Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation application of International PCT Application No. PCT/JP2009/070765, filed on Dec. 11, 2009, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The embodiments discussed herein are related to an information processing apparatus and a control method. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Client devices as terminal devices, which cause the server device to perform an original task, for example a deposit and withdrawal processing task at banks, are connected to a server device as an information processing apparatus, and the server performs the original task. To such a server device, not only a client device that performs its original task but also a system-controlling client device as a system-controlling terminal device are connected. That server device obtains apparatus information consisting of the status of the sensor of each unit in the server device or the like in response to a request from a system-controlling client, and transmits the obtained apparatus information to a system-controlling client device. The apparatus information is displayed at the system-controlling client device, and the apparatus information is used by an operator for monitoring whether the server device is operating normally. As the status of the server device changes from moment to moment, the system-controlling client device transmits a new request to the server device at constant intervals (for example, at intervals of 30 seconds), and obtains new apparatus information from the server device to update the display. 
         [0004]    Here, there are some cases where several system-controlling client devices are connected to a single server device. In such cases, the load for collecting apparatus information increases; for example, the server device needs to obtain the status of the sensor of each unit in the server device in response to the requests from the several client devices. If an attempt is made to reduce the load, inconvenience is caused; for example, the number of system-controlling client devices that can be simultaneously connected is limited. 
         [0005]    A technique has been proposed in which when an event occurs to one of a plurality of terminal devices as a plurality of client devices that are connected to the server device through the network as a communication path, that event is reflected on all the terminal devices. This technique has been developed such that the display format will be the same among the terminal devices. Moreover, a technique in which the same information is simultaneously displayed on the terminal devices with different formats has been proposed.
   Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2001-243165   Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 03-268048   
 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    According to an aspect of the invention, an information processing apparatus coupled to a plurality of terminal devices through a communication channel, the information processing apparatus includes a communication unit configured to communicate with the plurality of terminal devices, an apparatus information obtaining unit configured to obtain apparatus information indicating a state of the information processing apparatus, and an information transmission controller which includes an information storage unit configured to store the apparatus information received from the apparatus information obtaining unit, wherein, when the communication unit receives a first information transmission request repeatedly transmitted from a first terminal device which transmitted the first information transmission request for requesting transmission of the apparatus information displayed on a first state monitoring screen among the plurality of terminal devices, the information transmission controller requests the apparatus information obtaining unit to obtain the apparatus information corresponding to the first information transmission request, receives the apparatus information from the apparatus information obtaining unit, stores the obtained apparatus information in the information storage unit, and controls the communication unit to transmit the apparatus information to the first terminal device, and after the communication unit receives the first information transmission request transmitted by another terminal device other than the first terminal device among the plurality of terminal devices, the information transmission controller controls the communication unit to transmit the apparatus information corresponding to the first information transmission request stored in the information storage unit to the another terminal device. 
         [0009]    The object and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the claims. 
         [0010]    It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a server device according to the first embodiment of the present application; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating a server device according to the second embodiment of the present application; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating the processes performed by the server device of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a timing chart illustrating the operation of the server device of  FIGS. 2 and 3 ; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a timing chart illustrating the operation of a server device as a comparative example. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0016]    Some embodiments of the present application will be described below. 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a server device as an information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the application. 
         [0018]    A server device  100  is connected to a plurality of (herein, two) client devices  10 A and  10 B through a communication channel  20 . The communication channel  20  is, for example, a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The number of the client devices connected to the server device  100  is not limited to two, but may be three or more. The server device  100  includes a port  110  as a communication unit, an information transmission controller  120 , an apparatus information obtaining unit  130 , and an apparatus H/W (hardware unit)  140 . The apparatus H/W  140  is illustrated as one block in  FIG. 1 , but the apparatus H/W  140  may be widely distributed to several parts of the server device  100 , and may include, for example, a temperature sensor, a fan rotation speed sensor, a voltage sensor, a current sensor, or other types of various sensors. Moreover, the information transmission controller  120  includes an information storage unit  121  that stores apparatus information, as will be described later. 
         [0019]    The apparatus information obtaining unit  130  collects and obtains the apparatus information containing measurement information or several types of hardware information collected by sensors from the apparatus H/W  140  that is widely distributed to several parts of the server device  100  as above. 
         [0020]    The port  110  is a communication interface such as a LAN card that performs communication between the client devices  10 A and  10 B. 
         [0021]    The information transmission controller  120  is placed between the port  110  and the apparatus information obtaining unit  130 . The information transmission controller  120  includes the information storage unit  121  in which the apparatus information received from the apparatus information obtaining unit  130  is stored. When the port  110  receives an information transmission request from one of the client devices  10 A and  10 B, the information transmission controller  120  controls the port  110  to transmit the apparatus information corresponding to the information transmission request. The port  110  transmits the apparatus information corresponding to the information transmission request to the client device that transmitted the information transmission request. 
