Assistance server, tunnel connection assistance method and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium encoded with tunnel connection assistance program

1. An assistance server that assists an information processing system, the information processing system including a management server arranged outside of a firewall and a control subject device arranged inside of the firewall, the management server being configured to establish a continuous connection for communication with the control subject device in response to a request from the control subject device, to control the control subject device via the continuous connection, and to cause the control subject device to access a service provision server in a case in which the management device is requested by the service provision server arranged outside of the firewall to control the control subject device, and the assistance server comprising:

a hardware processor, the hardware processor being configured to:

establish an assistance connection for communication with the control subject device in response to a request from the control subject device,

in a case in which the assistance server is requested by the service provision server to control the control subject device, request the management server to control the control subject device on behalf of the service provision server, and

in the case in which the assistance server is requested by the service provision server to control the control subject device, control the control subject device via the assistance connection and cause the control subject device to attempt to establish the continuous connection.

2. The assistance server according to claim 1 , wherein:

the management server, in response to receiving a connection request indicating a service provided by the service provision server and including connection destination address information, transmits a connection instruction including the connection destination address information to the control subject device via the continuous connection, and

the hardware processor is configured to:

cause the control subject device to request the management server to establish the continuous connection in response to activation, and

transmit an activation instruction for accessing the service provision server using the connection destination address included in the connection instruction to the control subject device via the assistance connection in response to receiving the connection instruction via the continuous connection from the management server.

3. The assistance server according to claim 1 , wherein the hardware processor is further configured to control the control subject device via the assistance connection and cause the control subject device to disconnect the continuous connection after the control subject device establishes the continuous connection.

4. The assistance server according to claim 3 , wherein the hardware processor is configured to determine a point in time at which the control subject device disconnects the continuous connection based on a type of a process to be executed by the control subject device that is controlled by the service provision server.

5. The assistance server according to claim 3 , wherein the hardware processor, in a case in which a number of control subject devices that have established continuous connections is equal to or larger than a predetermined number, is configured to cause a first control subject device that was first to establish a first continuous connection from among the control subject devices that have the established continuous connections to disconnect the first continuous connection.

6. The assistance server according to claim 3 , wherein the hardware processor, in a case in which a number of control subject devices that have established continuous connections is equal to or larger than a predetermined number, is configured to cause a first control subject device that has been requested to be controlled by the service provision server a least number of times from among the control subject devices that have the established continuous connections to disconnect the continuous connection of the first control subject device.

7. The assistance server according to claim 1 , wherein the control subject device, in a case in which an address of the management server is not set as a device to be requested to establish the continuous connection, sets the address of the management server as the device to be requested to establish the continuous connection.

8. The assistance server according to claim 1 , wherein the hardware processor is further configured to, in a case in which the attempt to establish the continuous connection is unsuccessful, notify the service provision server that the control subject device cannot be controlled.

9. A tunnel connection assistance method that is performed by an assistance server that assists an information processing system, the information processing system including a management server arranged outside of a firewall and a control subject device arranged inside of the firewall, the management server being configured to establish a continuous connection for communication with the control subject device in response to a request from the control subject device, to control the control subject device via the continuous connection, and to cause the control subject device to access a service provision server in a case in which the management device is requested by the service provision server arranged outside of the firewall to control the control subject device, and the tunnel connection assistance method causing the assistance server to perform:

an assistance connection establishing step of establishing an assistance connection to the control subject device in response to a request from the control subject device,

a proxy requesting step of, in a case in which the assistance server is requested by the service provision server to control the control subject device, requesting the management server to control the control subject device on behalf of the service provision server, and

an activating step of, in the case in which the assistance server is requested by the service provision server to control the control subject device, controlling the control subject device via the assistance connection and causing the control subject device to attempt to establish the continuous connection.

10. The tunnel connection assistance method according to claim 9 , wherein:

the management server, in response to receiving a connection request indicating a service provided by the service provision server and including connection destination address information, transmits a connection instruction including the connection destination address information to the control subject device via the continuous connection, and

the activating step includes:

causing the control subject device to request the management server to establish the continuous connection in response to activation, and

transmitting an activation instruction for accessing the service provision server using the connection destination address included in the connection instruction to the control subject device via the assistance connection in response to receiving the connection instruction via the continuous connection from the management server.

11. The tunnel connection assistance method according to claim 9 , further including a stop control step of controlling the control subject device via the assistance connection and causing the control subject device to disconnect the continuous connection after the control subject device establishes the continuous connection.

12. The tunnel connection assistance method according to claim 11 , wherein the stop control step includes determining a point in time at which the control subject device disconnects the continuous connection based on a type of a process to be executed by the control subject device that is controlled by the service provision server.

13. The tunnel connection assistance method according to claim 11 , wherein the stop control step, in a case in which a number of control subject devices that have established continuous connections is equal to or larger than a predetermined number, includes causing a first control subject device that was first to establish a first continuous connection from among the control subject devices that have the established continuous connections to disconnect the first continuous connection.

14. The tunnel connection assistance method according to claim 11 , wherein the stop control step, in a case in which a number of control subject devices that have established continuous connections is equal to or larger than a predetermined number, includes causing a first control subject device that has been requested to be controlled by the service provision server a least number of times from among the control subject devices that have the established continuous connections to disconnect the continuous connection of the first control subject device.

15. The tunnel connection assistance method according to claim 9 , wherein the control subject device, in a case in which an address of the management server is not set as a device to be requested to establish the continuous connection, sets the address of the management server as the device to be requested to establish the continuous connection.

16. The tunnel connection assistance method according to claim 9 , further causing the assistance server to, in a case in which the attempt to establish the continuous connection is unsuccessful, perform an error notifying step of notifying the service provision server that the control subject device cannot be controlled.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium encoded with a tunnel connection assistance program executable by a computer that controls an assistance server that assists an information processing system, the information processing system including a management server arranged outside of a firewall and a control subject device arranged inside of the firewall, the management server being configured to establish a continuous connection for communication with the control subject device in response to a request from the control subject device, to control the control subject device via the continuous connection, and to cause the control subject device to access a service provision server in a case in which the management device is requested by the service provision server arranged outside of the firewall to control the control subject device, and the tunnel connection assistance program causing the computer to:

establish an assistance connection to the control subject device in response to a request from the control subject device,

in a case in which the assistance server is requested by the service provision server to control the control subject device, request the management server to control the control subject device on behalf of the service provision server, and

in the case in which the assistance server is requested by the service provision server to control the control subject device, control the control subject device via the assistance connection and cause the control subject device to attempt to establish the continuous connection.