JPH05204565A - Network print control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To select an optimum printer in accordance with capability and pres ent operating state of printers. CONSTITUTION:The network print control system where a data processor and plural printers are connected is provided with a first storage means 101 which stores peculiar information of connected printers, a second storage means 102 which stores definition information to set a reference for selection of a printer to be used, and a printer selecting means 106 which selects the printed to be used based on peculiar information and definition information at the time of transmission of a file from the data processor as the host.

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network print control system for connecting a data processing device and a plurality of printers via a network. [0002] Conventionally, in a computer network, in order to transfer a file to be printed between a data processing device having a different protocol and a printer, a technique has been used in which a gateway having a protocol conversion function is used. Have been proposed (JP-A-3-75949, JP-A-3-75921, etc.). FIG. 5 shows an example thereof, and a host computer (data processing device) 5 having a first communication protocol in the network 51.
2, 53, a printer 54 having a second communication protocol,
55 and the gateway 50 are connected. The communication protocol of the host computers 52 and 53 is, for example, TC.
The communication protocol of the printers 54 and 55 is, for example, XNS (Xerox Network System).
m) Protocol. The gateway 50 has a server function 501 and client functions 502 and 503,
The command analysis / processing unit 504 performs print queuing and communication protocol conversion. In the conventional system as described above, there are many cases where a plurality of data processing devices (hosts) and printers are connected to the network. When outputting a file from a device to a plurality of printers, the gateway selects the printer designated by the data processing device, transfers the print target file, and the printer performs the print processing. Therefore, conventionally, since the printer is selected regardless of the conditions such as the processing capacity of the printer and the current operating state, the load state of each printer is biased, the print completion time delay, the gateway resource and the There was a problem of delayed release of host resources. This problem occurs because the conventional gateway does not have a function of automatically selecting a printer according to the printer capacity and the printer conditions such as the current operating state. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a network print control system in which an optimum printer can be selected according to the printer capacity and the current operating state. According to a first aspect of the present invention, in a network print control system in which a data processing device and a plurality of printers are connected via a network, unique information of the connected printers is stored. Storage means (101) and a second storage means (10) for storing definition information that sets criteria for selecting a printer to be used.
2) and a printer selection means (10) for selecting a printer to be used based on the unique information and the definition information when a file is transmitted from a data processing device serving as a host.
6) and are provided. The printer specific information stored in the first storage means (101) includes, for example, the printer name and address of the connected printer, the printer function, and the like, and the printer installation location. Information can also be included.
Generally, if the printer model is specified, the corresponding printer functions (printing quality such as processing speed and resolution, paper size type, printing function, etc.) are known. ) Can be specified. The definition information stored in the second storage unit (102) includes, for example, a selection criterion based on the processing speed and the number of files waiting to be printed (hereinafter referred to as queuing), a file size of an output target file, There is a queuing number and the like, and the printer selection means (106) determines the printer to be used based on at least one of the definition information and the unique information.
As a result, there is no imbalance in the operating states of the plurality of printers, and an optimal state is achieved, and the print completion time is shortened. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment in which a portion for performing printer selection control according to the present invention is provided in a gateway system. This system is a gateway 1 including a configuration for selecting a printer, which is a feature of the present invention.
0, a plurality of host computers Host1, Host2, ... Having a first communication protocol, and a plurality of printers Printer1, Printer having a second communication protocol
.. are connected to the network via the network line 11. The host computer may be a workstation, personal computer, general-purpose machine, or the like. Host computer Host1, Host2
As a communication protocol of ... For example, TCP (Trans)
(Mission Control Protocol)
And the printers Printer1 and Printer2
As a communication protocol of ... For example, XNS (Xerox
There is a Network System) communication protocol. In response to a print request from the host computers Host1, Host2, ..., The command analysis / processing unit 107 of the gateway 10 performs communication protocol conversion on the file to be printed (print file) and transfers the data to the printer. The gateway 10 has both a client function and a server function, and in FIG. 1, the server unit 108 and the client unit 1 of the first communication protocol are used.
09, print client unit 1 of the second communication protocol
10 is shown. The gateway 10 includes, in addition to a conventional gateway function section mainly for protocol conversion, a connected printer definition file storage section 101, a reference definition file storage section 102, a spool 104, and a print queue storage section 10.
5. The characteristic configuration of the present invention including the printer selection processing unit 106 is added. The connected printer definition file storage unit 101 stores various kinds of information about the connected printer as a file. As for various information about the printer,
In addition to the printer name and printer address in the network, information unique to the printer used for level definition described later, such as the processing speed of the printer, the degree of print quality due to the resolution and the age of the machine, and the installation location of the printer Etc. are included. In this embodiment, the processing speed is used for the level definition. Since the processing speed is determined by the printer type, the printer type is described in the connected printer definition file. FIG. 2 shows an example of the connected printer definition file. The standard definition file storage unit 102 stores a standard definition file defining standards for selecting a printer. In this embodiment, three criteria are used as criteria for selecting a printer. The first criterion is a preset level based on the combination of the above-mentioned printer specific information and the queuing number. In this embodiment, the level is set based on the processing speed and the queuing number of the printer, which is determined by the printer type. Note that the queuing number is sent from the gateway to the printer,
This is the number of files waiting to be printed. FIG. 3 shows an example of leveling according to the processing speed and the queuing number of this embodiment. In this example,
