Network data base control device and method thereof

A network device control apparatus for acquiring information related to a selected printing apparatus from among a plurality of printing apparatuses by using a network management program in the network device control apparatus, and displaying acquired information of the selected printing apparatus, comprising:

• an invoking unit for invoking the network management program;
• an printing apparatus displaying unit for displaying on a display symbols representing the plurality of printing apparatuses;
• a printing apparatus selecting unit for accepting a user's selection of a printing apparatus symbol from among the printing apparatus symbols displayed on the display displayed by the printing apparatus displaying unit,
• a device window display unit for displaying a device window allocated to the selected printing apparatus, the device window having a first sheet, a second sheet, and a designation portion for selecting either to display the first sheet or the second sheet, wherein the sheet selected by the designation portion is visible while the other sheet is invisible, and the first sheet is visible at an initial display stage of the device window,
• and wherein the first sheet defines items to be displayed as first partial sheet information and the second sheet defines items to be displayed as second partial sheet information, and the items to be displayed as the first partial sheet information on the first sheet and the items to be displayed as the second partial sheet information on the second sheet are different from each other and are managed as an MIB (Managed Information Base) by the selected printing apparatus;
• a first acquiring unit for acquiring, from the selected printing apparatus, the first partial sheet information related to the selected printing apparatus, by communicating with the selected printing apparatus using SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), via a network when the network management program is invoked by the invoking unit;
• a first partial sheet information display unit for displaying the first partial sheet information, acquired by said first acquiring unit from the selected printing apparatus when the network management program is invoked, on the first sheet of the device window as the initial display, wherein the first partial sheet information is part of information related to the selected printing apparatus;
• a sheet selecting unit for accepting the user's selection of the designation portion for the second sheet displayed in the device window display so as to invoke displaying the second sheet in the device window in place of the first sheet;
• a second acquiring unit for, in response to the user's selection of the designation portion for the second sheet, the network management program acquiring, from the selected printing apparatus by communicating with the selected printing apparatus via the network using SNMP, the second partial information related to the selected printing apparatus;
• a second partial sheet information display unit for the second partial sheet information, acquired by said second acquiring unit, on the second sheet of the device window, wherein the second partial sheet information is part of information related to the selected printing apparatus;
• and
• a determination unit for, if the user selects a designation portion for the first sheet again, or selects the designation portion for the second sheet again after having selected the designation portion for the second sheet at least once before, determining whether the first partial sheet information or the second partial sheet information is to be acquired from the selected printing apparatus or a memory storing the first partial sheet information or the second partial sheet information previously acquired from the selected printing apparatus.

A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for implementing an acquiring method of acquiring information related to a selected printing apparatus from among a plurality of printing apparatuses by using a network management program in a network management apparatus, and a displaying method of displaying acquired information, the program comprising:

• program code for an invoking step of the network management apparatus invoking the network management program;
• program code for a printing apparatus displaying step of the network management program displaying on a display symbols representing the plurality of printing apparatuses;
• program code for a printing apparatus selecting step of a user selecting a printing apparatus symbol from among the printing apparatus symbols displayed on the display in the printing apparatus displaying step;
• program code for a device window display step of the network management program displaying a device window allocated to the selected printing apparatus, the device window having a first sheet, a second sheet, and a designation portion for selecting either to display the first sheet or the second sheet, wherein the sheet selected by the designation portion is visible while the other sheet is invisible, and the first sheet is visible at an initial display stage of the device window,
• and wherein the first sheet defines items to be displayed as first partial sheet information and the second sheet defines items to be displayed as second partial sheet information, and the items to be displayed as the first partial sheet information on the first sheet and the items to be displayed as the second partial sheet information on the second sheet are different from each other and are managed as an MIB (Managed Information Base) by the selected printing apparatus;
• program code for a first acquiring step of the network management program acquiring, from the selected printing apparatus, the first partial sheet information related to the selected printing apparatus, by communicating with the selected printing apparatus using SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), via a network when the network management program is invoked in the invoking step;
• program code for a first partial sheet information display step of the network management program displaying the first partial sheet information, acquired in said first acquiring step from the selected printing apparatus when the network management program is invoked, on the first sheet of the device window as the initial display, wherein the first partial sheet information is part of information related to the selected printing apparatus;
• program code for a sheet selecting step of the user selecting the designation portion for the second sheet displayed in the device window display so as to invoke displaying the second sheet in the device window in place of the first sheet;
• program code for second acquiring step of, in response to the user's selection of the designation portion for the second sheet, the network management program acquiring, from the selected printing apparatus by communicating with the selected printing apparatus via the network using SNMP, the second partial information related to the selected printing apparatus;
• program code for a second partial sheet information display step of the network management program displaying the second partial sheet information, acquired in said second acquiring step, on the second sheet of the device window, wherein the second partial sheet information is part of information related to the selected printing apparatus;
• and
• program code for a determination step of, if the user selects a designation, portion for the first sheet again, or selects the designation portion for the second sheet again after having selected the designation portion of the second sheet at least once before, determining whether the first partial sheet information or the second partial sheet information is to be acquired from the selected printing apparatus or a memory storing information acquired from the selected printing apparatus.