Patent ID: 7827277

Claim:
A network system comprising: network devices; and a server including a first processing unit, and first storage for storing instructions that, when executed by the first processing unit, cause the server to provide a device managing apparatus that manages the network devices through a network, the device managing apparatus including: a backup module that receives, from each of the network devices, configuration data describing operating conditions of the network device through the network, and stores the received plurality of configuration data along with a configuration identifier which is associated with each of the received plurality of configuration data; and a managing module that receives the configuration identifier which is entered by a user through one of the network devices, extracts configuration data, from the stored plurality of configuration data, associated with the received entered configuration identifier, and transmits the extracted configuration data to the one of the network devices which has transmitted the entered configuration identifier; each of the network devices including: an operation unit configured to be used by the user to enter the configuration identifier, a second processing unit, and second storage for storing instructions that, when executed, by the second processing unit, cause the network device to provide a transmitter that transmits the configuration data describing own operating conditions to the device managing apparatus; and a setting module that transmits the entered configuration identifier to the device managing apparatus, receives the extracted configuration data transmitted from the device managing apparatus, and sets the operating conditions described in the extracted configuration data as own operating condition; wherein: the configuration data includes a network node identifier that identifies each of the network devices on the network; and the managing module of the device managing apparatus: reads out the network node identifier from the extracted configuration data; determines whether or not a node identifier non overlap condition is satisfied, wherein the node identifier non overlap condition indicates that the read network node identifier is not assigned to a network device other than the one of the network devices which has transmitted the entered configuration identifier; and transmits the extracted configuration data if the node identifier non overlap condition is satisfied.