Patent ID: 8499089

Claim:
A management device for managing a first type device that is compatible with a first protocol and is not compatible with a second protocol and a second type device that is compatible with the first protocol and the second protocol, the second type device being set in any one of a plurality of operation modes including a first mode in which communication is available not through the second protocol but through the first protocol, and a second mode in which communication is available not through the first protocol but through the second protocol, the management device comprising: a device determination unit that determines whether a target device as a target of current communication is the first type device or the second type device; an available-protocol determination unit that, if the device determination unit determines that the target device is the second type device, identifies the protocol used in previous communication with the target device, and determines priority of the protocol to be used to attempt the current communication with the target device; a communication unit that attempts communication with the target device in accordance with the priority of the protocol determined by the available-protocol determination unit; and a processing determination unit which determines whether information is to be set in the target device or information is to be acquired from the target device in the current communication, wherein the available-protocol determination unit identifies the protocol used in the previous communication for setting the information in the target device if the information is to be set in the target device in the current communication, identifies the protocol used in the previous communication for acquiring the information from the target device if the information is to be acquired from the target device in the current communication, sets the priority of the protocol in order of the second protocol and the first protocol if the previous communication is performed through the second protocol, and sets the priority of the protocol in order of the first protocol and the second protocol if the previous communication is performed through the first protocol.