Patent ID: 8275876

Claim:
An apparatus for collecting attribute information of an information processing apparatus to be monitored in a system for monitoring the information processing apparatus via a network, the apparatus comprising: an attribute-information storing unit that stores attribute information obtained from the information processing apparatus and attribute identifiers corresponding to the attribute information, each of the attribute identifiers including a first identifier indicating a type of the attribute identifier and a second identifier uniquely assigned within the type; a receiving unit that receives an attribute information request for a first one of the attribute identifiers; a determining unit that determines whether the attribute information corresponding to the first attribute identifier is stored in the attribute-information storing unit for more than a predetermined period of time; and an attribute-identifier generating unit that extracts second attribute identifiers of the attribute identifiers, with the second attribute identifiers including the first identifier most frequently appearing in the attribute identifiers stored in the attribute-information storing unit, the second attribute identifiers belonging to a group to which the first attribute identifier belongs, the group storing the first identifier of the attribute identifier whose second identifier changes with an identical regularity, when the determining unit determines that the attribute information corresponding to the first attribute identifier is stored for more than the predetermined period of time and the attribute-identifier generating unit further generates new attribute identifiers, each including the first identifier of the first attribute identifier and each of the second identifiers of the second attribute identifiers; wherein at least one of the attribute-information storing unit, the receiving unit, the determining unit, and the attribute-identifier generating unit is to be implemented by a processor.