JP7707784B2 - Programs, Clients and Systems - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a program , a client , and a system.

A technique has been disclosed in which a shared printer set up as a shared printer on a server running a first OS (operating system) is used to perform printing from a client running a second OS different from the first OS.

Patent Document 1 also discloses technology for using a shared printer between a server running on a second OS and a client running on the second OS.

However, in the past, when printing from a client running a second OS using a shared printer that was set up on a server running a first OS, there was a problem in that many procedures were required on the client running the second OS.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to set up a printing environment from a client on which a second OS is installed, using a shared printer on a server on which a first OS is installed, with a few steps and with high accuracy.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention is characterized in that a computer operating on a first OS (Operating System) functions as an information acquisition unit that acquires information necessary for setting up on a client on which a second OS different from the first OS is installed and a printer driver package of a shared printer that has been set up for sharing on the first OS, a tool creation unit that creates and places a tool for the second OS that reflects the information in a program running on the client in a shared folder for connection from the client, a notification unit that accepts a destination input for notifying the client of setting instructions and sends the notification to the destination, an authentication registration unit that accepts an authentication user name and password for connecting to the server and registers them in a keychain function possessed by the second OS, and a test printing unit that returns to registration in the keychain function in the authentication registration unit if test printing fails after registration of the print queue .

The present invention has the effect of enabling a printing environment to be set up from a client on which a second OS is installed using a shared printer on a server on which a first OS is installed, with minimal steps and with high accuracy.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the client PC and the print server. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the print server. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the client PC. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing of the first OS tool. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the information input screen. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the information input screen. FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing of the second OS tool. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the password entry screen. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the key chain registration screen. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the test print result input screen. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the setting completion display screen.

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the program, server, client and system with reference to the attached drawings.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the printing system includes one or more client PCs (Personal Computers) 300, a print server 400, and an image forming device 100, which are connected via a network 500 such as the Internet. In general, the print server 400 executes intermediate processing of a print job. The image forming device 100 executes a print job. The image forming device 100 is a multifunction device having at least two of the following functions: a copy function, a printer function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function.

The following is an overview of the printing process in the printing system. Data created within an application with a printing function running on the client PC 300 is converted into a print job via a printer driver inside the client PC 300. The print job is sent from the client PC 300 to the image forming device 100, where it is edited and analyzed by the controller 910 (see FIG. 2) inside the image forming device 100 and converted into printable raster data. The raster data is printed by the printer unit 932 (see FIG. 2) of the image forming device 100.

In addition, a print job may be sent from the client PC 300 to the print server 400, and after the print job is edited and necessary settings are made in the print server 400, the print job may be sent from the print server 400 to the image forming device 100.

In addition, instead of sending a print job from the client PC 300, a document that has been stored in advance on the print server 400 may be sent directly to the image forming device 100.

Note that in the example of FIG. 1, the printing system is illustrated as including one image forming device 100, but this is not limited to this, and the number and type of image forming devices 100 included in the printing system are arbitrary.

Next, we will explain the hardware configuration of the image forming device 100.

Figure 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the image forming device 100. As shown in Figure 2, the image forming device 100 includes a controller 910, a short-range communication circuit 920, an engine control unit 930, an operation panel 940, and a network I/F 950.

Of these, the controller 910 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 901, which is the main part of the computer, a system memory (MEM-P) 902, a north bridge (NB) 903, a south bridge (SB) 904, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 906, a local memory (MEM-C) 907, which is a storage unit, an HDD controller 908, and an HD 909, which is also a storage unit, and is configured such that the NB 903 and the ASIC 906 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 921.

Of these, the CPU 901 is a control unit that performs overall control of the image forming apparatus 100. The NB 903 is a bridge that connects the CPU 901 with the MEM-P 902, the SB 904, and the AGP bus 921, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 902, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) master, and an AGP target.

The MEM-P 902 is made up of a ROM (Read Only Memory) 902a, which is memory for storing the programs and data that realize the functions of the browser application and the controller 910, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 902b, which is used for expanding the programs and data, and as a drawing memory during memory printing. The programs stored in the RAM 902b may be provided by recording them in an installable or executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

SB904 is a bridge for connecting NB903 to PCI devices and peripheral devices. ASIC906 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing applications that has hardware elements for image processing, and plays the role of a bridge connecting AGP bus921, PCI bus922, HDD908, and MEM-C907. This ASIC906 is composed of a PCI target and AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that is the core of ASIC906, a memory controller that controls MEM-C907, multiple DMACs (Direct Memory Access Controllers) that rotate image data using hardware logic, and a PCI unit that transfers data between scanner unit931 and printer unit932 via PCI bus922. Note that a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface or an IEEE1394 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface may be connected to the ASIC906.

