Patent ID: 8464082

Claim:
A management apparatus which manages a power mode of each of a plurality of information processing apparatuses, the management apparatus comprising at least a processor and a memory to operate as: a management unit configured to manage information regarding at least one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses, which belongs to a first group, and information regarding at least one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses, which belongs to a second group, wherein neither of the first and the second groups contains the other; a setting unit configured to assign different priorities respectively to the first and second groups; a memory unit configured to store first schedule information indicating a schedule of power modes which are to be set on each information processing apparatus belonging to the first group and second schedule information indicating a schedule of power modes which are to be set on each information processing apparatus belonging to the second group; an instruction unit configured to instruct an information processing apparatus belonging to the first group to change the power mode based on the first schedule information and instruct an information processing apparatus belonging to the second group to change the power mode based on the second schedule information; a judging unit configured to judge, after said setting unit performs the assignment, whether an information processing apparatus belongs to both the first group and the second group; a determination unit configured to determine, in a case where said judging unit determines that an information processing apparatus belongs to both the first group and the second group, which of the power mode indicated by the first schedule information and the power mode indicated by the second schedule information is to be set on the information processing apparatus based on the priorities assigned by said setting unit; and a control unit configured to control said instruction unit such that the power mode which has been determined by said determination unit is set on the information processing apparatus belonging to both the first group and the second group.