Patent ID: 8284434

Claim:
An image forming apparatus located in a serial arrangement in which the image forming apparatus and a plurality of sheet processing apparatuses are serially arranged, the plurality of sheet processing apparatuses being located downstream of the image forming apparatus and being serially connected to the image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus and the plurality of sheet processing apparatuses being connected to a network, said image forming apparatus comprising: a system configuration registration unit configured to register identification information for identifying the sheet processing apparatuses and register arrangement information regarding an order in which the image forming apparatus and the sheet processing apparatuses are arranged in the serial arrangement; a storage unit configured to store the identification information and the arrangement information; and a control unit configured to send commands to the sheet processing apparatuses based on the identification information and the arrangement information stored in the storage unit, wherein said control unit detects unavailable sheet processing apparatus, and in a case where the unavailable sheet processing apparatus is detected, said control unit determines that a sheet processing apparatus that is located downstream of the unavailable sheet processing apparatus is unavailable.