Patent Publication Number: US-2012047241-A1

Title: Apparatus, system, and method of managing an image forming device, and medium storing control program

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This patent application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-184354, filed on Aug. 19, 2010, in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to an apparatus, system, and method of managing an image forming device on a network such as a facsimile, printer, copier, or multifunctional product, and a recording medium storing a control program for causing the apparatus or system to manage the image forming device on the network. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The management apparatuses manage a plurality of image forming devices on a network, which are specified through searching one or more image forming devices that are located within a specific network. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-234180 discloses a management apparatus, which specifies one or more image forming devices to be managed based on information obtained from a network segment specified using a multicast group address. While this technique of specifying the image forming devices by multicast may be applicable to the IPv4 network environment where the range of addresses for search is quite limited, this technique may not be applicable to the IPv6 network environment where the range of addresses for search is broad. 
     SUMMARY 
     In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique of specifying one or more image forming devices to be managed with improved efficiency even in the IPv6 network environment, or in the network environment where both the IPv6 network and the IPv4 network are present. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendant advantages and features thereof can be readily obtained and understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic block diagram illustrating a functional structure of a device management apparatus, according to an example embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an illustration of a configuration of a network system in which the device management apparatus of  FIG. 1  is provided, according to an example embodiment of the present invention: 
         FIG. 3  is a data sequence diagram illustrating operation of generating an image forming device list, performed by the device management apparatus of  FIG. 1 , according to an example embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is an illustration of an example data structure of a network device list, generated by the device management apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an illustration of an example filtering rule, managed by the device management apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an illustration of an example data structure of an image forming device list, generated by the device management apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a data sequence diagram illustrating operation of generating an image forming device result, performed by the device management apparatus of  FIG. 1 , according to an example embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is an illustration of an example data structure of a network device list, generated by the device management apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 9  is an illustration of an example data structure of an image forming device list, generated by the device management apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a data sequence diagram illustrating operation of generating an image forming device result, performed by the device management apparatus of  FIG. 1 , according to an example embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  is an illustration of an example data structure of a network device list, generated by the device management apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 12  is an illustration of an example data structure of an image forming device list, generated by the device management apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a data sequence diagram illustrating operation of generating an image forming device list, performed by the device management apparatus of  FIG. 1 , according to an example embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 14  is an illustration of an example data structure of a network device list, generated by the device management apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 15  is an illustration of an example data structure of an image forming device list, generated by the device management apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     The accompanying drawings are intended to depict example embodiments of the present invention and should not be interpreted to limit the scope thereof. The accompanying drawings are not to be considered as drawn to scale unless explicitly noted. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes” and/or “including”, when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     In describing example embodiments shown in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a configuration of a network system according to an example embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the network system of  FIG. 2  includes a plurality of image forming devices such that it may be alternatively referred to as an image forming device management system. The network system of  FIG. 2  includes networks  20  and  23  each of which operates in the IPv6 network environment, and networks  21  and  22  each of which operates in the IPv4 network environment. The network  20  is connected to the IPv6 Internet  24 . The IPv6 Internet  24  and the IPv4 Internet  25  are connected via the 6to4 relay router  26 . The IPv4 Internet  25  is connected to the network  21 , the network  22 , and a center apparatus  27 . The network  22  is connected to the network  23  through the 6to4 router  54 . 
     The network  20  includes a device management apparatus  30 , a plurality of image forming devices such as a plurality of multifunctional products (MFP)  31   a ,  31   b , . . . ,  31   f  (collectively referred to as the MFP  31 ), and a plurality of information processing apparatuses such as a plurality of personal computers (PC)  32  (collectively referred to as the PC  32 ), which are connected through a local area network (LAN)  33 . In this example, the LAN  33  includes the Ethernet. Through the LAN  33 , any other apparatus such as a server apparatus may be connected. For the MFP  31  and the PC  32  that are connected through the LAN  33  on the network  20 , an IPv6 multicast address may be designated such that the Internet control message protocol (ICMPv6) message can be transmitted to the devices on the network  20  each assigned with the IPv6 multicast address by specifying the IPv6 multicast address as a destination address. Any device on the network  20  is communicable with any other device on the outside network through the IPv6 Internet  24 . 
     The network  21  includes a device management apparatus  40 , a plurality of image forming devices such as a plurality of MFPs  41   a ,  41   b , . . . ,  41   f  (collectively referred to as the MFP  41 ), and a plurality of information processing apparatuses such as PCs  42  (collectively referred to as the PC  42 ), through the LAN  43 . Although not shown, the network  21  may additionally include any other apparatus such as a server apparatus, which is connected to the LAN  43 . For the MFP  41  and the PC  42  that are connected to the LAN  43  on the network  21 , an IPv4 multicast address may be designated such that the ICMPv4 message can be transmitted to the devices on the network  21  each assigned with the IPv4 multicast address by specifying the IPv4 multicast address as a destination address. Any device on the network  21  is communicable with any other device on the outside network through the IPv4 Internet  25 . 
     The network  22  includes a device management apparatus  50 , a plurality of image forming devices such as a plurality of MFPs  51   a ,  51   b , . . . ,  51   f  (collectively referred to as the MFP  51 ), and a plurality of information processing apparatuses such as PCs  52  (collectively referred to as the PC  52 ), through the LAN  53 . The network  22  is connected to the network  23  through the 6to4 router  54 . The network  22  may further include any other apparatus such as a server apparatus, which is connected to the LAN  53 . For the MFP  51  and the PC  52  that are connected through the LAN  53  on the network  22 , an IPv4 multicast address may be designated such that the ICMPv4 message can be transmitted to the devices on the network  22  each assigned with the IPv4 multicast address by specifying the IPv4 multicast address as a destination address. However, in this example, the use of address resolution protocol (arp) is prohibited on the network  22 . The network  22  is connected to the IPv4 Internet  25  such that the MFP  51  and the PC  52  can be communicated with any other device on the outside network through the IPv4 Internet  25 . 
     The network  23  includes a plurality of image forming devices such as a plurality of MFPs  61   a ,  61   b , . . . ,  61   f  (collectively referred to as the MFP  61 ), and a plurality of information processing apparatuses such as PCs  62  (collectively referred to as the PC  62 ), through the LAN  63 . The network  23  may additionally include any other apparatus such as a server apparatus, which is connected to the LAN  63 . For the MFP  61  and the PC  62  that are connected to the LAN  63  on the network  23 , an IPv6 multicast address may be designated such that the ICMPv6 message can be transmitted to the devices on the network  23  each assigned with the IPv6 multicast address by specifying the IPv6 multicast address as a destination address. However, in this example, the management apparatus  50  provided on the network  22  manages the MFP  61  and the PC  62  on the network  23 , and the use of ICMPv6 is prohibited on the network  23 . 
