JP2010218311A - Information processor, information processing method, and information processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

An information processing apparatus capable of automatically setting a setting value of a function added by a plug-in during program installation is provided. A setting policy and a setting value of an information processing apparatus are stored. Setting values for acquiring the setting policies indicating the levels of the storage units 102 and 104 and the installation program, and the setting values used by the installation program and corresponding to each level of the state for the same setting item When the level indicated in the setting policy acquired by the acquisition unit 106 and the setting value acquisition unit 106 is different from the level indicated in the setting policy stored in the storage unit 102, a plurality of setting values acquired by the setting value acquisition unit 106 are used. A setting value specifying unit 108 for specifying a setting value corresponding to the level of the setting policy stored in the storage unit 102; And a registration unit 112 for registering the set value in the memory unit 104.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing program capable of installing a program by a plug-in.

  Conventionally, software that can add functions by plug-ins is known. In such software, after the program is installed, the user or service engineer needs to change the setting value in accordance with the usage environment.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, information such as setting information and font data set in a device, stored jobs and history data thereof are stored in another area when the program is upgraded or reinstalled. A technique for restoring these pieces of information after version upgrade or the like has been disclosed is disclosed.

  However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 relates to version upgrade and update of setting values at the time of re-installation on the assumption that a plug-in has already been performed, and when a new function is added There is a problem that it cannot be applied. Also, it cannot be applied when a new set value is added at the time of version upgrade.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and is a function automatically added by a plug-in even when a new function is added or a new setting value is added at the time of version upgrade. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing program capable of setting a set value.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides an information processing apparatus that installs a program by a plug-in, and includes a setting policy indicating a level of a state set in the information processing apparatus, Storage means for storing setting values of a program executed in the information processing apparatus, the setting policy indicating the level of the installation program installed by the information processing apparatus by plug-in, and setting values used by the installation program A first acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of setting values for the same setting item corresponding to each level of the state; the level indicated in the setting policy acquired by the first acquisition unit; and the storage The first acquisition means when the level indicated in the setting policy stored in the means is different First setting means for specifying a setting value corresponding to the level of the setting policy stored in the storage means from the plurality of acquired setting values; and the setting value specified by the first specifying means in the storage means. And a registration means for registering.

  Further, the present invention is an information processing method executed in an information processing apparatus that installs a program by a plug-in, wherein the information processing apparatus includes a setting policy indicating a level of a state set in the information processing apparatus, Storage means for storing a setting value of a program executed in the information processing apparatus, wherein the first acquisition means indicates the setting policy indicating the level of an installation program that the information processing apparatus installs by plug-in, and A first acquisition step of acquiring a plurality of setting values for the same setting item corresponding to each level of the state, and a first specifying means; The level indicated in the setting policy acquired in step 1 and the setting policy stored in the storage unit A first specifying step for specifying a setting value corresponding to the level of the setting policy stored in the storage unit from a plurality of setting values acquired in the first acquisition step when the levels shown in FIG. And a registration step of registering the set value specified in the first specifying step in the storage means.

  Further, the present invention is an information processing program for causing a computer to execute information processing for installing a program by a plug-in, wherein the computer includes a setting policy indicating a level of a state set in the information processing apparatus, A storage unit configured to store a setting value of a program executed in the information processing apparatus; the setting policy indicating the level of an installation program installed by the information processing apparatus by plug-in; and a setting used by the installation program A first acquisition step of acquiring a plurality of setting values for the same setting item corresponding to each level of the state, and the level indicated in the setting policy acquired in the first acquisition step; Before indicated in the setting policy stored in the storage means A first specifying step for specifying a setting value corresponding to the level of the setting policy stored in the storage means from a plurality of setting values acquired in the first acquiring step when the levels are different; and the first specifying step And a registration step of registering the set value specified in (4) in the storage means.

  According to the present invention, even when a new function is added or a new setting value is added at the time of version upgrade, the setting value of the function added by the plug-in can be automatically set. There is an effect.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a multifunction peripheral 100 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the setting values acquired by the setting value acquisition unit 106. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing program installation processing by the multifunction peripheral 100. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a security level change rule. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining processing at the time of program upgrade and reinstallation. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an energy saving level as an energy saving policy and a set value for each level. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the multifunction peripheral 100.

