount” processing of the configuration file shown in  FIG. 20  is performed in step S 11  of the flowchart shown in  FIG. 5 . The configuration file shown in  FIG. 20  is an example in which the directory is prevented from being mounted depending on the memory size. According to another embodiment, the directory may be prevented from being mounted depending on the determination as to whether a specific hardware resource is connected and/or whether the CPU satisfies a predetermined performance requirement, for example.  
         [0166]      FIG. 18  shows the exemplary 1-to-n relation of the check program and the main programs. According to another embodiment, the check programs and the main program may have an n-to-1 relation.  
         [0167]      FIG. 21  is a relation diagram in which the check programs and the main program have an n-to-1 relation. In  FIG. 21 , check programs “a” and “b” relate to a main program “a”. The program activation unit  52  activates the check programs “a” and “b”, and if the check programs “a” and “b” are completed normally, activates the main program “a” corresponding to the check programs “a” and “b”. In the case in which the check programs “a” and “b” correlate to the main program “a”, such case may be represented by the configuration file shown in  FIG. 22 .  FIG. 22  shows an exemplary configuration file.  
         [0168]     In the configuration file shown in  FIG. 22 , an “exec” command is accompanied by two “−c” options with check programs “check program a” and check program b”. The program activation unit  52  activates the check programs “a” and “b” in step S 13  shown in  FIG. 5 . The program activation unit  52  determines whether both check programs “a” and “b” are completed normally in step S 14 , and if a determination is made that both check programs have ended normally, activates the main program “a” designated by the “exec” command. Since processing of the program activation unit  52  other than step S 13  and S 14  is identical to that shown in  FIG. 5 , no further description is given here.  
         [0169]     The same check program may need to be activated more than once in accordance with the configuration file. In this case, it is preferred that the determination made by the first execution of the check program be stored and, when the same check program is to be executed, the stored determination is referred to instead of activating the same check program. According to processing as shown in  FIGS. 23 and 24 , the MFP  1  according to an embodiment of the present invention can use the previous determination by the check program so as to reduce processing time.  
         [0170]      FIGS. 23 and 24  show a flowchart of exemplary processing of the program activation unit  52  and the check program. Since steps S 90  through S 93  are identical to steps S 10  through S 13 , respectively, shown in  FIG. 5 , their description is omitted.  
         [0171]     In step S 94 , the check program activated in step S 93  determines whether the result of the previous determination is stored in a predetermined memory region, that is, whether the determination has been made by the check program. The predetermined memory region in which the result of the previous determination is stored may be a memory region that the process of the check program can access directly without being mediated by the OS. If a determination is made that the result of the previous determination is stored (YES in step S 94 ), the process proceeds to step S 95 . The check program reads the result of the previous determination from the predetermined memory region, and informs the program activation unit  52  of the read result. The process then proceeds to step S 98 . If a determination is made that no result of determination is stored (NO in step S 94 ), the check program proceeds to step S 96 , and determines, for example, whether a specific hardware resource is connected.  
         [0172]     In step S 97  after step S 96 , the check program writes the result of the determination in the predetermined memory region. After informing the program activation unit  52  of the result of determination, the check program proceeds to step S 98 . Because steps S 98  through S 100  are identical to steps S 14  through S 16  shown in  FIG. 5 , respectively, their description is omitted here. According to processing shown in the flowchart of  FIGS. 23 and 24 , the MFP  1  can use the result of a previous determination made by the same check program and prevent the same check program from being activated more than once.  
         [0173]     When the MFP  1  is turned on, the MFP  1  may activate all check programs, and write the result of determinations made by the activated check programs in the predetermined memory region. In this case, the MFP  1  can use the result of determinations written in the predetermined memory region. Accordingly, the MFP  1  can reduce processing time.  
       Second Embodiment  
       [0174]     In the above embodiment, before activating a main program, the program activation unit  52  activates a check program corresponding to the main program and has the check program determine whether a specific hardware resource is connected to the MFP  1 , for example. If the check program determines that the specific hardware resource is connected, the program activation unit  52  activates the main program, but if the check program determines that the specific hardware resource is not connected, the program activation unit  52  does not activate the main program.  
         [0175]     In this embodiment of the present invention, however, the program activation unit  52  itself determines whether the specific hardware resource is connected to the MFP  1 , for example. If the program activation unit  52  determines that the specific hardware resource is connected, the program activation unit  52  activates the main program, but if the program activation unit  52  determines that the specific hardware resource is not connected, the program activation unit  52  does not activate the main program.  
         [0176]     An MFP according to the second embodiment of the present invention is described below. The MFP according to the second embodiment is almost identical to the MFP  1  according to the first embodiment, but is different in that the program activation unit itself determines whether the specific hardware resource is connected to the MFP, for example. Elements identical to those of the MFP  1  according to the first embodiment are referred to by the same numerals and their description may be omitted.  
         [0177]      FIG. 25  is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the MFP activation unit according to the second embodiment. Since steps S 101  through S 104  are identical to steps S 1  through S 4  shown in  FIG. 4 , their description is omitted here.  
         [0178]     In step S 105  after step S 104 , the program activation unit  52  mounts the file system in accordance with a configuration file.  
         [0179]     The program activation unit  52  checks the hardware resources, that is, determines whether a specific hardware resource is connected to the MFP  1  and/or whether a specific hardware resource satisfies certain conditions, for example (hereinafter the determination may be referred to as “check processing”). The program activation unit  52  determines whether to activate a program of the application layer  5  and/or the platform  6  (the program may be referred to as a “main program”) designated in the configuration file by determining whether the check processing is completed normally.  
