Email-based automated recovery action in a hosted environment

• US 9,105,009 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2011
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: MacLeod, Alexander Ian, Chung, Charlie, Rajagopalan, Rajmohan
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, CHAU D
• Application Number:
  US13/052,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20120246703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,604 Days
• Field of Search: 726/4, 726 26- 29
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Email-based recovery actions may be provided. A request from a user to perform an action may be received. If the user is determined not to have permission to perform the action, a message may be sent to a second user to approve the requested action. If the second user approves the requested action, the requested action may be performed.

Claims

1. A method for providing server-based recovery actions, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a first user to perform a recovery action on a server;

determining whether the first user has permission to perform the recovery action based on a permissions database, wherein determining whether the first user has permission to perform the recovery action comprises;

determining a user group to which the first user belongs, and

determining whether the determined user group to which the first user belongs has permission to perform the recovery action;

in response to determining that the first user does not have permission to perform the recovery action, sending an approval request to a second user associated with an administrative user group via an email to approve the recovery action, wherein sending the approval request comprises sending the approval request comprising the received request, an impact analysis of performing the recovery action requested in the received request, and a command text for the recovery action requested in the received request;

receiving a response to the approval request from the second user;

determining whether the second user has approved the recovery action, wherein determining whether the second user has approved the recovery action comprises receiving a permissible scope; and

in response to determining that the second user has approved the recovery action, performing the recovery action on the server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the response to the approval request is received via a same channel as the request was forwarded.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the response to the approval request is received via a different channel than the request was forwarded.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the recovery action comprises a reboot action.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the first user has permission to perform the recovery action comprises determining whether the first user is associated with an administrative user group.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising logging the recovery action.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising logging the first user who requested the recovery action.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising logging whether the recovery action was approved.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising logging a result associated with performing the recovery action.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein forwarding the approval request to the second user comprises:

determining, from the permissions database, a plurality of users associated with the administrative user group, the administrative user group having elevated permissions comprising an ability to perform the recovery action; and

selecting the second user from the determined plurality of users associated with the administrative user group.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the response to the approval request from the second user receiving the response in view of the second user selecting an user interface control associated the email indicating approval of the request.

12. A computer-readable storage device which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for providing server-based recovery actions, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

receiving an approval request from a first user to perform a recovery action on a server;

determining whether the first user has permission to perform the recovery action based on a permissions database, wherein determining whether the first user has permission to perform the recovery action comprises;

determining a user group to which the first user belongs, and

determining whether the determined user group to which the first user belongs has permission to perform the recovery action; and

in response to determining that the first user does not have permission to perform the recovery action;

forwarding the approval request to at least one second user associated with an administrative user group via email to approve the recovery action, wherein forwarding the approval request comprises creating a permission request comprising the received approval request, an impact analysis of performing the recovery action requested in the approval request, and a command text for the recovery action requested in the approval request,

receiving a response to the approval request from the at least one second user via email,

determining whether the at least one second user has approved the recovery action, wherein determining whether the at least one second user has approved the recovery action comprises determining that the response includes a permissible scope, and

in response to determining that the at least one second user has approved the recovery action, performing the recovery action.

13. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the approval request comprises a problem summary associated with the action request.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein the problem summary is received from the first user along with the approval request.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the recovery action request is associated with an application service.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the approval request is sent to a plurality of users and wherein the plurality of users are each associated with an administrative user group.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12, further comprising logging the action request, the first user, a result associated with performing the recovery action, and the second user'"'"'s approval of the action request.

18. A system for providing server-based recovery actions, the system comprising:

a memory storage; and

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

receive a request from a first user to perform a recovery action on a server, wherein the first user comprises at least one of the following;

an operator and an engineer,

determine whether the first user has permission to perform the recovery action based on, wherein being operative to determine whether the first user has permission to perform the recovery action comprises being operative to determine;

a user group to which the first user belongs to, and

whether the determined user group to which the first user belongs has permission to perform the recovery action,

in response to determining that the first user does not have permission to perform the recovery action;

forwarding the request to at least one second user associated with an administrative user group to approve the recovery action via at least one of the following channels;

an e-mail message, an instant message, a web page notification, and a text message, wherein the approval request comprises an impact analysis associated with performing the recovery action, a problem summary received from the first user, and a command text associated with the recovery action;

receive a response to the approval request from the at least one second user;

determine whether the at least one second user has approved the recovery action, wherein the processing unit being operative to determine whether the at least one second user has approved the recovery action comprises the processing unit being operative to determine that the response includes a permissible scope;

in response to determining that the at least one second user has approved the recovery action; and

create a log entry associated with the recovery action, wherein the log entry comprises a name of the first user, a name of the at least one second user, the problem summary received from the first user, the command text associated with the recovery action, and a result associated with performing the recovery action; and

in response to determining that the first user does have permission to perform the recovery action, perform the recovery action.