MEM-C907 is a local memory used as an image buffer for copying and a code buffer. HD909 is a storage for storing image data, font data used during printing, and forms. HD909 controls the reading and writing of data from and to HD909 under the control of CPU901. AGP bus921 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed to speed up graphic processing, and by directly accessing MEM-P902 with high throughput, the graphics accelerator card can be made faster.

The short-range communication circuit 920 also includes a short-range communication circuit 920a. The short-range communication circuit 920 is a communication circuit such as NFC or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The engine control unit 930 is further made up of a scanner unit 931 and a printer unit 932. The operation panel 940 is equipped with a panel display unit 940a, such as a touch panel, which displays current settings and selection screens and receives input from the operator, and an operation panel 940b consisting of a numeric keypad that receives settings for image formation conditions such as density settings and a start key that receives a copy start command. The controller 910 controls the entire image forming apparatus 100, and controls, for example, drawing, communication, and input from the operation panel 940. The scanner unit 931 or the printer unit 932 includes an image processing unit such as error diffusion and gamma conversion.

The image forming device 100 can sequentially switch between the document box function, copy function, printer function, and facsimile function using the application switching key on the operation panel 940. When the document box function is selected, the document box mode is selected; when the copy function is selected, the copy mode is selected; when the printer function is selected, the printer mode is selected; and when the facsimile mode is selected, the facsimile mode is selected.

The network I/F 950 is an interface for data communication using the network 500. The short-range communication circuit 920 and the network I/F 950 are electrically connected to the ASIC 906 via the PCI bus 922.

The program executed by the image forming device 100 of this embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading it via the network. The program executed by the image forming device 100 of this embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

The program executed by the image forming device 100 of this embodiment may also be configured to be provided by being pre-installed in a ROM or the like.

Next, we will explain the hardware configuration of the client PC 300 and the print server 400.

Figure 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of client PC 300 and print server 400. As shown in Figure 3, client PC 300 and print server 400 are constructed by computers, and as shown in Figure 3, include a CPU 501, ROM 502, RAM 503, HD 504, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) controller 505, display 506, external device connection I/F (Interface) 508, network I/F 509, bus line 510, keyboard 511, pointing device 512, DVD-RW (Digital Versatile Disk Rewritable) drive 514, and media I/F 516.

Of these, the CPU 501 controls the overall operation of the client PC 300 and the print server 400. The ROM 502 stores programs used to drive the CPU 501, such as IPL. The RAM 503 is used as a work area for the CPU 501.

The HD 504 stores various data such as programs (including the OS (Operating System)). The HDD controller 505 controls the reading and writing of various data from and to the HD 504 under the control of the CPU 501. The OS is system software that governs the operation of the computer. The difference between the client PC 300 and the print server 400 is due to the different OS stored in the HD 504.

The print server 400 stores a first OS in the HD 504. The first OS is, for example, Windows (registered trademark). The print server 400 functions as the print server 400 when the CPU 501 operates according to the first OS.

The client PC 300 operates on a second OS that is different from the first OS. The second OS is, for example, Mac OS (registered trademark). The client PC 300 functions as the client PC 300 when the CPU 501 operates according to the second OS.

The display 506 displays various information such as a cursor, a menu, a window, characters, or an image. The external device connection I/F 508 is an interface for connecting various external devices. In this case, the external devices are, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a printer. The network I/F 509 is an interface for data communication using the network 500. The bus line 510 is an address bus, a data bus, or the like for electrically connecting each component such as the CPU 501 shown in FIG. 3.

The keyboard 511 is a type of input means equipped with multiple keys for inputting characters, numbers, various instructions, etc. The pointing device 512 is a type of input means for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, moving the cursor, etc. The DVD-RW drive 514 controls the reading and writing of various data from the DVD-RW 513, which is an example of a removable recording medium. Note that this is not limited to a DVD-RW, and may be a DVD-R, etc. The media I/F 516 controls the reading and writing (storing) of data from the recording medium 515, such as a flash memory.