     In the above-described example, the MFP is connected through the LAN. In addition or alternative to the MFP, any other image forming device such as facsimile, printer, or copier may be connected through the LAN. Further, any one of the device management apparatuses  30 ,  40 , and  50  may be replaced by the image forming apparatus provided with the function of managing a device on the network including an image forming device on the network. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a functional structure of each one of the device management apparatuses  30 ,  40 , and  50 , (collectively referred to as a management apparatus) provided on the network system of  FIG. 2 . 
     The management apparatus includes a processor and a storage device such as a memory. The processor may be implemented by a microcomputer such as a central processing unit (CPU). The storage device may include a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM). In addition to the processor and the storage device, the management apparatus includes a communication device that allows the management apparatus to communicate with any other device on the network, such as a network interface, facsimile interface, etc. The management apparatus may further include an input/output device such as a display, keyboard, mouse, which allows the management apparatus to interact with the user. 
     When the CPU loads a control program stored in the ROM onto the RAM that functions as a work area of the CPU, the management apparatus is caused to have various functional modules illustrated in  FIG. 1 . More specifically, in this example illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the management apparatus includes an ICMPv6 communication unit  1 , an arp communication unit  2 , a simple network management protocol (SNMP) communication unit  3 , a network device detector  4 , a communication priority set  6 , an image forming device search and determination list generator  8 , a simple object access protocol (SOAP)/hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) communication unit  9 , an image forming device data change and communication unit  11 , a center device communication unit  12 , and a filtering rule set  13 , which may be implemented by the CPU and the communication device. The management apparatus further includes a network device list storage  5 , a filtering rule storage  7 , and an image forming device list storage  10 , each of which may be implemented by the storage device. The management apparatus of  FIG. 1  further includes an operation unit  14 , which may be implemented by the input/output device. 
     The ICMPv6 communication unit  1  controls ICMPv6 communication with the devices on the network. As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the network includes the LAN  33 ,  43 ,  53 , and  63 , the IPv6 Internet  24  and the IPv4 Internet  25 . The arp communication unit  2  controls arp communication with the devices on the network. The SNMP communication unit  3  controls SNMP communication with the devices on the network. 
     The network device detector  4  controls the ICMPv6 communication unit  1 , the arp communication unit  2 , and the SNMP communication unit  3 . The network device detector  4  collects address information of each node, which is the address information of one or more devices provided on the network, at a predetermined time. For simplicity, any device provided on the network, which includes an image forming device, may be referred to as a network device. Based on the collected address information, the network device detector  4  generates a network device list, which includes address information indicating the address of each of the network devices that are collected from the network. 
     The network device list storage  5  stores the network device list, which lists address information of one or more network devices obtained by the network device detector  4 . 
     The communication priority set  6  refers to a filtering rule that is stored in the filtering rule storage  7  to determine whether any network device having its address information listed on the network device list is a device that is subjected for search. More specifically, in this example, information regarding a media access control (MAC) address prefix is stored as the filtering rule. The communication priority set  6  further determines the priority in communicating each device subjected for search, using the filtering rule. The image forming device determination list may be generated, which stores one or more devices subjected for search, after the filtering rule is applied to the network device list. 
     The image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with each network device that is listed in the image forming device determination list to request each device for identification information of an image forming device on the network. Based the identification information of the MFP that is obtained from each network device that is communicated, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  generates an image forming device list, which lists address information of one or more MFPs on the network that are subjected for management by the management apparatus. For example, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  determines that the network device is an image forming device, or MFP, to be managed, when the management apparatus receives the identification information indicating the image forming device in response to a request sent by the management apparatus. 
     The SOAP/HTTP communication unit  9  controls SOAP or HTTP communication with the network devices on the network. 
     The image forming device list storage  10  stores an image forming device list that lists one or more MFPs subjected for management by the management apparatus. The image forming device list storage  10  may additionally store an image forming device determination list, which lists one or more devices to be determined by the management apparatus whether each device is an image forming device subjected for management. 
     The image forming device data change and communication unit  11  registers the address information of one or more MFPs to be managed, to the image forming device list storage  10  or to the center apparatus  27 . In one example, the image forming device data change and communication unit  11  notifies the center apparatus  27  of information regarding one or more image forming devices, or MFP in this example, which are determined to be subjected for management. 
     The center device communication unit  12  controls communication with the center apparatus  27  through the network. 
     The filtering rule set  13  stores the filtering rule, such as the MAC address prefix, in the filtering rule storage  7 . 
     The operation unit  14  inputs a user instruction with respect to the management apparatus, which is received through the web interface. The operation unit  14  further displays various information for display to the user. 
     In this example, the ICMPv6 communication unit  1 , the arp communication unit  2 , the SNMP communication unit  3 , and the network device detector  4  collectively perform the address information collection function of collecting address information of the network devices through communicating with the network devices on the network by multicast. 
     The network device detector  4  and the network device list storage  5  collectively perform the device list generating function of generating a list of the address information of the network devices, which are collected by the address information collection function. 
     The SOAP/HTTP communication unit  9 , the SNMP communication unit  3 , and the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  collectively perform the identification information obtaining function of obtaining the identification information of the image forming device through communicating the network devices each having its address information listed in the list generated by the device list generating function. 
     The image forming device search and determination list generator  8  performs the image forming device determination function of determining the network device having the identification information of the image forming device that is obtained by the identification information obtaining function, as the image forming device. The image forming device search and determination list generator  8  performs the image forming device list generating function of generating a list of the address information of the network device that is determined to be the image forming device. 
     The filtering rule storage  7  performs the rule information storage function of storing rule information, which is used to determine whether any one of the devices each having its address information listed in the list generated by the device list generating function is subjected for further communication. The rule information stored in the filtering rule storage  7  is used to further determine a priority order in communicating each of the devices subjected for further communication. 
     The communication priority set  6  performs the communication determination function, which includes: referring to the rule information stored in the rule information storage function to determine whether any one of the devices each having its address information listed in the list generated by the device list generating function is subjected for further communication. The communication priority set  6  further determines the priority order in communicating each of the devices subjected for further communication. 