  Exemplary embodiments of an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing program according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings by taking a multifunction peripheral 100 as an information processing apparatus as an example.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a multifunction peripheral 100 according to the embodiment. The multifunction device 100 newly installs a program by plug-in. The multi-function device 100 also reinstalls or upgrades an already installed program by using a plug-in.

  The multi-function device 100 performs initialization processing at the time of program installation. At this time, the program to be installed automatically, that is, the setting value used by the installation program is registered in the multifunction device 100. The multi-function device 100 includes a setting policy storage unit 102, a setting value storage unit 104, a setting value acquisition unit 106, a setting value specifying unit 108, a communication unit 110, and a registration unit 112.

  The setting policy storage unit 102 stores a setting policy for the entire MFP 100. Here, the setting policy is information indicating the security level of the multifunction peripheral 100. The security level includes, for example, three levels of “high”, “medium”, and “low”, and the information processing apparatus is set to a predetermined level among them, and the setting policy storage unit 102 includes the multifunction device 100. The level set in is stored as a setting policy.

  The setting value storage unit 104 stores a setting value used by a program to be executed by the multifunction device 100, that is, a program installed in the multifunction device 100. For example, setting values for a program that communicates via a network include an authentication method and an execution interval of transmission processing.

  The setting value acquisition unit 106 acquires setting values and setting policies used by an installation program that is a program installed in the multifunction peripheral 100. Note that the setting value and the setting policy are provided by being stored in a recording medium together with the installation program. As another example, it is provided from another server or the like via a network together with the installation program.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the setting values acquired by the setting value acquisition unit 106. Each set value differs depending on the security level. The setting value acquisition unit 106 acquires a plurality of setting values corresponding to each of the plurality of setting items. Furthermore, a plurality of setting values are acquired for each setting item. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, for the setting item “authentication method”, “plaintext” for the security level “high”, “digest authentication priority” for the security level “medium”, and “digest authentication only” for the security level “high”. ”As a set value. Further, three setting values are acquired for each level for the encryption setting path. As described above, a plurality of setting values for each security level are acquired for the same setting item, and further, setting values for a plurality of setting items are acquired.

  The setting value specifying unit 108 specifies a setting value for the security level stored in the setting policy storage unit 102 from a plurality of setting values for each setting item acquired by the setting value acquisition unit 106. The communication unit 110 communicates with another server via a network, and acquires a missing setting value among setting values used by the installation program. That is, the setting value used by the installation program, which is a setting value other than the setting value acquired by the setting value acquisition unit 106 and the setting value stored in the setting value storage unit 104, is acquired. The registration unit 112 registers the setting value specified by the setting value specifying unit 108 and the setting value acquired by the communication unit 110 in the setting value storage unit 104. The registration unit 112 also identifies a setting value necessary for executing the installation program from the setting values already stored in the setting value storage unit 104, and changes the setting value as necessary.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing program installation processing by the multifunction peripheral 100. Here, a case where a program including network processing is installed will be described as an example. The multifunction device 100 first loads the installation program and starts the initialization process (step S100). In the initialization process, first, the setting value acquisition unit 106 acquires the setting value of the installation program (step S102). Next, the setting value specifying unit 108 refers to the security policy stored in the setting policy storage unit 102 and is stored in the setting policy storage unit 102 from the setting values acquired by the setting value acquisition unit 106. A setting value for the security policy is specified (step S104).

  The security policy set in the installation program, that is, the security policy acquired by the setting value acquisition unit 106 and the security policy stored by the setting policy storage unit 102 may be different. In this case, the setting value specifying unit 108 first changes the security level of the installation program to the security level stored in the setting policy storage unit 102.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a security level change rule. When the security level of the MFP 100 is “low”, the security of the setting value to be added is the same regardless of whether the security level of the setting value to be added is “high”, “medium”, or “low”. The level is changed to “low” which is the security level of the MFP 100. Similarly, when the security level of the MFP 100 is “medium” or “high”, the security level of the setting value to be added is changed to “medium” or “high”, respectively. If the security level stored in the setting policy storage unit 102 is customized by the user after registration in the setting policy storage unit 102 and cannot be determined as “high”, “medium”, or “low”, the security level is newly Change the security level of the added setting value to “High”. Then, the set value specifying unit 108 specifies the set value for the changed security level as the set value for each setting item.