The programs executed by the client PC 300 and print server 400 in this embodiment are provided as installable or executable files recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, or DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

The programs executed by the client PC 300 and print server 400 of this embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading them via the network. The programs executed by the client PC 300 and print server 400 of this embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

The programs executed by the client PC 300 and print server 400 of this embodiment may also be configured to be provided by being pre-installed in a ROM or the like.

Next, we will explain the functions that the CPU 501 of the print server 400 performs by operating according to a program running on the first OS.

Here, FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the print server 400. As shown in FIG. 4, the print server 400 includes a first OS tool 404. In summary, the first OS tool 404 performs processes such as downloading a second OS printer driver 406, creating a shared folder 402, creating a second OS tool 405 and placing it in the shared folder 402, and sending a notification via a mail application 403, based on user input and information on the shared printer 401.

Here, the shared printer 401 is created and set for sharing using an existing function provided in the first OS, and is registered by registering a printer driver (print queue registration) for the image forming device 100.

The shared folder 402 is created using existing functions provided by the first OS. The first OS tool 404 places the second OS printer driver 406 and the second OS tool 405 in the shared folder 402.

The email application 403 is an application capable of creating, sending and receiving general emails. The first OS tool 404 uses the email application 403 to send notification emails. Note that the first OS tool 404 may send emails by command or program without using the email application 403.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first OS tool 404 includes an information acquisition unit 4041, a tool creation unit 4042, an information storage unit 4043, and a notification unit 4044.

The information acquisition unit 4041 acquires information on the shared printer 401 of the print server 400, the IP address of the print server 400, and the package of the printer driver 406 for the second OS. The information acquisition unit 4041 stores the acquired information, such as the information on the shared printer 401 of the print server 400, the IP address of the print server 400, and the package of the printer driver 406 for the second OS, in the information storage unit 4043.

More specifically, the information acquisition unit 4041 acquires the information shown below and stores it in the information storage unit 4043. The information storage unit 4043 stores information such as the IP address of the print server 400, the host name of the print server 400, the shared printer name, the shared folder name, the notification email address, option settings, and print setting default values.

The tool creation unit 4042 uses the information stored in the information storage unit 4043 to create the second OS tool 405 and the shared folder 402. The tool creation unit 4042 places the packages of the second OS tool 405 and the second OS printer driver 406 in the shared folder 402.

The notification unit 4044 creates and sends a notification email to the user of the client PC 300 based on the information (notification destination email address) stored in the information storage unit 4043.

Next, we will explain the functions of the second OS tool 405 that is created by the first OS tool 404 and executed on the client PC 300.

Here, FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the client PC 300. As shown in FIG. 5, the client PC 300 uses the second OS tool 405. The second OS tool 405 is placed in the shared folder 402 of the print server 400. The client PC 300 sets the printing environment on the second OS side by executing the second OS tool 405.

The second OS tool 405 installs a package (installer) of the second OS printer driver 406 located in the shared folder 402 of the print server 400.

The second OS tool 405 uses the email application 302, which can create, send, and receive general emails, to receive and view notification emails.

As shown in FIG. 5, the second OS tool 405 includes an installation unit 4051, a queue registration unit 4052, an authentication registration unit 4053, a setting reflection unit 4054, and a test printing unit 4055.

The installation unit 4051 installs the printer driver 406 for the second OS located in the shared folder 402 of the print server 400.

The queue registration unit 4052 registers the print queue of the shared printer 401 on the print server 400 to create a printing environment.

The authentication registration unit 4053 registers the authentication user name and password for connecting to the print server 400 in the keychain function (a function for recording and managing account and password information) of the second OS.

The setting reflection unit 4054 obtains the option (peripheral device) settings and default (initial) settings of the print settings of the shared printer 401 of the print server 400 from the information storage unit 4043, and reflects the settings in the print queue of the client PC 300.

The test printing unit 4055 performs test printing after print queue registration in the setting reflection unit 4054 and authentication registration in the authentication registration unit 4053. If the test printing fails, the test printing unit 4055 returns to the authentication registration step in the authentication registration unit 4053.

Next, we will explain the operation flow (external flow) of the user of the print server 400 and the processing flow (internal flow) of the first OS tool 404.

