Service outage details in an error message

• US 9,152,487 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Estes, Chad Steven, Osborne, Thomas Ernest, Kumar, Rahul Sudhir, Mcquillan, Gil, Garuda, Gupta, Marconi, Jamie Joe, Gradinaru, Ionut Ciprian, Ouyang, Jiong
• Primary Examiner(s): ALGIBHAH, HAMZA N
• Application Number:
  US13/249,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20130086194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 709/207
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 11/0769 Readable error formats, e.g. cross-platform generic formats, human understandable formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/32 with visual or acoustical indication of the functioning of the machine

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for providing a customized service error message to a user of a service. An error encountered during a user action related to the service may be compared to one or more identified service outages to determine if the error may be attributable to any of the service outages. If the error may be caused by one or more of the identified service outages, the customized service error message can be provided, where the customized service error message comprises information about one or more of the identified service outages that cover the error. The customized service error message may be displayed to the user so that the user knows that the error is server/service side (e.g., as opposed to an issue on the user'"'"'s local device), a timeframe within which the error is expected to be resolved, etc.

Claims

1. A computer-based method for providing a customized service error message to a user of a service, comprising:

determining that a service outage corresponding to the service is comprised within a directory;

receiving an indication of an error encountered during a user action by the user;

comparing the service outage with one or more details of the error encountered during the user action by the user, the comparing performed on a server that is associated with the service and connected via a network to the user, the service outage due to at least one of maintenance of hardware, maintenance of software, upgrading of hardware or upgrading of software;

determining if the error is attributable to the service outage or if the error is attributable to a local issue associated with the user based upon the comparison; and

providing the customized service error message to the user if the error is determined to be attributable to the service outage and if an outage request threshold is determined to not be met, the outage request threshold corresponding to a number of outage requests that are received over a period of time, at least a portion of the method performed by a processing unit.

2. The method of claim 1, the service outage due to the maintenance of hardware.

3. The method of claim 1, the service outage due to the maintenance of software.

4. The method of claim 1, the service outage due to the upgrading of hardware.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising providing the customized service error message to the user merely if the user is affected by the service outage.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising determining whether the user is affected by the service outage using affinitization data for the user.

7. The method of claim 5, comprising determining whether the user is affected by the service outage, comprising identifying one or more of:

a location of service related data utilized by the user;

or

a location of one or more portions of the service utilized by the user.

8. The method of claim 5, comprising determining whether the user is affected by the service outage, comprising determining that the service outage impacts one or more of:

a location of service related data utilized by the user;

or

a location of one or more portions of the service utilized by the user.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising one or more of:

receiving a request from the service for service outage related data for the service;

or

returning the service outage related data to the service.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising returning a response request to the service notifying the service to mitigate sending requests for service outage related data.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising sending a message different than the customized service error message if the outage request threshold is determined to be met.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising providing a notification of service outage resolution to the user.

13. A system, implemented at least in part via a processing unit, for providing a customized service error message to a user of a service, comprising:

a first component configured to receive an indication of an error encountered during a user action by the user;

a second component configured to compare a service outage for the service with one or more details of the error encountered during the user action by the user, the service outage due to at least one of a hardware failure, a software failure, maintenance of hardware, maintenance of software, upgrading of hardware or upgrading of software;

an error determination component configured to determine if the error is attributable to the service outage or if the error is attributable to a local issue associated with the user based upon the comparison; and

a message providing component configured to provide the customized service error message to the user if the error is determined to be attributable to the service outage and if an outage request threshold is determined to not be met, the outage request threshold corresponding to a number of outage requests that are received over a period of time.

14. The system of claim 13, the second component comprising a service status component configured to perform one or more of:

pull information related to one or more service outages for one or more online services;

or

provide the information related to one or more service outages to the error determination component.

15. The system of claim 13, the error determination component configured to receive information related to the error from a service-based error detection component.

16. The system of claim 13, the message providing component configured to provide the customized service error message for display to the user in a service-based user-interface (UI).

17. The system of claim 13, comprising a user affinitization component configured to perform one or more of:

identify affinitization data for the user, comprising one or more of;

a location of service related data utilized by the user;

or

a location of one or more portions of the service utilized by the user;

determine whether the user is affected by the service outage based upon the affinitization data;

or

allow the customized service error message to be provided to the user merely if the user is affected by the service outage.

18. The system of claim 13, comprising an alert mode component configured to mitigate an overload of requests for service outage related data by:

returning a notification to a service requesting service outage related data to mitigate sending a request for service outage related data for a second period of time.

19. The system of claim 13, comprising a service resolution notification component configured to provide a notification of service outage resolution to the user.

20. A computer readable medium, excluding signals, comprising computer executable instructions that when executed via a processing unit perform a method for providing a customized service error message to a user of a service, comprising:

determining that a service outage corresponding to the service is comprised within a directory;

receiving an indication of an error encountered during a user action by the user;

comparing the service outage with one or more details of the error encountered during the user action by the user, the service outage due to at least one of maintenance of hardware, maintenance of software, upgrading of hardware or upgrading of software;

determining if the error is attributable to the service outage or if the error is attributable to a local issue associated with the user based upon the comparison; and

providing the customized service error message to the user if the error is determined to be attributable to the service outage.