     The image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with each of the devices subjected for further communication, which are determined by the communication priority set  6 , in the priority order determined by the communication priority set  6 , to obtain the identification information of the image forming device. 
     The ICMPv6 communication unit  1  and the network device detector  4  collectively perform the address information collection function, which includes: obtaining the IPv6 multicast address designated to the management apparatus; transmitting the ICMPv6 message to each one of the network devices on the network by specifying the IPv6 multicast address designated to the management apparatus. Based on the response from the network device in response to the ICMPv6 message, the ICMPv6 communication unit  1  and the network device detector  4  collect the address information of the network device, which includes the IPv6 address information of the device and the MAC address information of the device. 
     The ICMPv6 communication unit  1  and the network device detector  4  collectively perform the address information collection function, which includes: obtaining the IPv6 multicast address designated to the network to which the management apparatus is connected; transmitting the message to each of the plurality of devices each having the IPv6 multicast address by specifying the designated IPv6 multicast address; and collecting the address information of each of the devices from the response received from each device, the address information including the IPv6 address information and the MAC address information of each device. 
     The arp communication unit  2  and the network device detector  4  collectively perform the address information collection function, which includes: obtaining the IPv4 multicast address designated to the management apparatus; transmitting the arp message to each of the plurality of devices each having the IPv4 multicast address by specifying the designated IPv4 multicast address as a destination address; and collecting the address information of each of the devices from the response received from each device, the address information including the IPv4 address information and the MAC address information of each device. 
     The arp communication unit  2  and the network device detector  4  collectively perform the address information collection function, which includes: obtaining the IPv4 multicast address designated to the network to which the management apparatus is connected; transmitting the arp message to each of the plurality of devices each having the IPv4 multicast address by specifying the designated IPv4 multicast address as a destination address; and collecting the address information of each of the devices from the response received from each device, the address information including the IPv4 address information and the MAC address information of each device. 
     The image forming device information change and communication unit  11  and the center device communication unit  12  collectively perform the registering function, which includes: when the image forming device subjected for management is selected from the image forming device list generated by the image forming device list function, registering the address information of the selected image forming device to the management apparatus and/or the center apparatus on the network. 
     The SNMP communication unit  3 , the image forming device search and determination result generator  8 , the SOAP/HTTP communication unit  9 , the image forming device list storage  10 , the image forming device information change and communication unit  11 , and the center device communication unit  12 , collectively perform the following updating function. When the management apparatus detects that communication with the image forming device registered by the registering function is interrupted for a predetermined time period, the updating function checks a location of the image forming device being interrupted on the network using the MAC address of the image forming device. Based on the checked location, the address information of the image forming device that is registered to the management apparatus and/or the center apparatus is updated. 
     The image forming device change and communication unit  11  and the center device communication unit  12  collectively perform the communicating function, which notifies the center apparatus on the network of the address information of the device that is determined to be the image forming device by the image forming device determining function. 
     The image forming device information change and communication unit  11  and the center device communication unit  12  collectively perform the setting function, which sets various information to be used by the management apparatus for multicast communication with a plurality of devices on the network based on the information received from the center apparatus on the network. 
     The image forming device information change and communication unit  11  and the center device communication unit  12  collectively perform the time setting function, which causes the management apparatus to set a time at which the image forming device list generating function generates the list based on the information received from the center apparatus on the network. 
     The center device communication unit  12  and the filtering rule set  13  collectively perform the function of causing the rule information storage function to store the rule information received from the center apparatus on the network. 
     The SNMP communication unit  3  and the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  collectively perform the address information collection function, in the network environment where the use of ICMPv6 is prohibited. The address information collection function transmits the SNMP message to each of the plurality of devices designated with the IPv6 multicast address by specifying the IPv6 multicast address as a destination address, and collects the address information of each device from the response received from each device, the address information including the IPv6 address information and the MAC address information of each device. 
     The SNMP communication unit  3  and the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  collectively perform the address information collection function in the network environment where the use of arp is prohibited. The address information collection function transmits the SNMP message to each one of the plurality of devices having the IPv4 multicast address by specifying the IPv4 multicast address as a destination address, and collects the address information of each device from the response received from each device, the address information including the IPv4 address information and the MAC address information of each device. 
     The image forming device search and determination list generator  8  performs the identification information obtaining function, which obtains the identification information of the image forming device by SOAP communication, HTTP communication, or SNMP communication through the network. 
     The MFP  31   a ,  31   b ,  31   c , . . .  31   f ,  41   a ,  41   b ,  41   c , . . .  41   f ,  51   a ,  51   b ,  51   c , . . .  51   f , and  61   a ,  61   b ,  61   c , . . .  61   f , which are collectively referred to as the MFP  31 ,  41 ,  51 , and  61 , are each provided with a controller device, a communication device, and an image forming device. The controller device is implemented by a microcomputer including a CPU provided with a memory such as ROM and RAM. The image forming device forms an image on a recording medium such as a recording sheet. The controller device performs the information transmit function, which transmits the address information and the identification information of the MFP in response to the request received from the management apparatus  30 ,  40 , or  50 . 
     The center apparatus  27  includes a controller device, which may be implemented by a microcomputer such as a CPU provided with a memory such as ROM and RAM. The controller device registers information regarding the MFP subjected for management, which is received from the management apparatus  30 ,  40 , or  50 . The controller device transmits various information including information used for communication with the management apparatus  30 ,  40 , or  50  through the network, and timing information specifying the time at which the image forming device list (may be referred to as the MFP list) is generated. The controller device registers the image forming device list, which lists the MFP subjected for management by the management apparatus  30 ,  40 , or  50 , in the storage device. The controller device updates the image forming device list according to information received from the management apparatus  30 ,  40 , or  50 . The controller device receives notification regarding the MFP that is found on the network from the management apparatus  30 ,  40 , or  50 . The controller device transmits the MAC address prefix, which is used for filtering with respect to the management apparatus  30 ,  40 , or  50 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 to 6 , operation of generating an image forming device list, performed by the management apparatus  30  in the network system of  FIG. 2 , is explained according to an example embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 3  illustrates a data sequence diagram illustrating operation of generating an image forming device list, performed by the management apparatus  30  with respect to the network devices on the network  20  illustrated in  FIG. 2 , according to an example embodiment of the present invention. The MFP  31   c ,  31   d , and  31   e  of  FIG. 3  are not shown in  FIG. 2 . This example illustrates the case in which the image forming device list is generated for the network devices in the IPv6 network environment. 
