Information processing system and information processing method for distributing job data among plurality of first information processing devices

An information processing method that is to be executed by a plurality of first information processing devices and a second information processing device, wherein each of the plurality of the first information processing devices is connected to a corresponding apparatus, and the second information processing device is connected to the plurality of the first information processing devices through a network, the method comprising:

• a request transmitting step, by each of the first information processing devices, of transmitting, to the second information processing device, a connection request for establishing a communication connection with the second information processing device;
• a storing step, by each of the first information processing devices, of storing first job information on a first job to be executed by the apparatus in a first storage unit;
• a retrieval step, by each of the first information processing devices, of transmitting a retrieval request for retrieving second job information to the second information processing device, and receiving the second job information that is transmitted from the second information processing device;
• a first reply step, by each of the first information processing devices, of transmitting, in response to a request from the apparatus corresponding to the first information processing device, the first job information that is stored in the first storage unit and the second job information that is retrieved by the retrieval step to the apparatus;
• a collection step, by the second information processing device, of collecting, in response to the retrieval request for retrieving the second job information, the first job information from each of the first storage units of a part of or all the plurality of the first information processing devices other than a source of the retrieval request, wherein the second information processing device establishes the communication connections with the part of or all the plurality of the first information processing devices other than the source of the retrieval request, in response to the connection requests from the part of or all the plurality of the first information processing devices other than the source of the retrieval request;
• and
• a second reply step, by the second information processing device, of transmitting, to the first information processing device that is the source of the retrieval request, the first job information collected by the collection step as the second job information.