Here, Figure 6 is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow of the first OS tool 404.

First, a user of the print server 400 starts the first OS tool 404 of the print server 400 (S1-1). Note that the tool format here is assumed to be a general format (such as an executable file format (.exe) or a batch file format (.bat)).

Next, the user of the print server 400 inputs the necessary information into the UI (information input screen P1) displayed by the first OS tool 404 (S1-2). Here, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the information input screen P1. As shown in FIG. 7, the user of the print server 400 inputs the necessary information, "shared folder path," "second OS printer driver URL," and "notification destination email address," into the information input screen P1.

Next, the user of the print server 400 presses the "Create notification content" button B1 on the information input screen P1 (S1-3).

When S1-1 to S1-3 are executed, the first OS tool 404 creates the shared folder 402, downloads the printer driver package, creates the second OS tool 405, and places it in the shared folder 402 based on the necessary information entered from the information input screen P1. This is described in detail below.

First, the information acquisition unit 4041 of the first OS tool 404 acquires various pieces of information (S2-1). For example, if the first OS is Windows, the information acquisition unit 4041 can acquire information (IP address, host name, shared printer name) of the registered shared printer 401 using a command installed in Windows, such as Powershell. Powershell acquires the IP address using a GetHostAddress command, and the host name and shared printer name using a get-WmiObject command, etc. Also, if the first OS is Windows, the information acquisition unit 4041 acquires option settings and print setting default values of the shared printer 401 from the information storage unit 4043 using a command installed in Windows, such as Powershell (such as the Get-PrintConfiguration command).

Next, the information acquisition unit 4041 of the first OS tool 404 downloads the printer driver package for the second OS (S2-2). More specifically, the information acquisition unit 4041 downloads the printer driver package (installer) for the second OS published on a web page on the Internet from a download URL. For example, if the first OS is Windows, the information acquisition unit 4041 can download using a Windows-equipped command such as Powershell (such as the Invoke-WebRequest command of Powershell).

Next, the tool creation unit 4042 of the first OS tool 404 creates the shared folder 402 (S2-3). More specifically, the tool creation unit 4042 creates the shared folder 402 with a path specified on the UI (information input screen P1). For example, if the first OS is Windows, the tool creation unit 4042 can create the shared folder 402 using a command installed in Windows, such as Powershell. Specifically, Powershell allows folder creation with New-Item and sharing settings with New-SmbShare.

Next, the tool creation unit 4042 of the first OS tool 404 creates the second OS tool 405 (S2-4). More specifically, the tool creation unit 4042 creates a program that performs environmental setting processing for using the shared printer 401 on the client PC 300 side on which the second OS is installed. In this embodiment, when the second OS is the Mac OS, the file format of the program is assumed to be a shell script format that can execute commands on the Mac OS. The program may be created by preparing a template file for the second OS tool 405 and replacing the acquired information, or by other means.

The tool creation unit 4042 may directly reflect the information stored in the information storage unit 4043 in the program file of the second OS tool 405. Alternatively, the tool creation unit 4042 may write the information in a common format such as csv or xml in a file separate from the program file and read it by the tool. For example, in the case of driver package (.pkg) installation, the tool creation unit 4042 may prepare a template in which the following commands are written, and replace the "DRIVER_PACKAGE" portion with the name of the package downloaded in S2-2.
sudo/usr/sbin/installer-pkg DRIVER_PACKAGE

Next, the tool creation unit 4042 of the first OS tool 404 places the package and the second OS tool 405 in the shared folder 402 and displays a completion message (S2-5). For example, if the first OS is Windows, the tool creation unit 4042 can place the package and the second OS tool 405 using a Windows command such as Powershell (such as the Move-Item command).

Here, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the information input screen P1. As shown in FIG. 8, when the first OS tool 404 completes creating the notification content, it displays a pop-up on the information input screen P1 to indicate completion.

Next, the user of the print server 400 presses the "OK" button B3 in the pop-up display P of the information input screen P1, and then presses the "Execute notification" button B2 (S1-4). This allows the user of the print server 400 to instruct the sending of an email notification to the user of the client PC 300.

When S1-4 is executed, the notification unit 4044 of the first OS tool 404 creates and sends a notification email (S2-6). For example, if the first OS is Windows, the notification unit 4044 can send a notification using a Windows command such as Powershell (such as the New-Object System.Net.Mail.MailMessage command).