     At a 1  and a 2  of  FIG. 3 , the management apparatus  30  of  FIG. 2  communicates with a plurality of devices on the network by multicast to collect the address information of each of the devices on the network. 
     In the process of collecting address information of each device on the network, the network apparatus  30  of  FIG. 1  obtains the IPv6 multicast address designated to the management apparatus  30 , which may be designated through the operation unit  14  of  FIG. 1  or the center apparatus  27  of  FIG. 2 . The network apparatus  30  may alternatively obtain the IPv6 multicast address that is designated to the LAN  33  to which the management apparatus  30  is connected. The network device detector  4  causes the ICMPv6 communication unit  1  to transmit the ICMPv6 message to each one of the devices on the network  20  by specifying the designated IPv6 multicast address as a destination address. In this example, at a 1  of  FIG. 3 , the ICMPv6 communication unit  1  transmits the ICMPv6 message to the MFPs  31   a  to  31   f , respectively. 
     At a 2  of  FIG. 3 , the network device detector  4  of the management apparatus  30  receives, through the ICMPv6 communication unit  1 , the ICMPv6 response from the MFPs  31   a  to  31   f , respectively. The ICMPv6 response includes the IPv6 address information and the MAC address information of the MFP  31 . In this manner, address information for each one of the MFPs  31   a  to  31   f  on the network  20  is collected. 
     At a 3  of  FIG. 3 , the management apparatus  30  generates a network device list, which lists the address information of each of the MFPs  31   a  to  31   f  that are collected at a 2 . 
     In this example, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the network device list includes the IP address “2001:2c0:418:1::11” and MAC address “AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:11” of the MFP  31   a , the IP address “2001:2c0:418:1::22” and the MAC address “BB:BB:CC:DD:EE:22” of the MFP  31   b , the IP address “2001:2c0:418:1::33” and the MAC address “CC:BB:CC:DD:EE:33” of the MFP  31   c , the IP address “2001:2c0:418:1::44” and the MAC address “CC:BB:CC:DD:EE:44” of the MFP  31   d , the IP address “2001:2c0:418:1::55” and the MAC address “DD:BB:CC:DD:EE:55” of the MFP  31   e , and the IP address “2001:2c0:418:1::66” and the MAC address “AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:66” of the MFP  31   f.    
     At a 4  of  FIG. 3 , the management apparatus  30  determines whether any one of the devices listed in the network device list is a device to be communicated, based on the filtering rule stored in the filtering rule storage  7 . When there is more than one device to be communicated, the management apparatus  30  further determines a priority order in communicating each device based on the filtering rule stored in the filtering rule storage  7 . More specifically, in this example, the management apparatus  30  determines whether any one of the MFPs  31   a  to  31   f  listed in the network device list of  FIG. 4  needs to be communicated, and determines a priority order in communicating the MFPs  31   a  to  31   f.    
     Further, in this example, the filtering rule set  13  stores a filtering rule, which may be input through the operation unit  14  or received through the center device communication unit  12  from the center apparatus  27 , in the filtering rule storage  7 . The filtering rule set  13  may update the filtering rule stored in the filtering rule storage  7  according to an instruction received through the operation unit  14  or through the center device communication unit  12 . 
     In this example, it is assumed that the filtering rule of  FIG. 5  is stored in the filtering rule storage  7 . The filtering rule of  FIG. 5  specifies that any device having the MAC address “AA:BB*” is to be communicated first (“PRIORITY 1”), any device having the MAC address “BB:BB*” is not to be searched as it is not communicated (“NOT TO BE SEARCHED”), any device having the MAC address “CC:BB*” is to be communicated second (“PRIORITY 2”), and any device having the MAC address other than the above is to be communicated third (“PRIORITY 3”). The symbol “*” indicates any arbitrary character. 
     Based on the filtering rule stored in the filtering rule storage  7 , the communication priority set  6  of the management apparatus  30  determines that the MFP  31   a  and the MFP  31   f  are to be communicated first, the MFP  31   b  to be not searched, the MFP  31   c  and MFP  31   d  to be communicated second, and the MFP  31   e  to be communicated third. This determination result is sent to the image forming device search and determination list generator  8 . Based on this determination result, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  may generate an image forming device determination list, which lists one or more devices to be communicated. 
     At a 5  of  FIG. 5 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  requests each device that is determined to be communicated to send the identification information of an image forming device. More specifically, as illustrated below, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  31 , by SOAP communication or HTTP communication through the SOAP/HTTP communication unit  9 , or by SNMP communication by the SNMP communication unit  3 , to obtain identification information of the MFP  31 . Further, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  31  in the priority order determined at a 4  based on the filtering rule. 
     At a 6 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  31   a  and the MFP  31   f , which are to be communicated first. The image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  31   a  to obtain identification information of the MFP  31   a . For example, the “ID: AAAA” of the MFP  31   a  may be obtained. In a substantially similar manner, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  31   f  to obtain the identification information of the MFP  31   f , such as the “ID: FFFF” of the MFP  31   f.    
     At a 7  of  FIG. 3 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  31   c  and the MFP  31   d , which are to be communicated second. The image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  31   c  to obtain identification information “ID: CCCC” of the MFP  31   c . The image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  31   d . However, in this case, it is assumed that there is no response from the MFP  31   d  such that no identification information is obtained for the MFP  31   d.    
     At a 8  of  FIG. 3 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  31   e , which is to be communicated third, to obtain identification information “ID:EEEE” of the MFP  31   e . The MFP  31   b  is not communicated as it is not to be searched. 
     At a 9  of  FIG. 3 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  determines that one or more devices from which the identification information of the image forming device are successfully obtained, as an image forming device to be managed by the management apparatus  30 . For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  generates an image forming device list, which stores the identification information that is obtained from the MFP  31  at a 5  in association with the address information of the MFP  31  at a 2  for the MFP  31   a ,  31   b ,  31   c ,  31   e , and  31   f . The image forming device list is stored in the image forming device list storage  10 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  7  to  9 , operation of generating an image forming device list, performed by the management apparatus  40  of the network system of  FIG. 2 , is explained according to an example embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 7  illustrates a data sequence diagram illustrating operation of generating an image forming device list of the devices on the network  21 , performed by the management apparatus  40 . The MFPs  41   c ,  41   d , and  41   e  of  FIG. 7  are not shown in  FIG. 2 . This example illustrates the case in which the image forming device list is generated for the network devices in the IPv4 network environment. 