  As described above, the MFP 100 automatically specifies the setting value to be set for the security level registered in the MFP 100, so the user checks the security level of the MFP 100 and responds to this. There is no need to manually register setting values.

  Furthermore, when there is a setting value that is insufficient as a setting value used by the installation program, the communication unit 110 acquires a setting value used by the installation program via the network (step S106). For example, information that cannot be determined from the security policy of the MFP 100, such as the IP address and host name of the communication partner, is acquired from the DHCP server by the DHCP client function. Since it is not necessary to lease the IP address of the device by DHCP, a DHCP-INFORM message that acquires only the setting value is used. Note that DHCPv6 may be used in the same manner as DHCP. In this way, by using an existing mechanism, a necessary setting value can be acquired without performing special processing. In this way, the multi-function device 100 can automatically acquire setting values necessary for executing the installation program via the network.

  Furthermore, the registration unit 112 checks whether there is a communication partner. For example, when a DHCPv6 client function is added, it is checked whether a DHCPv6 server exists on the network. If there is a communication partner (Yes at Step S108), the registration unit 112 validates the function realized by this installation program (Step S110). On the other hand, when there is no communication partner (No at Step S108), the registration unit 112 invalidates the function realized by the installation program (Step S112). As described above, when the communication partner does not exist, the function is disabled and the activation of the program is prohibited, so that the resources of the multifunction peripheral 100 are not wasted.

  Next, the registration unit 112 registers the setting value specified by the setting value specifying unit 108 and the setting value acquired by the communication unit 110 in the setting value storage unit 104 (step S114). The registration unit 112 further changes the setting value already stored in the setting value storage unit 104 so that the installation program can be executed (step S116). Specifically, the setting value in the lower layer than the installation program is changed.

  For example, if the installation program includes an application that can provide a function only with IPv6, the registration unit 112 changes the setting value storage unit 104 to valid if the setting value of the lower layer IPv6 is invalid. To do. If the network port you want to use on the firewall is blocked, change the setting so that this port can be used. The installation process is completed as described above, and the installation program waits until it is activated.

  Hereinafter, the installation process will be described more specifically. If the installation program is a new program that does not exist in the multifunction device 100, the setting value acquired by the setting value acquisition unit 106 is stored in the setting value storage unit 104, but the installation program already exists in the multifunction device 100. If the installation process corresponds to a version upgrade or re-installation process, the registration unit 112 maintains the setting values that already exist in the setting value storage unit 104 in the existing state, and newly added settings. Only the value is newly registered in the set value storage unit 104.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, “A1”, “A2”, and “A3” are already stored in the setting value storage unit 104 as setting values used by the program A. At this time, it is assumed that the installation process for the program A is performed, and the version upgrade or re-installation of the program A is performed. Furthermore, new setting values “A4” and “A5” are added in addition to “A1”, “A2”, and “A3” as setting values used by the installation program. In this case, the registration unit 112 does not change the set values for the already registered “A1”, “A2”, and “A3”, and sets new set values, that is, “A4” and “A5”. It is additionally registered in the value storage unit 104.

  As described above, the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment can automatically register necessary setting values when a program is newly installed, and when an already installed program is upgraded or reinstalled. it can. Therefore, when the program is installed, a resetting operation by the user or service engineer is unnecessary, and the installation process can be simplified.

