JPH03164828A - Local area network system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a local area network system comprising a plurality of terminals connected to a printer via a data transmission path.

(Prior Art) In recent years, local area network systems (hereinafter referred to as LA
It is called the N system. ) are frequently used.

In such a LAN system, so-called printer assignment/deassignment control, which selectively requests printouts from the printers of each terminal, should be performed using a printer control program built into each terminal. This was done by specifying the terminal's printer, for example, through a display screen.

However, in such a LAN system, as the number of printers increases or decreases due to system expansion or rearrangement, it becomes necessary to change the printer control program of each terminal.
This resulted in a great deal of effort.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) The present invention is intended to solve such problems, and is to provide a local area network that can easily accommodate an increase or decrease in the number of printers in the system configuration without requiring changes to the program itself. The purpose is to provide a system.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the local area network system of the present invention provides a local area network system in which a plurality of terminals each having a printer are connected via a data transmission path. In a network system, there is a printer name registration means in which the names of all types of printers connected to the system are registered, and information indicating the printer connected to each terminal is associated with the printer name registered in the printer name registration means. A device for registering printer information for each terminal, which is registered in Referring to the printer information registration means and printer name registration means,
and output printer determination means for determining the printer of the corresponding terminal as an output printer.

(Function) In the local area network system of the present invention, the output printer determination means refers to the printer information fl recording means for each terminal and the printer name registration means, based on the output printer information inputted by the input means, and determines the corresponding terminal. Since this printer is determined as an output printer, even if the number of printers in the system configuration increases or decreases, there is no need to change the program itself, just by partially changing the contents of the printer information registration means for each terminal and the printer name registration means. This situation can be easily dealt with.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of a local area network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, 1 is a LAN path line which is a data transmission path, and 2 and 3 are processors which are terminals connected to the LAN path line 1, respectively.

4 is a printer assignment specific to this embodiment system/
A printer control information file in which printer name information records and processor-specific information records assigned to day assignment control are registered; 5 is a program storage unit in which a printer control program executed by the processor 2 is stored; Furthermore, 6.7 is a printer connected to each processor 2.3, and 8 is a printer 6.8 on the LAN system.
This is an input section used for specifying an output printer for all printers such as 7, etc. to perform printout.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the contents of the printer control information file 4 mentioned above.

In the figure, H is a printer name information record, and Summer is a Brocenosa-specific information record.

The printer name information record H includes the names of all types of printers on the LAN system. The processor-specific information record 1 consists of the name of the processor of each station on the LAN system and connected printer information indicating the printer connected to the processor. This connected printer information consists of start/end values for the printer name information record H described above. For example, if the start/end value in the connected printer information is 2/4, this indicates that the printers with the names from the second to the fourth in the printer name information record H are connected to this processor.

Next, the printer control operation of the LAN system having the above configuration will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, a processor name and a printer number, which are information specifying an output printer, are input to the processor 2 through the input unit 8 (step a). However, the printer number here is a value counted from the starting value in the above-mentioned connected printer information as "1".

As a result, the processor 2 performs printer assignment/deassignment control as follows according to the printer control program.

First, the processor-specific information record {circle around (2)} corresponding to the input processor name is read from the printer control information file 4 (step b).

Next, the input printer number is the processor-specific information read in the above process and the code! Check whether the value is within the range of start/end values (step C).

For example, in FIG. 2, since the start/end values of the connected printer information are 2/4, the valid printer numbers here are "1 to 3 degrees."

If this error check logic determines that the printer number is inappropriate, predetermined error processing is performed.

On the other hand, if the printer number is determined to be valid, then the processor 2 reads the processor-specific information read from the printer control information file 4, and based on the connected printer information in the code The name of the printer at the position determined by the calculation formula of printer number 10 start value minus 1 is read (step d). For example, if "2" is entered here as the printer number, the starting value of the connected printer information is "2", so the value of "3" is calculated from the above calculation formula, and as a result, the processor-specific information Code! The printer name "3°" inside is read out.

Thereafter, final printer control information is generated by a predetermined printer control information determination logic (step e) based on the printer name and processor name read from the printer name information record H and the processor-specific information record ■, respectively. A printout request is made to the printer of the processor (step f).

Thus, according to the local area network system of this embodiment, even if the number of printers increases or decreases in the system configuration, the printer control program itself remains unchanged, and the printer name information record H and the processor-specific information record in the printer control information file 4 are maintained. This situation can be easily dealt with by simply changing a part of I.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the local area network system of the present invention, even if the number of printers increases or decreases in the system configuration, the program itself does not need to be changed.
This situation can be dealt with simply by partially changing the contents of the terminal-by-terminal printer information registration means and the printer name registration means.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of a local area network system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the contents of the printer control information file in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of printer assignment/de-assignment control in the system shown in the figure. 1... LAN path line, 2.3... processor,
4... Printer control information file, 5... Program storage section, 6.7... Printer, 8... Input section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a local area network system consisting of a plurality of terminals each having a printer connected via a data transmission path, a printer name registration means registering the names of all types of printers connected to the system; printer information registration means for each terminal in which information indicating connected printers is registered in association with printer names registered in the printer name registration means; Based on the input means for inputting information and the output printer information input by this input means, the printer of the corresponding terminal is determined as the output printer by referring to the terminal-by-terminal printer information registration means and the printer name registration means. What is claimed is: 1. A local area network system comprising output printer determination means.