The notification unit 4044 of the first OS tool 404 writes the following in the notification mail to the user of the client PC 300 in which the second OS is installed.
IP address of the print server 400 Name of the shared folder of the print server 400 Procedures for executing the tool for the second OS 405 (connect to the shared folder 402 using general procedures for the second OS, double-click to execute the tool for the second OS 405, etc.)

Next, we will explain the operation flow (external flow) of the user of the client PC 300 and the processing flow (internal flow) of the second OS tool 405.

Here, Figure 9 is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow of the second OS tool 405.

First, the user of the client PC 300 opens the notification email and accesses the shared folder 402 (S3-1). The user of the client PC 300 on which the second OS is installed opens the received notification email with a general email application 302, and uses the IP address of the print server 400 and the shared folder name stated in the notification email to access the shared folder 402 of the print server 400 by general means of the second OS.

Next, the user of the client PC 300 executes the second OS tool 405 in the shared folder 402 (S3-2).

When steps S3-1 to S3-2 are executed, the installation unit 4051 of the second OS tool 405 requests the entry of an administrator password (S4-1). This is because the administrator password is requested when executing the printer driver installation, and the administrator password is received from the user of the client PC 300 before execution. Here, FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the password entry screen P3. As shown in FIG. 10, the password entry screen P3 requests the entry of the administrator password.

Next, the user of the client PC 300 enters the administrator password into the UI (password entry screen P3) displayed by the second OS tool 405 (S3-3).

Next, the installation unit 4051 of the second OS tool 405 installs the printer driver (S4-2). For example, if the second OS is a Mac OS, the installation of the printer driver package is performed by a shell command (installer) or the like.

Next, the queue registration unit 4052 of the second OS tool 405 checks whether the host name is valid (S4-3). Specifically, the queue registration unit 4052 checks whether the host name of the print server 400 is available. For example, if the second OS is a Mac OS, this can be checked using a Mac OS command (such as ping).

Here, the host name is a name that identifies the print server 400 and is defined separately from the IP address. Whether or not the print server 400 can be specified by the host name from the client PC 300 depends on the environment in which the print server 400 is constructed (for example, it is possible if the host name is registered and managed by a DNS (Domain Name System) server), so the queue registration unit 4052 checks whether the host name can be used.

Next, if the host name of the print server 400 is available, the queue registration unit 4052 of the second OS tool 405 creates a print queue by specifying the print server 400 by the host name (S4-4-A). For example, if the second OS is a Mac OS, a print queue can be created using the lpadmin command of the Mac OS. By specifying the print server 400 by the host name in this way, there is an advantage that the shared printer 401 can be used without being affected even if the IP address of the print server 400 changes.

On the other hand, if the host name of the print server 400 is unavailable, the queue registration unit 4052 of the second OS tool 405 creates a print queue by specifying the print server 400 by its IP address (S4-4-B).

Next, the authentication registration unit 4053 of the second OS tool 405 accepts input of an authentication user name and password for connecting to the print server 400 on which the first OS is installed from the user of the client PC 300, and registers them in the keychain function (S4-5). For example, if the second OS is the Mac OS, the authentication information for the print server 400 is registered in the keychain function (a function for storing and managing authentication information) installed in the Mac OS. Registration can be performed using the security command installed in the Mac OS.

Here, FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the keychain registration screen P4. As shown in FIG. 11, the keychain registration screen P4 prompts the user to enter a user name and password.

Next, the setting reflection unit 4054 of the second OS tool 405 reflects the option settings in the print queue (S4-6). More specifically, the setting reflection unit 4054 reflects the "option settings" acquired by the print server 400 on which the first OS is installed in the registered print queue. For example, if the second OS is the Mac OS, the settings can be reflected by the command lpoptions included in the Mac OS.

Next, the setting reflection unit 4054 of the second OS tool 405 reflects the print settings in the print queue (S4-7). More specifically, the setting reflection unit 4054 reflects the "print setting default values" acquired by the print server 400 on which the first OS is installed in the registered print queue. For example, if the second OS is the Mac OS, this can be reflected by the command lpoptions included in the Mac OS.

After registering the print queue, the test printing unit 4055 of the second OS tool 405 executes test printing (S4-8). The test printing unit 4055 displays a UI for confirming the test printing results (test printing result input screen P5). Here, FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the test printing result input screen P5. As shown in FIG. 12, the test printing result input screen P5 prompts the user to input the test printing result (success or failure).