         [0180]     When the program activation unit  52  determines that it should activate the main program, the program activation unit  52  reads the main program from the ROM, for example, in accordance with the configuration file, and loads the read main program in the memory region reserved in the system memory  62  and the local memory  67 . Then, the program activation unit  52  activates the main program as a process. Processing of the program activation unit  52  in step S 105  is described in further detail.  
         [0181]      FIG. 26  is a flowchart showing processing of the program activation unit  52 . In step S 110 , the program activation unit  52  interprets the configuration file. In step S 111  after step S 110 , the program activation unit  52  mounts the file system in accordance with the configuration file.  
         [0182]     In step S 112  after step S 111 , the program activation unit  52  reads an “exec” command written in the configuration file, and determines whether the “exec” command has an “−h” option therein.  FIG. 27  shows an exemplary configuration file. In this case, the program activation unit  52  determines that the “exec” command in the first line has an “−h” option. If the program activation unit  52  determines that there is “−h” option in the “exec” command (YES in step S 112 ), in step S 113 , the program activation unit  52  performs the check processing designated by the “exec” command. In the case of the configuration file shown in  FIG. 27 , the program activation unit  52  performs a check processing “fcucheck” designated in the “exec” command in the first line. In the check processing in step S 113 , the program activation unit  52  checks the hardware resources (performs check processing) and acquires the result of the check processing.  
         [0183]     In step S 114  after step S 113 , the program activation unit  52  determines whether the check processing has been normally completed based on the acquired result of the check processing. If the program activation unit  52  determines that the check processing has been normally completed (YES in step S 114 ), the process proceeds to step S 115 .  
         [0184]     In step S 115 , the program activation unit  52  activates the main program designated in the “exec” command. For example, in the case of the configuration file shown in  FIG. 27 , the program activation unit  52  activates a main program “/fax/bin/fax” designated in the “exec” command in the first line. Then, the program activation unit  14  terminates the check processing.  
         [0185]     In step S 116  after step S 115 , the program activation unit  52  determines whether there remains any main program that is to be activated, that is, whether there is any “exec” command remains unread in the configuration file. If the program activation unit  52  determines that there is an unread “exec” command (YES in step S 116 ), the program activation unit  52  returns to step S 112 , and reads the unread “exec” command from the configuration file. The process returns to step S 112 , and steps after step S 112  are executed.  
         [0186]     On the other hand, if the program activation unit  52  determines that no unread “exec” command remains in the configuration file (NO in step S 116 ), processing of the program activation unit  52  ends. In addition, if the program activation unit  52  determines that an “exec” command has no “−h” option (No in step S 112 ), the process proceeds to step S 115 . The program activation unit  52  activates the main program designated in the “exec” command. If an “exec” command is not accompanied with “−h” option, the program activation unit  52  does not perform the check processing, and activates the main program that is designated in the “exec” command.  
         [0187]     In step S 114 , if the program activation unit  52  determines that the check processing has not completed normally (NO in step S 114 ), the process proceeds to step S 116 . That is, if the performance of the check processing ended abnormally, the program activation unit  52  does not activate the main program designated in the “exec” command.  
         [0188]     As described above with reference to the flowchart shown in  FIG. 26 , the program activation unit  52 , if the check processing is normally completed, activates the main program designated in the “exec” command, and if the check processing is abnormally completed, does not activates the main program designated in the “exec” command.  
         [0189]     In the above description, the case of an “exec” command is described. In the case of a “mount” command, if the check processing is normally completed, the program activation unit  52  mounts a directory as designated in the “mount” command, for example. If the check processing is abnormally completed, the program activation unit  52  does not mount the directory. In this case, as a result, the MFP  1  can prevent the directory from being mounted.  
         [0190]     Referring to the configuration file shown in  FIG. 27 , a description is given of a plurality of check processings. Since the “exec” command in the first line of the configuration file shown in  FIG. 27  includes an “−h” option, the program activation unit  52  performs the check processing “fcucheck”. The check processing “fcucheck” performed by the program activation unit  52  is shown in  FIG. 28 .  
         [0191]      FIG. 28  is a flowchart showing the check processing “fcucheck” according to an embodiment. In step S 120 , the program activation unit  52  opens the device driver of the FCU  81 . In step S 121  after step S 120 , the program activation unit  52  determines whether the device driver is successfully opened.  
         [0192]     If the program activation unit  52  determines that the device driver is successfully opened (YES in step S 121 ), the process proceeds to step S 123 . The program activation unit  52  determines that the FCU  81  is connected to the MFP  1 , and acquires a result indicating the successful opening. If the program activation unit determines that that the opening of the device driver is unsuccessful (NO in step S 121 ), the process proceeds to step S 122 . The program activation unit  52  determines whether the device driver of the FCU  81  is busy. The program activation unit  52  may be able to determine whether the FCU  81  is busy by determining whether “errono” contains “EBUSY”.  
         [0193]     If the program activation unit  52  determines that the FCU  81  is already opened and busy (YES in step S 122 ), the process proceeds to step S 124 . The program activation unit  52  determines that the FCU  81  is connected to the MFP  1 , and acquires a result indicating a normal completion. However, if the program activation unit  52  does not determine that the FCU  81  is busy (NO in step S 122 ), the process proceeds to step S 125 . The program activation unit  52  determines that the FCU  81  is not connected to the MFP  1 , and acquires the result indicating abnormal completion.  