         [0022]    Here, the client devices  10 A and  10 B transmit the information transmission request, which is a request for transmission of the apparatus information displayed first on a state monitoring screen for monitoring the system or state of the server device  100 , to the server device  100  at constant intervals (for example, at intervals of 30 seconds). 
         [0023]    Here, it is assumed that the client device  10 A transmits the first information transmission request at an earlier timing than the client device  10 B. Here, only the information transmission request transmitted from the client device  10 A will be described. When the information transmission request transmitted from the client device  10 A is received at the port  110 , the information transmission controller  120  requests the apparatus information obtaining unit  130  to obtain the apparatus information, thereby obtaining the apparatus information from the apparatus information obtaining unit  130 . The information transmission controller  120  stores the obtained apparatus information in the information storage unit  121 , and controls the port  110  to transmit the apparatus information to the client device  10 A. When the apparatus information is stored in the information storage unit  121 , in cases where the apparatus information displayed on the same state monitoring screen exists in the information storage unit  121 , new apparatus information is stored instead of that apparatus information by performing a overwriting or the like. When a next information transmission request is transmitted from the client device  10 A, in a similar manner, the information transmission controller  120  requests that the apparatus information obtaining unit  130  obtains the apparatus information again, thereby obtaining the apparatus information from the apparatus information obtaining unit  130  again. The information transmission controller  120  stores the re-obtained apparatus information in the information storage unit  121 , and controls the port  110  to transmit the re-obtained apparatus information to the client device  10 A. By repeating the processes described above, a state displaying screen in which the apparatus information is stored is displayed on the client device  10 A, and the apparatus information in the state displaying screen is updated at constant intervals (for example, at intervals of 30 seconds). 
         [0024]    Here, the client device  10 B also repeatedly transmits the apparatus-information transmission request, which is a request for transmission of the same apparatus information as the client device  10 A requested, to the server device  100  at constant intervals (for example, at intervals of 30 seconds). Once the information transmission request from the client device  10 B is received at the port  110 , the information transmission controller  120  refers to the information storage unit  121 . In the information storage unit  121 , the apparatus information obtained when the immediately preceding information obtainment request from the client device  10 A was received is stored. Then, the information transmission controller  120  reads the apparatus information stored in the information storage unit  121  without newly obtaining the apparatus information containing the status of the sensor of each unit in the server device or the like, and controls the port  110  to transmit the apparatus information to the client device  10 B. As described above, every time the information transmission request is received, the apparatus information stored in the information storage unit  121  is transmitted from the port  110  to the client device  10 B without newly obtaining the apparatus information containing the status of the sensor of each unit in the server device or the like. Accordingly, in a similar manner as the client device  10 A, the apparatus information updated at constant intervals (for example, at intervals of 30 seconds) is displayed on the state monitoring screen of the client device  10 B. 
         [0025]    As described above, according to the server device  100  of  FIG. 1 , the apparatus information is newly obtained in response to the request from the client device  10 A. On the other hand, the apparatus information is not newly obtained in response to the request from the client device  10 B, and the stored apparatus information is transmitted. In this case, the process of obtaining the apparatus information is reduced by one-half compared with the case in which the apparatus information is newly obtained for all the information transmission requests from both of the client devices  10 A and  10 B. Accordingly, the load for obtaining the apparatus information is reduced. 
         [0026]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating a server device according to the second embodiment of the present application. 
         [0027]    Four client devices (Web clients A to D) are connected to a server device  200  through a communication channel such as a LAN. The server device  200  includes a Web server  210 , a visual display controller  220 , a session management unit  230 , an apparatus H/W management unit  240 , and an apparatus H/W  250 . When the configuration of  FIG. 2  is compared with the first embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the Web server  210  corresponds to the port  110 , and the combination of the visual display controller  220  and the session management unit  230  corresponds to the information transmission controller  120 . In particular, the Web server  210  is a service function realized by HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol). Moreover, the information storage unit  221  in the visual display controller  220  corresponds to the information storage unit  121 . Furthermore, the apparatus H/W  250  corresponds to the apparatus H/W  140 . 
         [0028]    In the session management unit  230 , the information that specifies the screen being displayed on each of the Web clients A-D, and the information for the same screens that specifies the client device on which the screen is displayed first (this will be referred to as a “primary session”) are stored. The visual display controller  220  can recognize the screen that is being displayed on the each Web clients A-D and which of the Web clients A-D is responsible for a primary session by referring to the session management unit  230 . 
         [0029]    The differences between the server device  200  of  FIG. 2  and the server device  100  of  FIG. 1  are described above, and the operations of the Web server  210 , the apparatus H/W management unit  240 , and the apparatus H/W  250  are the same as the operations of the port  110 , the apparatus information obtaining unit  130 , and the apparatus H/W  140  of the server device  100  of  FIG. 1 . In other words, the Web server  210  is responsible for the communication with the Web clients A-D. The apparatus H/W management unit  240  accesses the apparatus H/W  250  to obtain the apparatus information that indicates the status of the server device  200 . The apparatus H/W  250  includes several types of sensors, and in response to the access from the apparatus H/W management unit  240 , the apparatus H/W  250  makes the apparatus H/W management unit  240  obtain the measurement information collected by those sensors and the apparatus information composed of the information on the hardware that constitutes the server device  200 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating the processes performed by the server device  200  of  FIG. 2 . 
