Device abstraction units 28a and 28b respectively transmit various pieces of control information and data to and from devices 34a and 34b, and carry out abstraction of the devices 34a and 34b (that is, abstraction of the hardware) with respect to upper constituents. Interface units 22a and, 22b transmit various pieces of control information and data to and from the device abstraction units 28a and 28b, and provide an application unit 20 with an identical interface. Communications path abstraction units 24a and 24b carry out abstraction of communications paths 26a and 26b in the process of transmission of various pieces of control information and data via the communications paths 26a and 26b across a process boundary or a network boundary. This arrangement of the present invention enables a substantially fixed control according to an applications program, regardless of the type of the device or the type of the communications path.