         [0194]     According to processing described in the flowchart shown in  FIG. 28 , if the FCU  81  is connected to the MFP  1 , the program activation unit  52  acquires the result indicating normal completion of the check processing. If the FCU  81  is not connected to the MFP  1 , the program activation unit  52  acquires the result indicating abnormal completion of the check processing. In response to acquisition of the result indicating normal completion of the check processing, the program activation unit  52  activates the application “fax”. However, in response to acquisition of the result indicating abnormal completion of the check processing, the program activation unit  52  does not activate the application “fax”.  
         [0195]     According to the above arrangement, using the result indicating normal completion or abnormal completion of the check processing, the program activation unit  52 , if the FCU  81  is connected to the MFP  1 , can activate the application “fax”, and if the FCU  81  is not connected to the MFP  1 , can prevent the application “fax” from being activated. In other words, the program activation unit  52  can control the activation of the FCU  81  based on the determination as to whether the FCU  81  is connected to the MFP  1 . Processing of the program activation unit is described above using the FCU  81  as an example of the hardware resource with reference to the flowchart shown in  FIG. 28 . The hardware resource is not limited to the FCU  81 , but is any device related to image forming. The hardware resource may be an optional board, for example, to be connected to the MFP  1 . According to the flowchart shown in  FIG. 28 , the MFP  1  can control the activation of the programs (main programs) of the application layer and/or platform based on the information as to whether the optional board, for example, is connected thereto.  
         [0196]     Referring to the configuration file shown in  FIG. 27 , when processing of the “exec” command in the first line is completed, the “exec” command in the second line is executed. Because the “exec” command in the second line includes an “−h” option, another check processing “cpucheck 1 ” is performed. The program activation unit  52  performs the check processing “cpucheck 1 ” as shown in the flowchart of  FIG. 29 , for example.  
         [0197]      FIG. 29  shows a flowchart of the check processing “cpucheck 1 ” according to an embodiment. In step S 130 , the program activation unit  52  issues a system call “getINFO(CPU)”, and acquires the clock frequency included in device information of the CPU  61  from the OS.  
         [0198]     In step S 131  after step S 130 , the program activation unit  52  determines whether the clock frequency of the CPU  61  acquired in step S 130  is 500 MHz or lower. If the program activation unit  52  determines that the clock frequency is 500 MHz or lower (YES in step S 131 ), the process proceeds to step S 132 , and the program activation unit  52  acquires the result indicating normal completion of the check processing. If the program activation unit  52  determines that the clock frequency is not 500 MHz or lower (NO in step S 131 ), the process proceeds to step S 133 , and the program activation unit  52  acquires the result indicating abnormal completion of the check processing.  
         [0199]     According to processing shown in the flowchart of  FIG. 29 , if the clock frequency of the CPU  61  is 500 MHz or lower, the program activation unit  52  acquires the result indicating normal completion of the check processing, and if the clock frequency of the CPU  61  is not 500 MHz or lower, the program activation unit  52  acquires the result indicating abnormal completion of the check processing. In response to acquisition of the result indicating normal completion of the check processing, the program activation unit  52  activates an application “setfont_bitmap” designated in the “exec” command, but in response to acquisition of the result indicating abnormal completion of the check processing, the program activation unit  52  does not activate the application “setfont_bitmap”.  
         [0200]     According to the above arrangement, using the result indicating whether the check processing has been normally or abnormally completed, if the clock frequency of the CPU  61  is 500 MHz or lower, the program activation unit  52  sets the bitmap font as the default font of the printer. Accordingly, even if the clock frequency of the CPU  61  is 500 MHz or lower, the program activation unit  52  can cause the MFP  1  to print data at high speed using the bit map font as the default font.  
         [0201]     Referring to the configuration file shown in  FIG. 27 , after executing the “exec” command in the second line, the program activation unit executes the “exec” command in the third line. Since the “exec” command in the third line includes the “−h” option, check processing “cpucheck 2 ” is performed. The check processing “cpucheck 2 ” performed by the program activation unit  52  is shown in  FIG. 30 .  
         [0202]      FIG. 30  is a flowchart showing an example of the check processing “cpucheck 2 ”. In step S 140 , the program activation unit  52  issues a system call “getINFO(CPU)”, and acquires the clock frequency included in device information of the CPU  61  from the OS.  
         [0203]     In step S 141  after step S 140 , the program activation unit  52  determines whether the clock frequency of the CPU  61  acquired in step S 140  is 501 MHz or higher. If the program activation unit  52  determines that the clock frequency of the CPU  61  is 501 MHz or higher (YES in step S 141 ), the process proceeds to step S 142 , and the program activation unit  52  acquires the result indicating the normal completion of the check processing. If the program activation unit  52  determines that the clock frequency is not 501 MHz or higher (NO in step S 141 ), the process proceeds to step S 143 , and the program activation unit  52  acquires the result indicating the abnormal completion of the check processing.  
         [0204]     According to processing shown in the flowchart of  FIG. 30 , if the clock frequency of the CPU  61  is 501 MHz or higher, the program activation unit acquires the result indicating normal completion of the check processing, and if the clock frequency of the CPU  61  is not 501 MHz or higher, the program activation unit  52  acquires the result indicating abnormal completion of the check processing. In response to acquisition of the result indicating normal completion, the program activation unit  52  activates an application “setfont_vector” designated in the “exec” command, but in response to acquisition of the result of abnormal completion, the program activation unit  52  does not activate the application “setfont_vector”.  