     At a 1  and a 2  of  FIG. 7 , the management apparatus  40  of  FIG. 2  communicates with a plurality of devices on the network by multicast to obtain address information of each of the devices on the network. For example, the IPv4 multicast address to be used for multicasting may be designated to the management apparatus  40  through the operation unit  14  of the management apparatus  40  or through the center apparatus  27 . Alternatively, the LAN  43  to which the management apparatus  40  is connected may be previously designated with the IPv4 multicast address. The network device detector  4  causes the arp communication unit  2  to transmit the arp message to each one of the devices each having the designated IPv4 multicast address by specifying the designated IPv4 multicast address as a destination address. In this example, at a 1  of  FIG. 7 , the network device detector  4  transmits the arp message to each one of the MFP  41   a  to  41   f.    
     At a 2  of  FIG. 7 , the network device detector  4  of the management apparatus  40  causes the arp communication unit  2  to receive an arp response from each one of the MFPs  41   a  to  41   f  to collect address information of each one of the MFPs  41   a  to  41   f . The arp response includes the IPv4 address information and the MAC address information of each device. 
     At a 3  of  FIG. 7 , the network list generator of the management apparatus  40  generates a network device list, which lists the address information of the MFPs  41   a  to  41   f.    
     In this example, as illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the network device list includes the IP address “192.168.0.11” and the MAC address “AA:BB:CC:DD:FF:11” of the MFP  41   a , the IP address “192.168.0.22” and the MAC address “BB:BB:CC:DD:FF:22” of the MFP  41   b , the IP address “192.168.0.33” and the MAC address “CC:BB:CC:DD:FF:33” of the MFP  41   c , the IP address “192.168.0.44” and the MAC address “CC:BB:CC:DD:FF:44” of the MFP  41   d , the IP address “192.168.0.55” and the MAC address “DD:BB:CC:DD:FF:55” of the MFP  41   e , and the IF address “192.168.0.66” and the MAC address “AA:BB:CC:DD:FF:66” of the MFP  41   f.    
     At a 4  of  FIG. 7 , the management apparatus  40  determines whether any one of the devices listed in the network device list is a device to be communicated, based on the filtering rule stored in the filtering rule storage  7 . When there is more than one device to be communicated, the management apparatus  40  further determines a priority order in communicating each device based on the filtering rule stored in the filtering rule storage  7 . More specifically, in this example, the management apparatus  40  determines whether any one of the MFPs  41   a  to  41   f  listed in the network device list of  FIG. 8  needs to be communicated, and determines a priority order in communicating the MFPs  41   a  to  41   f.    
     For example, assuming that the filtering rule of  FIG. 5  is applied, the communication priority set  6  of the management apparatus  40  determines that the MFP  41   a  and the MFP  41   f  are to be communicated first, the MFP  41   b  to be not searched, the MFP  41   c  and the MFP  41   d  to be communicated second, and the MFP  41   e  to be communicated third. The determination result is sent to the image forming device search and determination list generator  8 . Based on this determination result, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  may generate an image forming device determination list, which lists one or more devices to be communicated. 
     At a 5  of  FIG. 7 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  requests each device that is determined to be communicated to send the identification information of an image forming device. More specifically, as illustrated below, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  41 , by SOAP communication or HTTP communication through the SOAP/HTTP communication unit  9 , or by SNMP communication by the SNMP communication unit  3 , to obtain identification information of the MFP  41 . Further, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  41  in the priority order determined at a 4  based on the filtering rule. 
     At a 6 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  41   a  and the MFP  41   f , which are to be communicated first. The image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  41   a  to obtain identification information of the MFP  41   a . For example, the “ID: ABAA” of the MFP  41   a  may be obtained. In a substantially similar manner, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  41   f  to obtain the identification information of the MFP  41   f , such as the “ID: FBFF” of the MFP  41   f.    
     At a 7  of  FIG. 7 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  41   c  and the MFP  41   d , which are to be communicated second. The image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  41   c  to obtain identification information “ID: CBCC” of the MFP  41   c . The image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  41   d . However, in this case, it is assumed that there is no response from the MFP  41   d  such that no identification information is obtained for the MFP  41   d.    
     At a 8  of  FIG. 7 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  41   e , which is to be communicated third, to obtain identification information “ID: EBEE” of the MFP  41   e . The MFP  41   b  is not communicated as it is not to be searched. 
     At a 9  of  FIG. 7 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  determines that one or more devices from which the identification information are successfully obtained, as an image forming device to be managed by the management apparatus  40 . For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  generates an image forming device list, which stores the identification information that is obtained from the MFP  41  at a 5  in association with the address information of the MFP  41  at a 2  for the MFP  41   a ,  41   b ,  41   c ,  41   e , and  41   f . The image forming device list is stored in the image forming device list storage  10 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  10  to  12 , operation of generating an image forming device list, performed by the management apparatus  50  of the network system of  FIG. 2 , is explained according to an example embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 10  illustrates a data sequence diagram illustrating operation of generating an image forming device list of the devices on the network  23 , performed by the management apparatus  50 . The MFPs  61   c ,  61   b , and  61   e  of  FIG. 10  are not shown in  FIG. 2 . This example illustrates the case in which the image forming device list is generated for the network devices in the IPv6 environment where the use of ICMPv6 is prohibited. 
     At a 1  and a 2  of  FIG. 10 , the management apparatus  50  of  FIG. 2  communicates with a plurality of devices on the network by multicast to obtain address information of each device on the network. For example, the IPv6 multicast address to be used for multicasting may be designated to the management apparatus  50  through the operation unit  14  of the management apparatus  50  or through the center apparatus  27 . Alternatively, the LAN  63  to which the management apparatus  50  is connected, through the 6to4 router  54 , may be previously designated with the IPv6 multicast address. The network device detector  4  causes the SNMP communication unit  3  to transmit the SNMP message to each one of the devices each having the designated IPv6 multicast address by specifying the designated IPv6 multicast address as a destination address. In this example, at a 1  of  FIG. 10 , the network device detector  4  causes the SNMP communication unit  3  to transmit the SNMP message to each one of the MFPs  61   a  to  61   f.    
