Patent ID: 8804168

Claim:
A system comprising an image forming apparatus and a server that distributes firmware to said image forming apparatus, said server comprising: a first determination unit configured to determine whether the firmware distributed to said image forming apparatus is to be released at a current time; and a transmission unit configured to, when firmware determined by said first determination unit not to be released at the current time has not been applied to said image forming apparatus, transmit first instruction information that contains an instruction to prevent application of the firmware to said image forming apparatus, and when the firmware determined by said first determination unit not to be released at the current time has been applied to said image forming apparatus, transmit second instruction information that contains an instruction to obtain either firmware alternative to, or a downgrade from, the firmware determined not to be released at the current time, and apply the obtained firmware to said image forming apparatus, wherein said first determination unit further determines whether release of the firmware distributed to said image forming apparatus is stopped or terminated as firmware that may cause an unexpected operation, and wherein said first determination unit, when the release of the firmware distributed to said image forming apparatus is terminated, further determines a release termination level of the firmware, the release termination level representing the possibility at which the firmware causes an unexpected operation in the image forming apparatus, and said image forming apparatus comprising: an obtaining unit configured to obtain instruction information from said server; and a control unit configured to prevent application of the firmware determined not to be released at the current time in accordance with the first instruction information obtained by said obtaining unit, wherein said control unit controls to obtain either firmware alternative to, or a downgrade from, the firmware determined not to be released at the current time in accordance with the second instruction information obtained by said obtaining unit, and apply the obtained firmware to said image forming apparatus.