         [0031]    When a status display request is issued by one of the Web clients A-D and the Web server  210  receives the status display request (S 1 ), the Web server  210  transfers the status display request to the visual display controller  220  (S 2 ). 
         [0032]    Here, the “status display request” corresponds to the “information transmission request” received at the server device  100  according to the first embodiment of  FIG. 1 . Regarding the term “status display request”, the fact that a state displaying screen in which the apparatus information is stored is displayed on each of the Web clients is taken into consideration. 
         [0033]    Next, the visual display controller  220  makes an inquiry to the session management unit  230  to determine whether or not the Web client that has transmitted the presently-received status display request is a primary session in which the state monitoring screen corresponding to that status display request is displayed first (S 3 ). When it is determined that the Web client is a primary session, the visual display controller  220  requests the apparatus H/W management unit  240  to obtain the apparatus information (S 4 ). The apparatus H/W management unit  240  accesses the apparatus H/W  250  to obtain the apparatus information that indicates the status of the server device, and passes the obtained apparatus information to the visual display controller  220  (S 5 ). The visual display controller  220  converts the obtained apparatus information into the screen information that indicates a screen on which the apparatus information is displayed, and retains the apparatus information that has been converted into the screen information in the information storage unit  221  (S 6 ). 
         [0034]    Next, the apparatus information is returned to the Web client responsible for the primary session that has presently transmitted the status display request (S 8 ). 
         [0035]    When the Web client is determined to be a non-primary session in step S 3 , the apparatus information stored in the information storage unit  221  is obtained (S 7 ), and the obtained apparatus information is returned to the Web client for the non-primary session that has presently transmitted the screen display request (S 8 ). 
         [0036]    Here, when a status display request for another state monitoring screen is transmitted from the Web client that is responsible for the primary session, the information of the primary session about the previous state monitoring screen, which was stored in the session management unit  230  of  FIG. 2  previously, is reset. Then, when a next status display request for that state displaying screen is transmitted, the Web client that transmitted the status display request is recorded by the session management unit  230  as a new primary session. 
         [0037]      FIG. 4  is a timing chart illustrating the operation of the server device of  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
         [0038]    Here, the three Web clients A-C out of the four Web clients A-D transmit new status display requests for every refresh interval of 30 seconds, and the remaining one Web client D transmits a new status display request for every refresh interval of 60 seconds. Moreover, here, the same state displaying screen on which the entire apparatus information of the server device  200  is recorded is displayed on the four Web clients A-D as an initial screen. Here, it is assumed that the Web client A initially transmits a status display request for the state displaying screen, and that the status display request is received at the server device  200 . In other words, here, the Web client A is responsible for the primary session. 
         [0039]    In this case, in response to the status display request transmitted from the Web client A, the apparatus H/W is accessed by the apparatus H/W management unit, and the apparatus information is newly obtained. In response to the status display requests transmitted from the other Web clients B-D, the apparatus H/W is not accessed to newly obtain the apparatus information, and the apparatus information retained by the visual display controller is returned. 
         [0040]      FIG. 5  is an operation timing chart of a server device as a comparative example. 
         [0041]    The operating condition in the operation timing chart of  FIG. 5  is the same as the operating condition in the operation timing chart of  FIG. 4  except that a primary session is not distinguished from a non-primary session. 
         [0042]    In the case of the server device of  FIG. 5  as a comparative example, the apparatus H/W is accessed to newly obtain the apparatus information in response to the status display request transmitted from any of the Web clients A-D. 
         [0043]    If  FIG. 4  is compared with  FIG. 5 , it should be apparent in the case of  FIG. 4  that the apparatus H/W is not newly accessed for a non-primary session, and thus the load for obtaining the apparatus information is greatly reduced. 
         [0044]    In the description above, in cases where there are several types of state monitoring screens, it was assumed that a primary session was set for each of the several types of state monitoring screens. However, a primary session may be set for a portion of these several types of state monitoring screens. For example, only the first-displayed state monitoring screen for monitoring a state of the server device may be processed in the way of  FIGS. 3 and 4  where there are a primary session and a non-primary session. It is often the case that the first-displayed state monitoring screen is displayed on the Web clients A-D for a long time, and thus the load on the server device will be greatly reduced even if only the first-displayed state monitoring screen is processed as above. If the load on the server device is reduced, available throughput increases, and thus for example, it is possible to increase the number of the Web clients that can be simultaneously connected. Moreover, the amount of the reduced load may be allocated to the original task of the server device. 
         [0045]    All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions, nor does the organization of such examples in the specification relate to a showing of the superiority and inferiority of the invention. Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it should be understood that the various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Technology Category: 5