Line concentrator, external devices, information processing system including them, and method for managing information processing system

A line concentrator that unifies a plurality of external devices being connected to a network and connects the unified external devices to another network, comprising,

• destination selection delivery means for transmitting data, which is supplied from said another network, only to a designated destination,
• first received data delivery means for transmitting the data supplied from the destination selection delivery means to all of the external devices being connected to the network, and
• second received data delivery means for transmitting information, which is supplied from an external device, to all of the external devices in the network and to the destination selection delivery means, the information regarding current processing statuses of the respective external devices.

External devices that are unified by a line concentrator connected to a network and are connected to the line concentrator, each of the external devices comprising,

• receiving means for receiving data which has been supplied from another network to the line concentrator, and
• transmitting/receiving means, when said each of the external devices is executing processing, for transmitting information regarding a data processing status to an external device in the network, and for receiving information regarding a data processing status from an external device which is executing processing.

A method for managing an information processing system comprising a plurality of external devices being connected to a network and a line concentrator that unifies the plurality of external devices and connects the plurality of external devices with another network, in which,

• data transmitted from said another network to the line concentrator is transmitted from the line concentrator to all of the external devices being connected to the network,
• information transmitted from the external devices to the line concentrator, the information regarding current processing statuses of the external devices, is transmitted from the line concentrator to all of the external devices being connected to the network, and
• the external devices select, based upon the data and the information regarding processing statuses, an external device that is to execute the data processing, and execute the data processing.

A method for managing an information processing system comprising a plurality of external devices being connected to a network and a line concentrator that unifies the plurality of external devices and connects the plurality of external devices with another network, in which,

• when data is transmitted from said another network to the line concentrator, the data is transmitted from the line concentrator to all of the external devices being connected to the network,
• information regarding current processing statuses of the respective external devices is transmitted from the external devices to the line concentrator, and
• the line concentrator selects, based upon the data and the information regarding processing status, an external device that is to execute the data processing, and the selected external device executes the data processing.