Extraction of system administrator actions to a workflow providing a resolution to a system issue

• US 10,346,780 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2015
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Deng, Yu, Mahindru, Ruchi, Renganarayana, Lakshminarayanan, Sarkar, Soumitra, Wang, Long
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart, Matthew S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swartz, Stephen S
• Application Number:
  US14/609,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20160224910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,621 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales

Abstract

A method for creating a workflow using system administrator actions to resolve a system issue is provided. The method may include assigning a ticket to a category. The method may include capturing a first snapshot of a first system state of a machine before a system administrator begins a corrective action. The method may include capturing a second snapshot of a second system state of the machine after system administrator corrective action. The method may include creating a difference set based on a comparison of the first snapshot and the second snapshot. The method may include generating summaries of administrator action. The method may include dividing the summaries into groups of summaries. The method may include constructing a candidate workflow for each group. The method may include presenting the candidate workflow to a subject matter expert. The method may include storing the reviewed candidate workflow in a repository.

Claims

1. A method for creating a workflow using a plurality of system administrator actions to resolve at least one system issue, the method comprising:

assigning a plurality of tickets to at least one category based on the at least one system issue, wherein the at least one system issue is associated with each ticket;

capturing a first snapshot of a first system state associated with each machine associated with each ticket before a system administrator begins a corrective action on each machine;

capturing a second snapshot of a second system state associated with each machine after the system administrator completes the corrective action on each machine;

creating a difference set for each ticket, simultaneously, based on a comparison of the first snapshot of the first system state and the second snapshot of the second system state;

assigning a trustworthiness score to each difference set, wherein the trustworthiness score is based on a total number of tickets the system administrator previously resolved, a system administrator experience, a system administrator training, and a total number of tickets the system administrator previously resolved that were subsequently reopened due to reoccurrence of the at least one system issue;

generating a plurality of summaries of at least one administrator action, simultaneously, wherein each summary is based on the difference set for each ticket and at least one command within at least one command history file and at least one state change caused by the at least one command, associated with each ticket in the at least one category;

dividing the plurality of summaries into a plurality of groups of summaries;

constructing a candidate workflow for each group within the plurality of groups, wherein constructing the candidate workflow utilizes n-gram analysis that accounts for an order of steps within each summary, and wherein the plurality of summaries that, during construction of the candidate workflow, more weight is given to summaries of administrator actions generated using a difference set with a higher trustworthiness score than to summaries of administrator actions generated using a difference set with a lower trustworthiness score, and wherein steps within summaries of administrator actions implemented in a large number of summaries of administrator actions are given more weight when constructing the candidate workflow that steps in a small number of summaries of administrator actions;

generating a graphical user interface that displays the candidate workflow; and

storing the candidate workflow in a repository.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein constructing the candidate workflow for each group within the plurality of groups wherein each summary within each group associated with a high trustworthiness score is given greater weight than each summary associated with a low trustworthiness score.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the plurality of summaries into the plurality of groups of summaries is based on a plurality of similar corrective actions implemented by the system administrator to resolve the ticket associated with each summary.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein when constructing the candidate workflow, more weight is given to the at least one administrator action implemented in a majority of summaries within the plurality of groups of summaries.

5. A computer system for creating a workflow using a plurality of system administrator actions to resolve at least one system issue, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage medium, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more tangible storage medium for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, wherein the computer system is capable of performing a method comprising;

assigning a plurality of tickets to at least one category based on the at least one system issue, wherein the at least one system issue is associated with each ticket;

capturing a first snapshot of a first system state associated with each machine associated with each ticket before a system administrator begins a corrective action on each machine;

capturing a second snapshot of a second system state associated with each machine after the system administrator completes the corrective action on each machine;

creating a difference set for each ticket, simultaneously, based on a comparison of the first snapshot of the first system state and the second snapshot of the second system state;

