System for Indicating to Network User the Cost of Service Provided to Each Device on Network

A method for managing a plurality of server units connected to a network and a client unit connected to the network, the client unit being configured to send a service request to any of the plurality of server units, and the server unit being configured to operate in any of a plurality of operational states, said method comprising:

• calculating an estimated change in an operational state due for execution of the service by the server unit;
• obtaining an execution cost of the service for said server unit based on the estimated change in the operational state;
• and
• sending, from a management unit to the client unit, an indication of the execution cost and an identifier of said server unit.

A management apparatus configured to manage a plurality of server units and a client unit, the client unit being configured to send a service request to any of the plurality of server units, each of the plurality of server units being configured to operate in any of a plurality of operational states, the management apparatus comprising:

• a network connection connecting the management apparatus to a network, said network being connected to each of the plurality of server units and the client unit;
• means for calculating an estimated change in an operational state occurring due to execution of the service for each of the plurality of server units;
• and
• means for assigning a priority to each of the plurality of server units based on the estimated change in the operational state for each of the plurality of server units;
• and
• a storage unit configured to store an indication of the priority of each of the plurality of server units and an identifier associated with each of the plurality of server units.

A computer program product comprising a machine readable non-transitory medium including a program of instructions for managing a plurality of server units connected to a network, wherein the program of instructions upon being executed on a computer causes the computer to perform activities comprising:

• detecting a client unit sending a service request for a server unit, the server unit being one of the plurality of server units connected to said network capable of operating in a plurality of operational states;
• calculating an estimated change in an operational state of said server unit that would occur due to execution of the service corresponding to the service request by the server unit;
• assigning, by a management unit, a priority to the server unit based on the estimated change in the operational state;
• and
• storing in a storage unit an indication of the priority and an identifier of said server unit.