If the test print result input by the user of client PC 300 is "success", the test print unit 4055 proceeds to S4-9. If the test print result input by the user of client PC 300 is "failure", the test print unit 4055 returns to S4-5 and waits for the authentication information (user name and password) to be input again.

In S4-9, the queue registration unit 4052 of the second OS tool 405 displays the completion of the settings (S4-9). Here, FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the setting completion display screen P6. As shown in FIG. 13, as shown in FIG. 8, when the setting is completed, the queue registration unit 4052 displays the completion.

In this manner, according to this embodiment, a tool for the first OS is prepared, and the information and printer driver package required for setting up the client PC 300 on which the second OS is installed are collected by executing the tool for the first OS 404. Then, the tool for the second OS 405 reflecting the information and printer driver package required for setting up the client PC 300 is generated, placed in the shared folder 402, and notified to the client PC 300 on which the second OS is installed. After that, the client PC 300 connects to the shared folder 402 and executes the tool for the second OS to complete the setting. This makes it possible to set up the printing environment from the client PC 300 on which the second OS is installed using the shared printer 401 of the print server 400 on which the first OS is installed accurately with fewer steps.

In the above embodiments, Windows is given as an example of the first OS and Mac OS is given as an example of the second OS, but this is not limiting.

In each of the above embodiments, the image forming device 100 of the present invention is described as being applied to a multifunction device having at least two of the following functions: copy function, printer function, scanner function, and facsimile function. However, the image forming device can be applied to any image forming device, such as a copier, printer, scanner device, or facsimile device.

300 Client 400 Server 4041 Information acquisition unit 4042 Tool creation unit 4044 Notification unit 4051 Installation unit 4052 Print queue registration unit 4053 Authentication registration unit 4055 Test printing unit

JP 2011-233020 A

Claims (6)

A computer that operates on the second OS,
an installation unit that uses the received administrator password to install a printer driver package for a shared printer set up on a server that runs on a first OS different from the second OS;
a print queue registration unit that registers a print queue for printing using an IP address of a server on which a first OS different from the second OS is installed;
an authentication registration unit that receives a user name and a password for authentication to connect to the server and registers the user name and password in a key chain function of the second OS;
a test printing unit that returns to registration in the key chain function in the authentication registration unit if test printing fails after the print queue is registered;
A program to function as a the print queue registration unit, when the host name of the information acquired on the server side is available, registers the print queue with the host name instead of the IP address;
The program according to claim 1 . the print queue registration unit acquires an option configuration of the shared printer from the shared printer and sets the option configuration in the print queue;
3. The program according to claim 1 or 2 . the print queue registration unit acquires initial values of print settings of the shared printer from the shared printer and sets the initial values in the print queue.
4. The program according to claim 1 . In a client operating on a second OS,
an installation unit that uses the received administrator password to install a printer driver package for a shared printer set up on a server that runs on a first OS different from the second OS;
a print queue registration unit that registers a print queue for printing using an IP address of a server on which a first OS different from the second OS is installed;
an authentication registration unit that receives a user name and a password for authentication to connect to the server and registers the user name and password in a key chain function of the second OS;
a test printing unit that returns to registration in the key chain function in the authentication registration unit if test printing fails after the print queue is registered;
A client comprising: A system including a server that operates on a first OS and a client that operates on a second OS different from the first OS,
The server,
an information acquisition unit that acquires information necessary for setting in the client and a printer driver package of the shared printer that is set as a shared printer in the first OS;
a tool creation unit that creates a second OS tool in which the information is reflected in a program that runs on the client, and places the second OS tool in a shared folder for connection from the client;
a notification unit that receives an input of a destination for notifying the client of the setting guide and transmits the notification to the destination;
Equipped with
The client:
an installation unit that uses the received administrator password to install a printer driver package for the shared printer that is set as a shared printer on the server;
a print queue registration unit for registering a print queue for printing using the IP address of the server;
an authentication registration unit that receives a user name and a password for authentication to connect to the server and registers the user name and password in a key chain function of the second OS;
a test printing unit that returns to registration in the key chain function in the authentication registration unit if test printing fails after the print queue is registered;
Equipped with
A system characterized by: