Automated client recovery and service ticketing

• US 7,624,309 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2007
• Issued: 11/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wright, Richard L. III, Just, Paul A., Wilson, Jared W., Birnbaum, Aaron R.
• Primary Examiner(s): McCarthy; Christopher S
• Application Number:
  US11/653,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20080172421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 714/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40

Abstract

Automated client recovery and service ticketing may be provided. Client computers in a lab environment that become disconnected from a client management system may be recovered using an automated client recovery. Computers in a computer lab may be monitored to determine if a computer becomes disconnected from the client management system. If a computer is unresponsive with the client management system, an automated client recovery and service ticketing script is implemented to recover the unresponsive computer. If solutions within in the automated client recovery and service ticketing script do not recover the unresponsive computer, a service call request is automatically generated for the computer for subsequent examination by a lab engineer.

Claims

1. A method for automated client recovery and service ticketing, the method comprising:

remotely identifying one or more computers that are non-responsive to system communications, wherein identifying one or more computers that are non-responsive to system communications further comprises determining whether a computer of the one or more computers is active by monitoring shell activity for the one or more computers;

remotely identifying a cause for the non-responsive system communications of the one or more computers;

remotely recovering the one or more computers that are non-responsive to system communications using a script that includes a set of recovery solutions; and

requesting a service call for the one or more computers that are non-responsive to system communications when the recovery solutions fail to recover the one or more computers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more computers that are not responsive to system communications further comprises pinging the one or more computers.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising determining whether a user is logged onto a client management system through the one or more computers.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining whether a client is installed on the one or more computers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting the service call occurs after a predetermined number of attempts to remotely recover the one or more computers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein remotely recovering the one or more computers further comprises rebooting the one or more computers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each computer is grouped according to predetermined conditions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a predetermined condition is a dead condition.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein remotely recovering the one or more computers is automated.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein remotely requesting a service call is automated.

11. A system for automated client recovery and service ticketing, the system comprising:

a memory storage for storing an automated client recovery and service ticketing script, wherein the memory storage is searchable;

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to;

remotely identify one or more computers that are non-responsive to system communications, wherein identifying one or more computers that are non-responsive to system communications comprises determining whether a computer of the one or more computers is active by monitoring shell activity for the computer;

remotely identify a cause for the non-responsive system communications of the one or more computers;

remotely recover the one or more computers that are non-responsive to system communications using a script that includes a set of recovery solutions; and

request a service call for the one or more computers that are non-responsive to system communications when the recovery solutions fail to recover the one or more computers.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the automated client recovery and service ticketing script is stored in a server.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein identifying one or more computers that are not responsive to system communications further comprises pinging the one or more computers.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing unit is further operative to determine whether a user is logged onto a client management system through the one or more computers.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein remotely recovering the one or more computers is automated.

16. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a computer data storage device which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for automated client recovery and service ticketing, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

remotely identifying one or more computers that are non-responsive to system communications at a predetermined time interval, wherein identifying one or more computers that are non-responsive to system communications further comprises determining whether a computer of the one or more computers is active by monitoring shell activity for the computer;

grouping the one or more non-responsive computers;

remotely identifying a cause for the non-responsive system communications of the one or more computers;

remotely recovering the one or more computers that are non-responsive to system communications using a script that include a set of recovery solutions;

remotely requesting a service call for the one or more computers that are non-responsive to system communications when the recovery solutions fail to recover the one or more computers; and

receiving input at a keyboard, video and mouse connection for manually recovering the non-responsive one or more computers.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein identifying one or more computers that are not responsive to system communications further comprises pinging the one or more computers.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 further comprising determining whether a user is logged onto a client management system through the one or more computers.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein requesting the service call occurs after a predetermined number of attempts to remotely recover the one or more computers.