     At a 2  of  FIG. 10 , the network device detector  4  of the management apparatus  50  causes the SNMP communication unit  3  to receive a SNMP response from each one of the MFPs  61   a  to  61   f  to collect address information of each one of the MFPs  61   a  to  61   f . The SNMP response includes the IPv6 address information and the MAC address information of each device. 
     At a 3  of  FIG. 10 , the network list generator of the management apparatus  50  generates a network device list, which lists the address information of the MFPs  61   a  to  61   f.    
     In this example, as illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the network device list includes the IP address “2001:2c0:418:2::11” and the MAC address “AA:BB:CC:DD:GG:11” of the MFP  61   a , the IP address “2001:2c0:418:2::22” and the MAC address “BB:BB:CC:DD:GG:22” of the MFP  61   b , the IP address “2001:2c0:418:2::33” and the MAC address “CC:BB:CC:DD:GG:33” of the MFP  61   c , the IP address “2001:2c0:418:2::44” and the MAC address “CC:BB:CC:DD:GG:44” of the MFP  61   d , the IP address “2001:2c0:418:2::55” and the MAC address “DD:BB:CC:DD:GG:55” of the MFP  61   e , and the IP address “2001:2c0:418:2::66” and the MAC address “AA:BB:CC:DD:GG:66” of the MFP  61   f.    
     At a 4  of  FIG. 10 , the management apparatus  50  determines whether any one of the devices listed on the network device list is a device to be communicated, based on the filtering rule stored in the filtering rule storage  7 . When there is more than one device to be communicated, the management apparatus  50  further determines a priority order in communicating each device based on the filtering rule stored in the filtering rule storage  7 . More specifically, in this example, the management apparatus  50  determines whether any one of the MFPs  61   a  to  61   f  listed in the network device list of  FIG. 11  needs to be communicated, and determines a priority order in communicating the MFPs  61   a  to  61   f.    
     For example, assuming that the filtering rule of  FIG. 5  is applied, the communication priority set  6  of the management apparatus  50  determines that the MFP  61   a  and the MFP  61   f  are to be communicated first, the MFP  61   b  to be not searched, the MFP  61   c  and MFP  61   d  to be communicated second, and the MFP  61   e  to be communicated third. The determination result is sent to the image forming device search and determination list generator  8 . Based on this determination result, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  may generate an image forming device determination list, which lists one or more devices to be communicated. 
     At a 5  of  FIG. 10 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  requests each device that is determined to be communicated to send the identification information of an image forming device. More specifically, as illustrated below, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  61 , by SOAP communication or HTTP communication through the SOAP/HTTP communication unit  9 , or by SNMP communication by the SNMP communication unit  3 , to obtain identification information of the MFP  61 . Further, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  61  in the priority order determined at a 4  based on the filtering rule. 
     At a 6  of  FIG. 10 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  61   a  and the MFP  61   f , which are to be communicated first. The image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  61   a  to obtain identification information of the MFP  61   a . For example, the “ID: ADAA” of the MFP  61   a  may be obtained. In a substantially similar manner, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  61   f  to obtain the identification information of the MFP  41   f , such as the “ID: FDFF” of the MFP  61   f.    
     At a 7  of  FIG. 10 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  61   c , which is to be communicated second, to obtain identification information “ID: CDCC” of the MFP  61   c . The image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  61   d , which is to be communicate second. However, in this case, it is assumed that there is no response from the MFP  61   d  such that no identification information is obtained for the MFP  61   d.    
     At a 8  of  FIG. 10 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  61   e , which is to be communicated third, to obtain identification information “ID: EDEE” of the MFP  61   e . The MFP  61   b  is not communicated as it is not to be searched. 
     At a 9  of  FIG. 10 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  determines that one or more devices from which the identification information are successfully obtained, as an image forming device to be managed by the management apparatus  50 . For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 12 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  generates an image forming device list, which, stores the identification information that is obtained from the MFP  61  at a 5  in association with the address information of the MFP  61  obtained at a 2  for the MFP  61   a ,  61   b ,  61   c ,  61   e , and  61   f . The image forming device list is stored in the image forming device list storage  10 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  13  to  15 , operation of generating an image forming device list, performed by the management apparatus  50  of the network system of  FIG. 2 , is explained according to an example embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 13  illustrates a data sequence diagram illustrating operation of generating an image forming device list of the devices on the network  22 , performed by the management apparatus  50 . The MFPs  51   c ,  51   b , and  51   e  of  FIG. 13  are not shown in  FIG. 2 . This example illustrates the case in which the image forming device list is generated for the network devices in the IPv4 network environment, in which the use of arp is prohibited. 
     At a 1  and a 2  of  FIG. 13 , the management apparatus  50  of  FIG. 2  communicates with a plurality of devices on the network by multicast to obtain address information of each device on the network. For example, the IPv4 multicast address to be used for multicast may be designated to the management apparatus  50  through the operation unit  14  of the management apparatus  50  or through the center apparatus  27 . Alternatively, the LAN  53  to which the management apparatus  50  is connected may be previously designated with the IPv4 multicast address. The network device detector  4  causes the SNMP communication unit  3  to transmit the SNMP message to each one of the devices each having the designated IPv6 multicast address by specifying the designated IPv4 multicast address as a destination address. In this example, at a 1  of  FIG. 13 , the network device detector  4  causes the SNMP communication unit  3  to transmit the SNMP message to each one of the MFPs  51   a  to  51   f.    
     At a 2  of  FIG. 13 , the network device detector  4  of the management apparatus  50  causes the SNMP communication unit  3  to receive a SNMP response from each one of the MFPs  51   a  to  51   f  to collect address information of each one of the MFPs  51   a  to  51   f . The SNMP response includes the IPv4 address information and the MAC address information of each device. 
     At a 3  of  FIG. 13 , the network list generator of the management apparatus  50  generates a network device list, which lists the address information of the MFPs  51   a  to  51   f.    
     In this example, as illustrated in  FIG. 14 , the network device list includes the IP address “192.168.1.11” and the MAC address “AA:BB:CC:DD:HH:11” of the MFP  51   a , the IP address “192.168.1.22” and the MAC address “BB:BB:CC:DD:HH:22” of the MFP  51   b , the IP address “192.168.1.33” and the MAC address “CC:BB:CC:DD:HH:33” of the MFP  51   c , the IP address “192.168.1.44” and the MAC address “CC:BB:CC:DD:HH:44” of the MFP  51   d , the IP address “192.168.1.55” and the MAC address “DD:BB:CC:DD:HH:55” of the MFP  51   e , and the IP address “192.168.1.66” and the MAC address “AA:BB:CC:DD:HH:66” of the MFP  51   f.    
