Patent ID: 8065403

Claim:
An information processing system configured of a plurality of networked information processing apparatuses, the information processing system comprising: a display device; at least one processor; and a memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to operate with the display device to: (a) operate the information processing system as a single virtual information processing apparatus through cooperative operation of the information processing apparatuses; (b) acquire apparatus information, or excess processing capacities from the plurality of information processing apparatuses; (c) propose expanded functions to be executed using cooperation of the plurality of information processing apparatuses forming the information processing system; (d) manage performance or an apparatus configuration that becomes necessary for making each of the expanded functions executable; (e) for at least one of the proposed expanded functions, extract performance or an apparatus configuration necessary for executing the at least one proposed expanded function; (f) compare with a summation of the acquired apparatus information; (g) determine whether the at least one proposed expanded function is executable; and (h) response to the determination being the at least one proposed expanded function is not executable: (i) determine which unavailable apparatus is required to be added to the information processing system to execute the at least one proposed expanded function; and (ii) cause the display device to display apparatus information which indicates the determined unavailable apparatus.