Patent ID: 8537385

Claim:
An access control apparatus belonging to a first domain in a multi-domain environment, comprising: an acquisition unit configured to obtain access control information corresponding to a user belonging to the first domain, from a file, which the access control information is used for controlling usage of a function of an image forming apparatus and includes permission information for print attribute settings; an authentication information generating unit configured to generate authentication information by performing signature processing on the access control information acquired by the acquisition unit; an adding unit configured to add the authentication information generated by the authentication information generating unit, to the access control information obtained by the acquisition unit, when the user belonging to the first domain instructs usage of a function of the image forming apparatus; a transmitting unit configured to transmit, to a client computer, the access control information to which the authentication information generated by the authentication information generating unit is added by the adding unit; and a request unit configured to send the access control information obtained by the acquisition unit to an access control apparatus belonging to a second domain, and to request the access control apparatus belonging to the second domain to add substitute authentication information generated by the access control apparatus belonging to the second domain by performing signature processing on the access control information received from the requesting unit, to the access control information received from the requesting unit, when the user belonging to the first domain instructs usage of a function of an image forming apparatus belonging to the second domain, wherein the transmitting unit transmits, to the client computer the access control information to which the substitute authentication information added by the access control apparatus of the second domain is added based on the request by the request unit, wherein, (a) when the user belonging to the first domain instructs usage of a function of an image forming apparatus belonging to the second domain and the acquisition of the access control information fails and default access control information corresponding to the first domain is prepared, the default access control information is used, and (b) when the user belonging to the first domain instructs usage of a function of an image forming apparatus belonging to the second domain and the acquisition of the access control information fails and the default access control information corresponding to the first domain is not prepared, access control information prepared by system default is used.