     At a 4  of  FIG. 13 , the management apparatus  50  determines whether any one of the devices listed on the network device list is a device to be communicated, based on the filtering rule stored in the filtering rule storage  7 . When there is more than one device to be communicated, the management apparatus  50  further determines a priority order in communicating each device based on the filtering rule stored in the filtering rule storage  7 . More specifically, in this example, the management apparatus  50  determines whether any one of the MFPs  51   a  to  51   f  listed in the network device list of  FIG. 14  needs to be communicated, and determines a priority order in communicating the MFPs  51   a  to  51   f.    
     For example, assuming that the filtering rule of  FIG. 5  is applied, the communication priority set  6  of the management apparatus  50  determines that the MFP  51   a  and the MFP  51   f  are to be communicated first, the MFP  51   b  to be not searched, the MFP  51   c  and MFP  51   d  to be communicated second, and the MFP  51   e  to be communicated third. The determination result is sent to the image forming device search and determination list generator  8 . Based on this determination result, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  may generate an image forming device determination list, which lists one or more devices to be communicated. 
     At a 5  of  FIG. 13 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  requests each device that is determined to be communicated to send the identification information of the image forming device. More specifically, as illustrated below, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  51 , by SOAP communication or HTTP communication through the SOAP/HTTP communication unit  9 , or by SNMP communication by the SNMP communication unit  3 , to obtain identification information of the MFP  51 . Further, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  51  in the priority order determined at a 4  based on the filtering rule. 
     At a 6  of  FIG. 13 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  51   a , which is to be communicated first, to obtain identification information of the MFP  51   a . For example, the “ID: AHAA” of the MFP  51   a  may be obtained. In a substantially similar manner, the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  51   f , which is to be communicated first, to obtain the identification information of the MFP  51   f , such as the “ID: FHFF” of the MFP  51   f.    
     At a 7  of  FIG. 13 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  51   c , which is to be communicated second, to obtain identification information “ID: CHCC” of the MFP  51   c . The image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  51   d , which is to be communicated second. However, in this case, it is assumed that there is no response from the MFP  51   d  such that no identification information is obtained for the MFP  51   d.    
     At a 8  of  FIG. 13 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  communicates with the MFP  51   e , which is to be communicated third, to obtain identification information “ID: EHEE” of the MFP  51   e.    
     At a 9  of  FIG. 13 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  determines that one or more devices from which the identification information are obtained, as an image forming device to be managed by the management apparatus  50 . For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 13 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  generates an image forming device list, which stores the identification information that is obtained from the MFP  51  at a 5  in association with the address information of the MFP  51  obtained at a 2  for the MFP  51   a ,  51   b ,  51   c ,  51   e , and  51   f . The image forming device list is stored in the image forming device list storage  10 . 
     As described above, any one of the apparatuses  30 ,  40 , and  50  is able to generate an image forming device list, which lists one or more image forming devices to be managed, even in the IPv6 network environment or the IPv6 and IPv4 network environment. 
     When any one of the apparatuses  30 ,  40 , and  50  receives an instruction, which selects any number of the MFPs (the selected MFP) that are listed in the image forming device list through the operation unit  14 , the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  stores the address information of the selected MFP in the image forming device list storage  10 , as an image forming device management list. The center device communication unit  12  sends the address information of the selected MFP, or the image forming device management list, to the center apparatus  27  through the network to cause the center apparatus  27  to store the address information of the selected MFP in its memory as the image forming device management list. In such case, any other information regarding the selected MFP may be stored as the image forming device management information in addition to or alternative to the address information of the selected MFP. 
     When the image forming device search and determination list generator  8  detects that communication between the management apparatus and one of the MFPs subjected for management is interrupted, the SNMP communication unit  3  and the SOAP/HTTP communication unit  9  obtain the MAC address of the MFP that is interrupted, and checks the location of the MFP on the network. The image forming device data change and communication unit  11  updates the address information of the MFP, which is stored in the image forming device list storage  10 , with the address information obtained from the checked location. Alternatively or additionally, the image forming device data change and communication unit  11  may transmit the address information of the MFP, which is obtained from the checked location, to the center apparatus  27  through the center device communication unit  12 . The center apparatus  27  updates the address information of the MFP, which is stored in its memory, with the obtained address information. 
     The image forming device data change and communication  11  transmits the address information of the device, which is determined to be the image forming device subjected for management by the management apparatus, to the center apparatus  27  through the center device communication unit  12 . 
     The image forming device data change and communication unit  11  receives information from the center apparatus  27  through the center device communication unit  12 , and sets settings information used for multicast communication with the network devices based on the settings information. 
     The center device communication unit  12  receives time information from the center apparatus  27 , and sets a time at which the management apparatus generates or updates an image forming device list. 
     The filtering rule set  13  receives the filtering rule from the center apparatus  27  through the center device communication unit  12 , and stores the filtering rule in the filtering rule storage  7 . 
     As described above, the management apparatus obtains the MAC address of each network device on the IPv6 network by the ICMPv6 neighbor discovery to search one or more network devices each having the obtained MAC address, and determines whether any one of the searched network devices is an image forming device using a previously determined logic. Further, after one or more network devices each having the obtained MAC address are searched, a filtering rule, such as a MAC address prefix, may be applied to further limit a number of network devices subjected for further processing. With this technique, one or more image forming devices are searched with improved efficiency, even in the IPv6 environment or the IPv4 and IPv6 environment. 
     Numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the disclosure of the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. 
     With some embodiments of the present invention having thus been described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. 
     For example, elements and/or features of different illustrative embodiments may be combined with each other and/or substituted for each other within the scope of this disclosure and appended claims. 
     For example, in order to determine whether the network device is an image forming device subjected for management, the management apparatus may determine whether the management apparatus receives any response from the network device in response to a HTTPS request addresses to the web service. Alternatively or additionally, the management apparatus may determine whether the identification information that is received from the network device indicates identification information of an image forming device. In this example, the identification information of the image forming device may be management information base (MIB) information that indicates that the device is an image forming device. 
     Further, as described above, any one of the above-described and other methods of the present invention may be embodied in the form of a computer program stored in any kind of storage medium. Examples of storage mediums include, but are not limited to, flexible disk, hard disk, optical discs, magneto-optical discs, magnetic tapes, involatile memory cards, ROM (read-only-memory), etc. 
     Alternatively, any one of the above-described and other methods of the present invention may be implemented by ASIC, prepared by interconnecting an appropriate network of conventional component circuits or by a combination thereof with one or more conventional general purpose microprocessors and/or signal processors programmed accordingly. 
     In one example, the present invention may reside in: a management apparatus for managing an image forming device on a network. The management apparatus includes: address information collection means for communicating with a plurality of devices on a network by multicast to collect address information of each device on the network; means for generating a network device list that lists address information of each device on the network; means for communicating with one or more devices having its address information listed in the network device list to request identification information of an image forming device; means for determining that one or more devices from which the identification information of the image forming device are received is an image forming device to be managed; and means for generating an image forming device list that lists the address information of the device that is determined to be the image forming device. 
     The management apparatus further includes: rule information storage means for storing rule information, which is used to determine whether each one of the network devices having the address information listed in the network device list is subjected for further communication and to determine a priority order in communicating the network devices that are determined to be subjected for further communication; and communication determining means for determining whether each one of the network devices having the address information listed in the network device list is subjected for further communication and determining a priority order in communicating the network devices that are determined to be subjected for further communication using the rule information. 
     The address information collection means of the management apparatus includes means for obtaining the IPv6 multicast address designated to the management apparatus, transmitting the ICMPv6 message to each one of the plurality of devices each having the designated IPv6 multicast address, and collecting the address information of each one of the plurality of devices from the response received from each device in response to the ICMPv6 message, the address information including the IPv6 address information and the MAC address information of each device. 
     The address information collection means of the management apparatus includes means for obtaining the IPv6 multicast address designated to the network to which the management apparatus is connected, transmitting the ICMPv6 message to each one of the plurality of devices each having the designated IPv6 multicast address, and collecting the address information of each one of the plurality of devices from the response received from each device in response to the ICMPv6 message, the address information including the IPv6 address information and the MAC address information of each device. 
     The address information collection means of the management apparatus includes means for obtaining the IPv4 multicast address designated to the management apparatus, transmitting the arp message to each one of the plurality of devices each having the designated IPv4 multicast address, and collecting the address information of each one of the plurality of devices from the response received from each device in response to the arp message, the address information including the IPv4 address information and the MAC address information of each device. 
     The address information collection means of the management apparatus includes means for obtaining the IPv4 multicast address designated to the network to which the management apparatus is connected, transmitting the arp message to each one of the plurality of devices each having the designated IPv4 multicast address, and collecting the address information of each one of the plurality of devices from the response received from each device in response to the arp message, the address information including the IPv4 address information and the MAC address information of each device. 
     The management apparatus further includes registering means for obtaining a selected image forming device that is selected from the image forming device list; and registering the address information of the selected image forming device to at least one of the management apparatus and the center apparatus on the network. 
     The management apparatus further includes updating means for detecting interruption in communication between the management apparatus and the selected image forming device that is registered, checking a network location of the selected image forming device using the MAC address of the selected image forming device to generate a check result, and updating the address information of the selected image forming device stored in the management apparatus or the center apparatus with address information that reflects the check result. 
     The management apparatus further includes transmitting means for transmitting the address information of the image forming device to the center apparatus on the network. 
     The management apparatus further includes setting means for setting settings information used by the management apparatus for multicast communication with the plurality of devices on the network based on information received from the center apparatus on the network. 
     The management apparatus further includes time setting means for setting a time at which the image forming device list generating means generates the image forming device list, based on information received from the center apparatus on the network. 
     The management apparatus further includes means for storing the rule information received from the center apparatus on the network in the rule information storage means. 
     The address information collection means of the management apparatus includes means for determining whether the use of ICMPv6 is prohibited on the network; and when the use of ICMPv6 is prohibited, performing the following operations including: obtaining the IPv6 multicast address designated to the management apparatus or to the network to which the management apparatus is connected, transmitting the SNMP message to each one of the plurality of devices each having the designated IPv6 multicast address, and collecting the address information of each one of the plurality of devices from the response received from each device in response to the SNMP message, the address information including the IPv6 address information and the MAC address information of each device. 
     The address information collection means of the management apparatus includes means for determining whether the use of arp is prohibited on the network; and when the use of arp is prohibited, performing the following operations including: obtaining the IPv4 multicast address designated to the management apparatus or to the network to which the management apparatus is connected, transmitting the SNMP message to each one of the plurality of devices each having the designated IPv4 multicast address, and collecting the address information of each one of the plurality of devices from the response received from each device in response to the SNMP message, the address information including the IPv4 address information and the MAC address information of each device. 
     The identification information obtaining means of the management apparatus includes: means for obtaining the identification information of the image forming device by SOAP communication, HTTP communication, or SNMP communication. 
     In one example, the present invention may reside in an image forming device management system, which includes a plurality of devices including an image forming device, and a management apparatus connected to the plurality of devices through a network. The management apparatus includes: address information collecting means for communicating with the plurality of devices on the network by multicast to collect address information of the plurality of devices; network list generating means for generating a network device list, which lists the address information of the plurality of devices collected by the address information collection means; identification information obtaining means for communicating with one or more devices each having its address information listed in the network device list to request each device for identification information of the image forming device; and means for determining that one or more devices from which the identification information of the image forming device are obtained to be an image forming device to be managed by the management apparatus; and means for generating an image forming device list, which lists the address information of the one or more devices that are determined to be the image forming device to be managed. The network device including the image forming device includes means for sending the address information of the device in response to the multicast communication from the management apparatus. The image forming device includes means for sending the identification information of the image forming device in response to the communication from the management apparatus. 
     In one example, the present invention may reside in a method of managing an image forming device on a network, performed by a computer that causes a management apparatus to manage the image forming device on the network. The method includes: communicating with a plurality of devices on a network by multicast to obtain address information of the plurality of devices; generating a network device list, which lists the address information of the plurality of devices; communicating with one or more devices each having its address information listed in the network device list to request for identification information of an image forming device; determining that one or more devices from the identification information of the image forming device are received to be an image forming device to be managed by the management apparatus; and generating an image forming device list, which lists the address information of the one or more devices that are determined to be the image forming device to be managed. 
     In one example, the present invention may reside in a recording medium, which stores a plurality of instructions, which cause a processor to perform the above-described method. 
     With the above-described apparatus, system, method or program, one or more image forming devices subjected for management can be searched with improved efficiency, even in the IPv6 network environment.