  As an example of modification of the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the embodiment, the security policy is described as an example of the setting policy in the present embodiment, but the setting policy may be an energy saving policy indicating an energy saving level.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an energy saving level as an energy saving policy and a set value for each level. In FIG. 6, the energy saving level 3 is the level at which it is most likely to enter the energy saving mode. The setting values for the setting item “valid / invalid of function” are “valid”, “valid”, and “invalid” for the energy saving levels “1”, “2”, and “3”, respectively. The set value for “interval (second)” is set to “1 second”, “10 seconds”, and “10 seconds” for the energy saving levels “1”, “2”, and “3”, respectively. In this way, at the energy saving level 3, the function that prevents the user from entering the energy saving mode is disabled and installed. In the energy saving level 2, a relatively long value of 10 seconds is set for the periodic transmission process while the function is set to be effective. As described above, the setting policy is not limited to the present embodiment as long as it indicates the level of the predetermined state of the multifunction peripheral 100.

  Furthermore, as another example, both a security policy and an energy saving policy may be used as the setting policy. In this case, it is assumed that which policy is prioritized is set in advance. Thereby, when there is a contradiction in the setting value to be set in the setting value storage unit 104 due to each security policy and the setting value cannot be uniquely determined, the setting value can be uniquely determined according to the priority policy. .

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a hardware configuration of the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in the figure, the multifunction peripheral 100 has a configuration in which a controller 10 and an engine unit (Engine) 60 are connected by a PCI (Peripheral Component Interface) bus. The controller 10 is a controller that controls the entire MFP 100 and controls drawing, communication, and input from an operation unit (not shown). The engine unit 60 is a printer engine that can be connected to a PCI bus, and is, for example, a monochrome plotter, a one-drum color plotter, a four-drum color plotter, a scanner, or a fax unit. The engine unit 60 includes an image processing part such as error diffusion and gamma conversion in addition to a so-called engine part such as a plotter.

  The controller 10 includes a CPU 11, a north bridge (NB) 13, a system memory (MEM-P) 12, a south bridge (SB) 14, a local memory (MEM-C) 17, and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). 16 and a hard disk drive (HDD) 18, and the north bridge (NB) 13 and the ASIC 16 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 15. The MEM-P 12 further includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12a and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12b.

  The CPU 11 performs overall control of the multifunction peripheral 100, has a chip set including the NB 13, the MEM-P 12, and the SB 14, and is connected to other devices via the chip set.

  The NB 13 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 11 to the MEM-P 12, SB 14, and AGP 15, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 12, a PCI master, and an AGP target.

  The MEM-P 12 is a system memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, a memory for developing programs and data, a memory for drawing a printer, and the like, and includes a ROM 12a and a RAM 12b. The ROM 12a is a read-only memory used as a program / data storage memory, and the RAM 12b is a writable / readable memory used as a program / data development memory, a printer drawing memory, or the like.

  The SB 14 is a bridge for connecting the NB 13 to the PCI bus and peripheral devices. The SB 14 is connected to the NB 13 via a PCI bus, and a network interface (I / F) unit and the like are also connected to the PCI bus.

  The ASIC 16 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing applications having hardware elements for image processing, and has a role of a bridge for connecting the AGP 15, PCI bus, HDD 18, and MEM-C 17. The ASIC 16 includes a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 16, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 17, and a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory) that rotate image data using hardware logic. (Access Controller) and a PCI unit that performs data transfer between the engine unit 60 via the PCI bus. The ASIC 16 is connected to an FCU (Facsimile Control Unit) 30, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) 40, and an IEEE 1394 (the Institute of Electrical Engineering 50 interface) via a PCI bus. The operation display unit 20 is directly connected to the ASIC 16.

  The MEM-C 17 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 18 is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms. It is.

  The AGP 15 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed for speeding up graphics processing. The AGP 15 speeds up the graphics accelerator card by directly accessing the MEM-P 12 with high throughput. .

  Note that the information processing program executed by the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment is provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like. The information processing program executed by the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment is a file in an installable or executable format, such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or the like. It may be configured to be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

  Furthermore, the information processing program executed by the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment may be provided by being stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and downloaded via the network. Further, the information processing program executed by the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

  The information processing program executed by the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment has a module configuration including the above-described units. As actual hardware, the CPU (processor) reads the information processing program from the ROM and executes it. As a result, the above-described units are loaded onto the main storage device, and the respective units are generated on the main storage device.

