The object of the present invention is to facilitate collection of
contents that are present on a network.Attribute information is stored at
a predetermined location under a domain in a server that provides a
device driver. The attribute information specifies attributes of the
driver provided by the server, such as the address, the corresponding
type, the version, the installation method, and the platform, in an XML
format. The user of the driver fetches the attribute information from a
computer connecting with the network and analyzes the details of the
attribute information, so as to readily specify the address of the
driver, irrespective of the construction of the server. The attribute
information also shows whether or not the driver has been updated. This
arrangement facilitates automatic acquisition of the updated driver.