Patent ID: 8631402

Claim:
A center management apparatus to manage a center apparatus that performs in a virtual machine environment a process described in a guest program, the center management apparatus comprising: a computer, to execute the process including: storing guest programs in association with data capable of identifying each of the guest programs and storing an execution flag in association with the guest program, the execution flag including indication as to whether the process described in the guest program is active; accepting designation of first data capable of identifying a maintenance program describing a maintenance process, and second data capable of identifying the guest program to receive maintenance; duplicating, only when the computer determines that the guest program is inactive, the guest program to generate a guest copy, the guest program being identified with the second data; requesting the center apparatus to activate a virtual machine, by transmitting a first control signal indicating an instruction to perform a process described in the guest copy; requesting the center apparatus to perform the maintenance process, by transmitting a second control signal indicating an instruction to perform the maintenance process, the center apparatus performing the process described in the guest copy, the maintenance process being described in a maintenance program identified with the first data; replacing, only when the computer determines that the guest program is inactive, the guest program with the guest copy when the guest copy is changed as a result of the maintenance process, the guest program being identified with the second data; and stopping, during a transmission phase, the transmitting of the second control signal when the execution flag indicates that the process is active, wherein the center management apparatus identifies that the guest copy has been updated by the maintenance process before performing the replacing.