DEVICE SHARING CLIENT AND DEVICE SHARING METHOD

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide means for exerting control so that a processing load on a server is reduced and a device (peripheral) such as a printer and a storage is accessed only when necessary without the need for manual operation by a user when client PCs on a network share the device.SOLUTION: Each client PC locally connects to a server connected to a network or performs such a simulation as to directly connect to a device incorporated therein by connection simulation means on the basis of connection information on the device. Upon reception of an input-output instruction from an application layer, the client PC generates a control command to the device. When an input-output port for the control command is opened, the client PC instructs the connection simulation means to start a session. When session connection is started, the client PC performs data input-output from/to the device. When the input-output port is closed, the client PC instructs the connection simulation means to terminate the session so that the session is terminated.