  In the above embodiment, the information processing apparatus according to the present invention is described by taking an example in which the information processing apparatus is applied to a multifunction machine having at least two functions among a copy function, a printer function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function. The present invention can also be applied to other information processing apparatuses.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 MFP 102 Setting policy memory | storage part 104 Setting value memory | storage part 106 Setting value acquisition part 108 Setting value specific | specification part 110 Communication part
112 Registration Department

JP 2007-83595 A

Claims (10)

An information processing apparatus for installing a program by a plug-in,
Storage means for storing a setting policy indicating a level of a state set in the information processing apparatus, and a setting value of a program executed in the information processing apparatus;
The setting policy indicating the level of the installation program installed by the information processing apparatus by plug-in, and a setting value used by the installation program, and a plurality of the same setting items corresponding to each level of the state First acquisition means for acquiring a set value;
When the level indicated in the setting policy acquired by the first acquisition means and the level indicated in the setting policy stored in the storage means are different from the plurality of setting values acquired by the first acquisition means First specifying means for specifying a setting value corresponding to the level of the setting policy stored in the storage means;
An information processing apparatus comprising: registration means for registering the set value specified by the first specifying means in the storage means. A setting item of a setting value used when the information processing apparatus executes the installation program, and a second specifying unit that specifies the setting item stored in the storage unit;
2. The setting value changing means for changing the setting value for the setting item specified by the second specifying means to a setting value capable of executing the installation program. Information processing device. A second obtaining unit for obtaining a setting value to be added as a setting value used by the program via a network;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the registration unit registers the setting value acquired by the second acquisition unit in the storage unit.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second acquisition unit acquires the setting value to be added by DHCP.   The registration unit stores the setting value acquired by the first acquisition unit when the program already installed in the information processing apparatus by plug-in is upgraded or reinstalled, and is stored in the storage unit The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting value that has not been registered is registered in the storage unit. The setting policy is a security policy indicating a security level of the information processing apparatus,
The said 1st acquisition means acquires the said security policy which shows the said security level of the said program, and the several setting value with respect to the same setting item corresponding to each security level, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. Information processing device. The setting policy is an energy saving policy indicating an energy saving level of the information processing apparatus,
The said 1st acquisition means acquires the said energy saving policy which shows the said energy saving level of the said information processing apparatus, and the several setting value with respect to the same setting item corresponding to each energy saving level, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. The information processing apparatus described in 1. When the program installed by the information processing apparatus communicates with a predetermined communication partner via a network, the information processing device further comprises a communication partner specifying means for specifying the communication partner,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the registration unit further registers the communication partner as the set value in the storage unit. An information processing method executed in an information processing apparatus for installing a program by a plug-in,
The information processing apparatus includes a storage unit that stores a setting policy indicating a level of a state set in the information processing apparatus, and a setting value of a program executed in the information processing apparatus,
The first acquisition means is the same as the setting policy indicating the level of the installation program installed by the information processing apparatus by plug-in and the setting value used by the installation program, corresponding to each level of the state A first acquisition step of acquiring a plurality of setting values for the setting item;
Acquired by the first acquisition step when the level indicated in the setting policy acquired in the first acquisition step is different from the level indicated in the setting policy stored in the storage unit; A first specifying step of specifying a setting value corresponding to the level of the setting policy stored in the storage unit from a plurality of setting values;
And a registration step of registering the set value identified in the first identification step in the storage means. An information processing program for causing a computer to execute information processing for installing a program by a plug-in,
The computer includes a storage unit that stores a setting policy indicating a level of a state set in the information processing apparatus, and a setting value of a program executed in the information processing apparatus,
The setting policy indicating the level of the installation program installed by the information processing apparatus by plug-in, and a setting value used by the installation program, and a plurality of the same setting items corresponding to each level of the state A first acquisition step of acquiring a set value;
When the level indicated in the setting policy acquired in the first acquisition step is different from the level indicated in the setting policy stored in the storage unit, the plurality of setting values acquired in the first acquisition step A first specifying step of specifying a setting value corresponding to the level of the setting policy stored in a storage unit;
An information processing program comprising: a registration step of registering the setting value identified in the first identification step in the storage unit.

Images