Alerting recipients to errors occurring when accessing external services

• US 9,485,202 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2014
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: LeCroy, Jonathan, Li, Wilson, Mehta, Mayank, Koman, Ayse Yesim, Habib Boctor, Victor William, De Carvalho Neto, Mayerber Loureiro, Barnes, Christopher, Byrum, Frank David
• Primary Examiner(s): Lottich, Joshua P
• Application Number:
  US14/285,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20140258435A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 714/4.1, 714/48, 714/57
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0784 Routing of error reports, e.g. with a specific transmission path or data flow
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

A hosting provider operates a server system that provides a service to one or more tenants. The server system receives configuration data from the tenants. As part of providing the service to a given tenant, the server system attempts to access an external service due to the configuration data received from the given tenant identifying the external service. Service access errors can occur when attempting to access the external service. In response to determining that an error has occurred when attempting to access the external service, the server system sends a service access alert to a recipient associated with the given tenant. The service access alert notifies the recipient that the error has occurred.

Claims

1. A computer storage medium not consisting of a propagated data signal, the computer storage medium comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, perform a method comprising:

providing, by a server system operated by a hosting provider, a first service to a tenant;

receiving, by the server system, configuration data from the tenant, the configuration data identifying an external service, the server system not providing the external service;

attempting, by the server system, to access the external service as part of providing the first service to the tenant, wherein the server system attempts to access the external service due to the configuration data identifying the external service; and

in response to determining that a service access error has occurred when attempting to access the external service, sending a service access alert to a recipient associated with the tenant, the service access alert notifying the recipient that the service access error has occurred.

2. The computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein attempting to access the external service comprises attempting, by the server system, to communicate over a communications network with a server that provides the external service.

3. The computer storage medium of claim 2, the server identified by the configuration data located on a premises of the tenant.

4. The computer storage medium of claim 2, the server identified by the configuration data located on a premises of a third party.

5. The computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein sending the service access alert to the recipient comprises sending a message to on-premises monitoring software.

6. The computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein sending the service access alert to the recipient comprises at least one of:

sending an email message to the recipient, sending a SMS text message to the recipient, making a telephone call to the recipient, and publishing an entry on a web feed system.

7. The computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein sending the service access alert comprises identifying a preferred language of the recipient, wherein the service access alert comprises a description of the service access error, the description being in the identified language.

8. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the service access alert comprises a link to information intended to help the recipient resolve the service access error.

9. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the first service is a hosted email service.

10. The computer storage medium of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the server system, a request to submit preference data, the preference data indicating a mode of receiving service access alerts; and

in response to determining that the service access error has occurred when attempting to access the external service, generating, by the server system, the service access alert in the indicated mode.

11. The computer storage medium of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, by the server system, a record of the service access alert in a tenant database;

receiving, by the server system, a request to view the service access alert; and

in response to receiving the request, sending, by the server system, data representing the service access alert to a client device that sent the request.

12. A method comprising:

providing, by a server system, a first service to a tenant;

receiving an identification of an external service, the server system not providing the external service;

attempting, by the server system, to access the external service as part of providing the first service to the tenant; and

when a service access error has occurred when attempting to access the external service, determining whether the service access error is resolvable by the tenant; and

when the service access error is resolvable by the tenant, sending a service access alert to a recipient associated with the tenant, the service access alert notifying the recipient that the service access error has occurred.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising storing the error in an event log.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising when the service error access is not resolvable by the tenant, refraining from sending the service access alert to the recipient.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein sending the service access alert to the recipient comprises sending an email message to the recipient, sending a SMS text message to the recipient, making a telephone call to the recipient, or publishing an entry on a web feed system.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein sending the service access alert comprises:

identifying a preferred language of the recipient, wherein the service access alert comprises a description of the service access error, the description being in the identified language.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the first service is a hosted email service.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, by the server system, a request to submit preference data, the preference data indicating a mode of receiving service access alerts; and

in response to determining that the service access error has occurred, generating, by the server system, the service access alert in the indicated mode.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

storing, by the server system, a record of the service access alert in a tenant database;

receiving, by the server system, a request to view the service access alert; and

in response to receiving the request, sending, by the server system, data representing the service access alert to a client device that sent the request.

20. A server system comprising:

one or more computing devices, the one or more computing devices comprising processing units that execute computer-executable instructions, execution of the computer-executable instructions causing the server system to;

provide, by the server system, a first service to a tenant;

receive an identification of an external service, the server system not providing the external service;

attempt, by the server system, to access the external service as part of providing the first service to the tenant; and

when a service access error has occurred when attempting to access the external service, send a service access alert to a recipient associated with the tenant, the service access alert notifying the recipient that the service access error has occurred.