The levels are set so that the lower the number of levels, the shorter the printout time. The second criterion for selecting a printer is a criterion used when there is a printer of the same level as determined by the first criterion and the printer cannot be determined. In this embodiment, the file size of the print target file is used. For example, the threshold of the file size is set to 1 MB, and the order of selection is predetermined depending on whether the file size is larger or smaller than the threshold. The third criterion for selecting the printer is used when the printer cannot be determined by the second criterion, and in the present embodiment, the criterion that the queuing number is smaller is prioritized. The file size thresholds of the first standard and the second standard shown in FIG. 3 are stored in the definition file in the format as shown in FIG. That is, the first criterion is a threshold (queuing number threshold) representing the boundary of the lateral queuing number section in FIG.
, And the correspondence between each printer type and level, and the file size threshold of the second standard is filed in the form described after the first standard. The spool 104 temporarily stores a print target file sent together with a print command from the host computer. The queue storage unit 105 holds the latest queuing number for each printer. The printer selection processing unit 106
Connected printer definition information and reference definition file storage unit 10 stored in the connected printer definition file storage unit 101
The reference and print queue storage unit 1 stored in 2
The output target printer is selected and determined based on the latest queuing number of each printer stored in 05. Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
Any one of the host computers transmits the print target file to the gateway 10 in accordance with the first communication protocol together with the command for instructing the print. The gateway 10 receives the command and the like at the server unit 108 of the first communication protocol, and the command analysis / processing unit 10
At 7, the command is decoded. As a result of the decoding, since the print instruction is given, the print target file is temporarily stored in the spool 104 and the printer selection process is started. The printer selection processing unit 106 extracts the connected printer information from the file stored in the connected printer definition file storage unit 101, and the processing speed (rank) corresponding to the printer type for each connected printer.
And the corresponding queuing number is read from the print queue storage unit 105. Based on the obtained processing speed and queuing number, the standard definition file storage unit 1
The level that is the first standard is determined by referring to the standard definition file 02. After the levels of all the printers registered in the connected printer definition file are determined, the levels are compared and the printer of the level having the smallest numerical value is determined as the output target printer. When there are a plurality of levels having the smallest numerical value, the printer is determined according to the second standard. That is,
The threshold value of the second standard file size is read from the standard definition file storage unit 102, and the file size of the print target file of the same level that cannot be determined by the first standard is taken out from the spool 104 and compared with the threshold value. When the file size is ≧ 1 Mbyte, the printer is selected in the order of high speed, medium speed, and low speed. When the file size is <1 Mbytes, the printer is selected in the order of low speed, medium speed, and high speed. If the printer cannot be determined using the second criterion, the third criterion is used. That is, a printer with a small queuing number is selected. Here, a concrete example will be described. A host computer having a host name of Host1 sends a file having a file size of 2 Mbytes, filename file1, and a file having a file size of 100 Kbytes, file2, file2, to the gateway 10. The gateway 10 has a printer 1 having the processing speed shown in FIG.
Three printers named printer2 and printer3 are connected, and currently all three printers can be used. The current queuing number of each printer is: printer1: 20 printer2: 20 printer3: 5. When the gateway 10 transmits the file1, the level of each printer is printer1: 2 printer2: 3 printer3: 3 according to the first standard. Therefore, file1 is printer1
Send to. Next, when the gateway 10 transmits the file2, the level of each printer is printer1: 3 (the number of queuing increases by the amount of file1) printer2: 3 printer3: 3 from the first standard. There is. Since it is at the same level and one printer cannot be selected, the second criterion is applied. f
The file size of ile2 is 100 Kbytes, which is 100 Kbytes <1 Mbytes compared with the threshold value of 1 Mbytes. Therefore, the file is transmitted to the printer3 in accordance with the criterion of selection in order from the low speed printer. In the above embodiments, the case where the printer selection is automatically executed by the gateway has been described, but the operator may make the command as a gateway command. The embodiment shows an example in which the printer selection processing function according to the present invention is provided on the gateway, and the host computer and the printer have different communication protocols. However, the present invention performs such communication. Of course, the communication protocol of the host computer and the printer may be the same, not limited to the network in which the host computer and the printer having different protocols are connected. In the embodiment, as the information used as the reference, the processing speed of the printer, the number of queuing, the size of the file to be printed, etc. are illustrated.
The installation location and printing function can also be used as standards. For example, if the usage period of the printer is used as the second criterion or the third criterion and selection is made in order from the one with the shortest usage period, the one with high print quality is selected. Further, for example, the installation location of the printer can be used as the second criterion or the third criterion, and the printers can be selected in order from the one in the most convenient place. Since the printer is selected regardless of the conditions such as the processing capacity of the printer and the current operating state, the delay in the print completion time, the delay in the release of the gateway resource and the host resource is delayed. However, according to the present invention, a standard is set according to printer conditions such as printer capability and current operating state, and an optimum printer can be selected based on the standard. Can solve the problem.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a connected printer definition file. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of level setting based on a processing speed and a queuing number. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a format when the level setting shown in FIG. 3 is configured as a standard definition file. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional gateway system. [Explanation of Codes] 10 ... Gateway, 101 ... Connected printer definition file storage unit, 102 ... Standard definition file storage unit, 104 ...
Spool, 105 ... Print queue storage section, 106 ... Printer selection processing section, 107 ... Command analysis / processing section, 1
08 ... server unit (first protocol), 109 ... client unit (first protocol), 110 ... print client unit (second protocol), Host1, Host computer 2, Printer1, 2, 3 ... printer (second protocol) ..

Claims (1)

In a network print control system for connecting a data processing device and a plurality of printers via a network, first storage means for storing unique information of the connected printers and a printer to be used are selected. Selection means for selecting a printer to be used based on the unique information and the definition information when a file is transmitted from a data processing device serving as a host And a network print control system.