         [0205]     According to the above arrangement, using the result of normal completion or abnormal completion of the check processing, the program activation unit  52  sets the vector font as the default font of the printer. Accordingly, if the clock frequency of the CPU  61  is 501 MHz or higher, the program activation unit  52  can cause the MFP  1  to print high quality fine images using the vector font as the default font.  
         [0206]     According to the flowcharts shown in  FIGS. 29 and 30 , the MFP  1  according to an embodiment of the present invention can print data using, when the CPU  61  is provided with a higher clock frequency, the vector fonts so as to output images of high quality. When the CPU  61  is provided with lower clock frequency, the MFP  1  uses the bit map fonts so as to accelerate the outputting of images.  
         [0207]     Referring to the configuration file shown in  FIG. 27 , after the “exec” command in the third line is executed, the next “exec” command in the fourth line is executed. Since the fourth “exec” command is accompanied by the “−h” option, the program activation unit  52  performs check processing “memcheck 1 ”. The check processing “memcheck 1 ” performed by the program activation unit  52  is shown in  FIG. 31 .  
         [0208]      FIG. 31  shows exemplary check processing “memcheck 1 ”. In step S 150 , the program activation unit  52  issues a system call “getINFO(mem)”, and acquires information about the memory size of the system memory  62  and the local memory  67  stored in the device information from the OS. In step S 151  after step S 150 , the program activation unit  52  determines whether the memory size acquired in step S 150  is 64 MB or more and 128 MB or less.  
         [0209]     If a determination is made that the memory size is 64 MB or more and 128 MB or less (YES in step S 151 ), the process proceeds to step S 152 , and the check program sends a value “0” indicating its normal ending to the program activation unit  52 . If a determination is made that the memory size is not 64 MB or more and 128 MB or less (NO in step S 151 ), the process proceeds to step S 153 , and the check program sends a value “1” indicating its abnormal ending to the program activation unit  52 .  
         [0210]     If a determination is made that the memory size is 64 MB or more and 128 MB or less (YES in step S 151 ), the process proceeds to step S 152 , and the program activation unit  52  acquires the result indicating normal completion of the check processing. If a determination is made that the memory size is not 64 MB or more and 128 MB or less (NO in step S 151 ), the process proceeds to step S 153 , and the program activation unit  52  acquires the result indicating abnormal completion of the check processing.  
         [0211]     According to processing shown in the flowchart of  FIG. 31 , if the memory size is 64 MB or more and 128 MB or less, the program activation unit  52  can acquire the result indicating normal completion of the check processing. If the memory size is not 64 MB or more and 128 MB or less, the program activation unit  52  acquires the result indicating abnormal completion of the check processing. In response to acquisition of the result indicating normal completion, the program activation unit  52  activates five http daemons (httpd) and, in response to acquisition of the result indicating abnormal completion of the check processing, the program activation unit  52  does not activate the httpds.  
         [0212]     According to the above arrangement, the program activation unit  52  can determine the number of httpds to be activated using the result indicating normal completion or abnormal completion of the check processing. If the memory size of the system memory  62  and the local memory  67  is small, the program activation unit  52  can reduce the number of httpds to be activated so as to save memory.  
         [0213]     After the fourth “exec” command of the configuration file shown in  FIG. 27  is executed, the “exec” command in the fifth line is executed. Because the fifth “exec” command is accompanied with an “−h” option, the program activation unit  52  performs check processing “memcheck 2 ”. The check processing “memcheck 2 ” performed by the program activation unit  52  is shown in  FIG. 32 , for example.  
         [0214]      FIG. 32  is a flowchart showing the check processing “memcheck 2 ”. In step S 160 , the program activation unit  52  issues a system call “getINFO(mem)”, and acquires information about the memory size of the system memory  62  and the local memory  67  stored in the device information from the OS. In step S 161  after step S 160 , the program activation unit  52  determines whether the memory size acquired in step S 160  is 128 MB or more.  
         [0215]     If a determination is made that the memory size is 128 MB or more (YES in step S 161 ), the process proceeds to step S 162 , and the program activation unit  52  acquires a result indicating normal completion of the check processing. On the other hand, if a determination is made that the memory size is not 128 MB or more (NO in step S 161 ), the process proceeds to step S 163 , and the program activation unit  52  acquires a result indicating abnormal completion of the check processing.  
         [0216]     According to processing shown in the flowchart of  FIG. 32 , if the memory size is 128 MB or more, the program activation unit  52  can acquire a result indicating normal completion of the check processing. If the memory size is not 128 MB or more, the program activation unit  52  acquires a result indicating abnormal completion of the check processing. In response to acquisition of the result indicating normal completion, the program activation unit  52  activates ten httpds. But, in response to acquisition of the result indicating abnormal completion, the program activation unit  52  does not activate any httpds.  
         [0217]     According to the above arrangement, when the memory size of the system memory  62  and the local memory  67  is large, the program activation unit  52  can increase the number of activated httpds so as to improve the response of the MFP  1  to requests from clients.  
         [0218]     According to processing shown in the flowcharts of  FIGS. 31 and 32 , the MFP  1  according to an embodiment of the present invention can appropriately determine the number of httpds to be activated based on the memory size of the system memory  62  and the local memory  67 .  
         [0219]     Referring to another configuration file shown in  FIG. 33 , a description of check processing by the program activation unit  52  is given below. The configuration file includes a “mount” command accompanied by an “−h” option. Accordingly, when the “mount” command is executed, a check processing “hddnonexist” is performed. The program activation unit  52  performing the check processing “hddnonexist” operates as shown in  FIG. 34 .  
         [0220]      FIG. 34  is a flowchart showing the check processing “hddnonexist”. In step S 170 , the program activation unit  52  issues a system call “getINFO(hdd)”, and acquires information stored in the device information from the OS whether a HDD is connected to the MFP  1 .  
         [0221]     In step S 171  after step S 170 , the program activation unit  52  determines whether the HDD is connected to the MFP  1  based on the information acquired in step S 170 . If a determination is made that no HDD is connected to the MFP  1  (NO in step S 171 ), the process proceeds to step S 172 , and the program activation unit acquires a result indicating normal completion of the check processing. On the other hand, if a determination is made that a HDD is connected to the MFP  1  (YES in step S 171 ), the process proceeds to step S 173 , and the program activation unit  52  acquires a result indicating abnormal completion of the check processing.  
         [0222]     According to processing shown in the flowchart of  FIG. 34 , if no HDD is connected to the MFP  1 , the program activation unit  52  can acquire the result indicating normal completion of the check processing. If a HDD is connected to the MFP  1 , the program activation unit  52  can acquire the result indicating abnormal completion of the check processing. In response to acquisition of the result indicating normal completion of the check processing, the program activation unit  52  mounts a ramdisk. Specifically, “/dev/mdOc” is mounted to the mount point “/ramdisk”. In response to acquisition of the result indicating abnormal completion of the check processing, the program activation unit  52  does not mount the ramdisk.  
         [0223]     According to the above arrangement, using the acquired result of the check processing, the program activation unit  52  determines whether to mount the ramdisk. When no HDD is connected to the MFP  1 , the program activation unit  52  mounts the ramdisk. That is, if no HDD is provided to the MFP  1 , the MFP  1  can use the ramdisk as a local storage device for PDL storage. If a HDD is connected to the MFP  1 , the MFP  1  can use the HDD as a local storage device for PDL storage.  
         [0224]     Referring to a configuration file shown in  FIG. 35 , a further description is given below about the check processing performed by the program activation unit  52 . The configuration file is stored in a SD card as shown in  FIG. 35 . “abc.cnf” denotes a configuration file, and “module/abc.mod” denotes a module file that is to be mounted.  
         [0225]     Since the configuration file shown in  FIG. 35  is accompanied by a “−h” option, a check processing “sdcommand” is performed. The program activation unit  52  performing the check processing “sdcommand” operates, for example, as shown in  FIG. 37 .  
         [0226]      FIG. 37  is a flowchart showing the check processing “sdcommand”. In step S 180 , the program activation unit  52  interprets the configuration file shown in  FIG. 36 . In step S 181  after step S 180 , the program activation unit  52  determines whether a SD command is included in the configuration file based on the interpretation performed in step S 180 . If a determination is made that a SD command is included (YES in step S 181 ), the process proceeds to step S 182 . If a determination is made that no SD command is included in the configuration file (NO in step S 181 ), the process proceeds to step S 183 .  
         [0227]     In step S 182 , the program activation unit  52  determines whether a slot designated by the SD command and a slot into which a SD card is inserted match. For example, the slot designated in the SD command in the configuration file shown in  FIG. 14  is “2”. If the slot into which the SD card is inserted is “2”, the program activation unit  52  determines that the slot designated in the SD command and the slot into which the SD card is inserted match.  
         [0228]     If a determination is made that the slot designated in the SD command and the slot into which the SD card is inserted match (YES in step S 182 ), the process proceeds to step S 183 . The program activation unit  52  acquires a result indicating normal completion of the check processing. If a determination is made that the slot designated in the SD command and the slot into which the SD card is inserted do not match (NO in step S 182 ), the process proceeds to step S 184 . The program activation unit  52  acquires a result indicating abnormal completion of the check processing.  
         [0229]     According to the processing shown in the flowchart of  FIG. 37 , when the slot designated in the SD command and the slot into which the SD card is inserted match, the program activation unit  52  can acquire the result indicating normal completion of the check processing. When the slot designated in the SD command and the slot into which the SD card is inserted do not match, the program activation unit  52  can acquire the result indicating abnormal completion of the check processing.  
         [0230]     In response to acquisition of the result indicating normal completion of the check processing, the program activation unit  52  mounts the ROMFS-formatted module file “abc.mod” compressed with gzip to the mount point “/mnt”, and executes the module file. The program activation unit  52 , in response to acquisition of the result indicating abnormal completion of the check processing, does not mount and execute the module file.  
         [0231]     According to the above arrangement, the program activation unit  52  can avoid mounting the module file stored in the SD card inserted in a slot that is not designated by the SD command using the result indicating normal completion or the result indicating abnormal completion.  
         [0232]     The configuration file shown in  FIG. 27  is based on relations among the main programs, the check processings, the program activation unit  52 , the OS, and the hardware resources, for example, as shown in  FIG. 17 .  FIG. 17  is a relation diagram showing the main programs, the check processings, the program activation unit  52 , the OS, and the hardware resources.  
         [0233]     The program activation unit  52  performs the check processing in a designated order and, if the check processing is completed normally, activates the main program corresponding to the check processing. In  FIG. 38 , the main program is shown above the corresponding check processing.  
         [0234]     The check processings and the main programs may have 1-to-1 relations as shown in  FIG. 38 , but they may have 1-to-n relations as shown in  FIG. 39 .  
         [0235]      FIG. 39  is a relation diagram in which a plurality of main programs are related to a check processing. In  FIG. 39 , the check processing “a” corresponds to the main programs “a” and “b”. The program activation unit  52  performs the check processing “a”, and if the check processing “a” is completed normally, activates the main programs “a” and “b”. The check processing “a” corresponds to the main programs “a” and “b” as shown in  FIG. 39 , and the 1-to-2 relation is represented in the configuration file shown in  FIG. 40 .  FIG. 40  shows an exemplary configuration file in which the check program and the main processings have a 1-to-2 relation. Since processing of the program activation unit  52  is identical to that shown in  FIG. 26 , no further description is given.  
         [0236]     If multiple main programs in a directory need to be activated based on the determination by performing the same check processing, the program activation unit  52  may prevent the directory from being mounted.  
         [0237]      FIG. 41  shows an exemplary configuration file in which a directory is prevented from being mounted. In the configuration file shown in  FIG. 41 , the program activation unit  52  performs a check processing “memcheck 3 ” of the “mount” command in the first line. For example, an assumption is made that, if the memory size of the system memory  62  and the local memory  67  is 64 MB or more, the check processing “memcheck 3 ” will be completed normally.  
         [0238]     The program activation unit  52 , if the check processing is normally completed, mounts “web.romfs” designated in the “mount” command to a directory “/web”. If the check processing is abnormally completed, the program activation unit  52  does not mount the “web.romfs” designated in the “mount” command to the directory “/web”. In this case, if the “mount” command shown in  FIG. 41  is followed by the “exec” commands shown in  FIG. 27 , the program “/web/bin/httpd” under the directory “/web” becomes not executable. Accordingly, the program activation unit  52  can prevent the system memory  62  and the local memory  67  from being wasted depending on their memory size.  
         [0239]     “Mount” processing of the configuration file shown in  FIG. 41  is performed in step S 111  of the flowchart shown in  FIG. 26 . The configuration file shown in  FIG. 41  is an example in which the directory is prevented from being mounted depending on the memory size. According to another embodiment, the directory may be prevented from being mounted depending on the determination as to whether a specific hardware resource is connected and/or whether the CPU satisfies a predetermined performance requirement, for example.  
         [0240]      FIG. 39  shows the exemplary 1-to-n relation of the check processing and the main programs. According to another embodiment, the check programs and the main program may have an n-to-1 relation.  
         [0241]      FIG. 42  is a relation diagram in which the check processings and the main program have an n-to-1 relation. In  FIG. 42 , check processings “a” and “b” relate to a main program “a”. The program activation unit  52  performs the check processings “a” and “b”. If the check processings “a” and “b” are completed normally, the program activation unit  52  activates the main program “a” corresponding to the check processings “a” and “b”. In the case in which the check processings “a” and “b” correlate to the main program “a”, such case may be represented by the configuration file shown in  FIG. 43 .  FIG. 43  shows an exemplary configuration file according to an embodiment.  
         [0242]     In the configuration file shown in  FIG. 43 , an “exec” command is accompanied by two “−h” options with check processings “check processing a” and “check processing b”. The program activation unit  52  performs the check processings “a” and “b” in step S 113  shown in  FIG. 26 . The program activation unit  52  determines whether both check processings “a” and “b” are completed normally in step S 114 , and if a determination is made that both check processings have been completed normally, activates the main program “a” designated by the “exec” command. Since processing of the program activation unit  52  other than step S 113  and S 114  is identical to those shown in  FIG. 26 , no further description is given here.  
         [0243]     The same check processing may need to be performed more than once in accordance with the configuration file. In this case, it is preferred that the determination made by the first performance of the check processing be stored and, when the same check processing is to be performed, the stored determination be referred to instead of performing the same check processing again. According to processing as shown in  FIGS. 44 and 45 , the MFP  1  according to an embodiment of the present invention can use the previous determination obtained in the previous performance of the check processing so as to reduce processing time.  
         [0244]      FIGS. 44 and 45  show a flowchart of exemplary processing of the program activation unit  52  performing check processing. Since steps S 190  through S 193  are identical to steps S 110  through S 113 , respectively, shown in  FIG. 26 , their description is omitted.  
         [0245]     In step S 194 , the program activation unit  52  determines whether a determination has been made previously and the result of the previous determination is stored in a predetermined memory region. The predetermined memory region in which the result of the previous determination is stored may be a memory region that the process of the program activation unit  52  can access directly without being mediated by the OS. If a determination is made that the result of the previous determination is stored (YES in step S 194 ), the process proceeds to step S 195 . The program activation unit  52  reads the result of the previous determination from the predetermined memory region. The process proceeds to step S 198 . If a determination is made that no result of determination is stored (NO in step S 194 ), the process proceeds to step S 196 . The program activation unit  52  performs the check processing as described above and determines, for example, whether a specific hardware resource is connected.  
         [0246]     In step S 197  after step S 196 , the program activation unit  52  writes the result of the determination in the predetermined memory region. The process then proceeds to step S 198 . Because steps S 198  through S 200  are identical to steps S 114  through S 116  shown in  FIG. 26 , respectively, their description is omitted here. According to processing shown in the flowchart of  FIGS. 44 and 45 , the MFP  1  can use the result of a previous determination made by the same check processing performed previously and prevent the same check processing from being performed more than once.  
         [0247]     When the MFP  1  is turned on, the MFP  1  may perform all check processings, and write the result of determinations made by the check processings in the predetermined memory region. In this case, the MFP  1  can use the result of determinations written in the predetermined memory region. Accordingly, the MFP  1  can reduce processing time.  
       Third Embodiment  
       [0248]     The MFP  1  according to a third embodiment is basically identical to the MFP  1  according to the first and second embodiments described above. Only differences are described in detail below. Elements of the MFP  1  according to the third embodiment that are identical to those of the MFP  1  are referred to by the same reference numerals, and their description is omitted.  
         [0249]      FIG. 46  is a flowchart showing processing of the MFP activation unit according to the third embodiment. Since steps S 201  through S 204  are identical to steps S 1  through S 4  of the flowchart shown in  FIG. 4 , their description is omitted. In step S 205  after step S 204 , the program activation unit  52  mounts the file system in accordance with the configuration file. The program activation unit  52  reads programs from the ROM, for example, in accordance with the configuration file. The read programs are loaded to the memory regions reserved in the system memory  62  and the local memory  67 , and are activated.  
         [0250]     A description is given below about processing in which an SD card, while the MFP  1  is turned on, is inserted, the file system is mounted in accordance with the configuration file stored in the SD card, and a process of the application layer  5  and/or the platform  6  is activated in accordance with a predetermined configuration file.  
         [0251]      FIG. 47  is a schematic diagram showing a portion of the MFP  1  for explaining a method of activating a program according to the third embodiment. The SD  126  can be inserted into the SD card slot  125  and can be pulled out from the SD card slot  125  while the power of the MFP  1  is on. The SD card slot sends an interrupt to an SD card access driver  124  in response to insertion or removal of the SD card.  
         [0252]     The SD card access driver  124  controls access to the SD card  126 . The SD card access driver  124  informs an SD card status monitor driver  123  of the insertion or removal of the SD card  126  in response to the interrupt from the SD card slot  125 . The SD card status monitor driver  123  manages status information of the SD card  126  including the insertion and removal of the SD card and the mount and unmount, and gives the status information to the program activation unit  52 .  
         [0253]     The program activation unit  52  activates the SD check program  121  in response to the insertion and removal of the SD card  126 . The SD card check program  121  determines whether the SD card  126  is correctly partitioned and whether the file system  122  is in a good state, for example, and maintains the file system  122  usable. The SD card check program  121  checks, mounts, and unmounts the SD card  126  and reports on the state of the SD card  126 . The program activation unit  52  activates programs stored in the SD card  126  in response to the status information of the SD card  126  from the SD card status monitor driver  123 . A description is given below of a method of activating programs according to the embodiment of the present invention with reference to flowcharts.  
         [0254]      FIG. 48  is a flowchart showing processing in which a program stored in the SD card is activated. For example, when the SD card  126  is inserted to the SD card slot  125 , the SD card status monitor driver  123  informs the program activation unit  52  of the insertion of the SD card. In step S 210 , the program activation unit  52 , in response to receipt of information about the insertion of the SD card from the SD card status monitor driver  123 , activates the SD card check program  121 .  
         [0255]     In step S 211 , the SD card check program  121  mounts the SD card  126  in accordance with a master configuration file, and informs the SD card status monitor driver  123  that the SD card  126  is mounted. In step S 212 , in response to receipt of information from the SD card status monitor driver  123  that the SD card  126  is mounted, the program activation unit  52  reads the configuration file from the mounted SD card and interprets the read configuration file.  
         [0256]     In step S 213  after step S 212 , the program activation unit  52  mounts modules to be mounted based on the configuration file interpreted in step S 212 . For example, according to the configuration file shown in  FIG. 49 , the program activation unit  52  mounts the modules “printer.mod”, “scanner.mod”, and “factory.mod” to mount points “/arch/printer/”, “/arch/scanner/”, and “/arch/factory/”, respectively.  
         [0257]     In step S 214 , the program activation unit  52  reads module information files in the mount points based on the configuration file interpreted in step S 212 , and interprets the read module files. For example, the program activation unit  52  reads the module information file (version.txt) shown in  FIG. 48  S 214 , and interprets the read module information file.  
         [0258]      FIGS. 50A through 50C  are exemplary module information files according to an embodiment.  FIG. 50A  is the module information file of the module “printer.mod” to be mounted.  FIG. 50B  is the module information file of the module “scanner.mod” to be mounted.  FIG. 50C  is the module information file of the module “factory.mod” to be mounted.  
         [0259]     Each of the module information files shown in  FIGS. 50A through 50C  includes a module ID (MOUNTID) for identifying a module to be mounted, a machine ID (MACHINEID) indicating a machine corresponding to the module to be mounted, and a version (VERSION) indicating the version of the module to be mounted. The machine IDs shown in  FIGS. 50A through 50C  are hexadecimal numerals “0×XX” indicating corresponding machines. A plurality of machine IDs may be designated in a module information file by listing a plurality of machines corresponding to the module to be mounted. Alternatively, no machine ID may be designated in a module information file, which means that the module supports all machines (wildcard).  
         [0260]     In step S 215  after step S 214 , the program activation unit  52  determines whether there is a module information file containing a machine ID that matches the machine ID of the MFP  1  based on the module information file interpreted in step S 214 . The program activation unit  52  can acquire the machine ID of the MFP  1  contained in the device information from the OS by issuing a system call “getINFO(machineid)”.  
         [0261]     If a determination is made that there is a module information file containing a machine ID that matches the machine ID of the MFP  1  (YES in step S 215 ), the program activation unit  52 , in step S 216 , activates the module to be mounted corresponding to the module information file.  
         [0262]     On the other hand, if a determination is made that there is no module information file containing a machine ID that matches the machine ID of the MFP  1  (NO in step S 215 ), in step S 217  the program activation unit  52  unmounts the module corresponding to the module information file.  
         [0263]     Steps S 215  through S 217  are described in further detail.  FIG. 51  is a schematic diagram for explaining steps S 215  through S 217 . A module information file  131  shown in  FIG. 51  contains a machine ID “0×07” indicating a machine corresponding to the module “printer.mod” to be mounted. A module information file  132  contains a machine ID “0×08” indicating a machine corresponding to the module “scanner.mod” to be mounted. Furthermore, a module information file  133  contains a machine ID “0×07” indicating a machine corresponding to the module “factory.mod” to be mounted.  
         [0264]     The machine ID of the MFP  1  is “0×07” as shown in  FIG. 51 . Since the machine ID “0×07” of the MFP  1  and the machine ID “0×07” contained in the module information files  131  and  133  match, the program activation unit  52  determines, in step S 215 , that there are two module information files each containing a machine ID that matches the machine ID of the MFP  1 . According to the determination, the program activation unit  52  activates, in step S 216 , the modules “printer.mod” and “factory.mod” corresponding to the module information files  131  and  133 , respectively.  
         [0265]     On the other hand, since the machine ID “0×08” contained in the module information file  132  and the machine ID “0×07” of the MFP  1  do not match, the program activation unit  52  does not activate the module “scanner.mod” corresponding to the module information file  132 .  
         [0266]     According to processing shown in  FIG. 48 , programs stored in the SD card are activated only if the programs support the MFP  1 . That is, the programs stored in the SD card are prohibited from being activated if the programs do not support the MFP  1 .  
         [0267]      FIG. 52  is another flowchart showing processing of activating programs stored in the SD card. When the SD card  126  is inserted into the SD card slot  125 , the program activation unit  52  is informed of the insertion of the SD card by the SD card status monitor driver  123 . The program activation unit  52  activates the SD card check program  121  in step S 220  in response to receipt of the information about the insertion of the SD card  126 .  
         [0268]     The SD card check program  121  mounts the SD card  126  in accordance with a master configuration file, and informs the SD card status monitor driver  123  that the SD card has been mounted in step S 221 . The program activation unit  52  reads and interprets in step S 222  the configuration file stored in the mounted SD card  126  in response to receipt of information from the SD card status monitor driver  123  that the SD card  126  has been mounted in the previous step. For example, the program activation unit  52  reads and interprets a configuration file as shown in  FIG. 53 .  FIG. 53  is another configuration file. The configuration file shown in  FIG. 53  is stored in an SD card as shown in  FIG. 54 . “abc.cnf” shown in  FIG. 54  denotes the configuration file, and “module/abc.mod” denotes a module file that is to be mounted and activated.  
         [0269]     The program activation unit  52  determines in step S 223  whether there is an SD command in the configuration file based on the interpretation made in step S 222 . If the program activation unit  52  determines that there is an SD command in the configuration file (YES in step S 223 ), the process proceeds to step S 224 , otherwise to step S 225 .  
         [0270]     The program activation unit  52  determines in step S 224  whether a slot designated by the SD command matches the slot into which the SD card is inserted. The SD command in the configuration file shown in  FIG. 11  designates “2” as a slot. If the SD card is inserted into a slot “2”, the program activation unit  52  determines that the slot designated by the SD command matches the slot into which the SD card is actually inserted.  
         [0271]     If the program activation unit  52  determines that a slot designated by the SD command matches the slot into which the SD card is actually inserted (YES in step S 224 ), the program activation unit  52  reads the configuration file stored in the SD card  126  in step S 225 . The program activation unit  52  mounts in step S 226  the module file to a mount point in accordance with the configuration file read in the previous step, and activates the mounted module file. According to the configuration file shown in  FIG. 53 , the program activation unit  52  mounts a ROMFS formatted module file “abc.mod” compressed with “gzip” to a mount point “/mnt”, and activates the module file “abc.mod”.  
         [0272]     If the program activation unit  52  determines that the slot designated by the SD command does not match the slot into which the SD card is inserted (NO in step S 224 ), the program activation unit  52  does not mount nor activate the module file.  
         [0273]     According to processing shown in  FIG. 52 , only if the slot designated by the SD command matches the slot into which the SD card is inserted, the program activation unit mounts and activates the module file stored in the SD card. That is, the program activation unit  52  can manage the mounting and activation of programs stored in the SD card based on the slot into which the SD card is inserted.  
         [0274]     The present application is not limited to these embodiments, and various variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.  
         [0275]     This patent application is based on Japanese Priority Patent Application No. 2002-342826 filed on Nov. 26, 2002, No 2003-393414 filed on Nov. 25, 2003, No. 2003-393415 filed on Nov. 25, 2003, No. 2003-393416 filed on Nov. 25, 2003, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.