assigning a trustworthiness score to each difference set, wherein the trustworthiness score is based on a total number of tickets the system administrator previously resolved, a system administrator experience, a system administrator training, and a total number of tickets the system administrator previously resolved that were subsequently reopened due to reoccurrence of the at least one system issue;

generating a plurality of summaries of at least one administrator action, simultaneously, wherein each summary is based on the difference set for each ticket and at least one command within at least one command history file and at least one state change caused by the at least one command, associated with each ticket in the at least one category;

dividing the plurality of summaries into a plurality of groups of summaries;

constructing a candidate workflow for each group within the plurality of groups, wherein constructing the candidate workflow utilizes n-gram analysis that accounts for an order of steps within each summary, and wherein the plurality of summaries that, during construction of the candidate workflow, more weight is given to summaries of administrator actions generated using a difference set with a higher trustworthiness score than to summaries of administrator actions generated using a difference set with a lower trustworthiness score, and wherein steps within summaries of administrator actions implemented in a large number of summaries of administrator actions are given more weight when constructing the candidate workflow that steps in a small number of summaries of administrator actions;

generating a graphical user interface that displays the candidate workflow; and

storing the candidate workflow in a repository.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein constructing the candidate workflow for each group within the plurality of groups wherein each summary within each group associated with a high trustworthiness score is given greater weight than each summary associated with a low trustworthiness score.

7. The computer system of claim 5, wherein dividing the plurality of summaries into the plurality of groups of summaries is based on a plurality of similar corrective actions implemented by the system administrator to resolve the ticket associated with each summary.

8. The computer system of claim 5, wherein when constructing the candidate workflow, more weight is given to the at least one administrator action implemented in a majority of summaries within the plurality of groups of summaries.

9. A computer program product for creating a workflow using a plurality of system administrator actions to resolve at least one system issue, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable non-transitory tangible storage media and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory tangible storage media, the program instructions executable by a processor, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to assign a plurality of tickets to at least one category based on the at least one system issue, wherein the at least one system issue is associated with each ticket;

program instructions to capture a first snapshot of a first system state associated with each machine associated with each ticket before a system administrator begins a corrective action on each machine;

program instructions to capture a second snapshot of a second system state associated with each machine after the system administrator completes the corrective action on each machine;

program instructions to create a difference set for each ticket, simultaneously, based on a comparison of the first snapshot of the first system state and the second snapshot of the second system state;

program instructions to assign a trustworthiness score to each difference set, wherein the trustworthiness score is based on a total number of tickets the system administrator previously resolved, a system administrator experience, a system administrator training, and a total number of tickets the system administrator previously resolved that were subsequently reopened due to reoccurrence of the at least one system issue;

program instructions to generate a plurality of summaries of at least one administrator action, simultaneously, wherein each summary is based on the difference set for each ticket and at least one command within at least one command history file and at least one state change caused by the at least one command, associated with each ticket in the at least one category;

program instructions to divide the plurality of summaries into a plurality of groups of summaries;

program instructions to construct a candidate workflow for each group within the plurality of groups, wherein constructing the candidate workflow utilizes n-gram analysis that accounts for an order of steps within each summary, and wherein, during construction of the candidate workflow, more weight is given to summaries of administrator actions generated using a difference set with a higher trustworthiness score than to summaries of administrator actions generated using a difference set with a lower trustworthiness score, and wherein steps within summaries of administrator actions implemented in a large number of summaries of administrator actions are given more weight when constructing the candidate workflow that steps in a small number of summaries of administrator actions;

program instructions to generate a graphical user interface that displays the candidate workflow; and

program instructions to store the candidate workflow in a repository.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein constructing the candidate workflow for each group within the plurality of groups wherein each summary within each group associated with a high trustworthiness score is given greater weight than each summary associated with a low trustworthiness score.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein dividing the plurality of summaries into the plurality of groups of summaries is based on a plurality of similar corrective actions implemented by the system administrator to resolve the ticket associated with each summary.