Patent ID: 7962592

Claim:
A network management device, comprising: a collection unit that repeatedly collects, by automatic discovery, information on elements in a network; a memory device that stores information collected by the collection unit; a registration unit that registers the element chosen by the user through the choice unit as an object to be monitored, the monitoring being performed by a process other than the automatic discovery; and a control unit that controls the collection unit to collect, by the automatic discovery, information on both registered elements and not-registered elements, and controls the registration unit to keep a registered but not-discovered element as registered for the monitoring, where for the registered but not-discovered element, information was collected by a past automatic discovery but is not collected by a current automatic discovery, wherein the control unit further controls the display unit to display a result of a comparison, the comparison being performed at the time of the current automatic discovery between elements which are being registered for the monitoring at the time of the current automatic discovery and elements on which information is collected by the current automatic discovery, whereby the user is enabled to choose the element to be subjected to the monitoring among (i) a not-registered and newly-discovered element, (ii) a registered and discovered element, and (iii) a registered but not-discovered element.