This article explains how third-party cloud provider outages, such as those affecting Amazon Web Services (AWS), can temporarily impact access to Absorb LMS Portals. It also outlines how recovery typically occurs and what System Admins can do during an incident.

How Cloud Provider Outages Affect Portal Access

Absorb LMS is hosted on third-party cloud infrastructure. When a provider such as AWS experiences a service disruption, it can interrupt Domain Name System (DNS) resolution for specific distributions of the platform. DNS is the service that translates web addresses into the IP addresses devices use to load websites.

When DNS resolution is disrupted at the provider level, your Portal may become temporarily inaccessible even though Absorb's own servers are operating normally. These incidents are caused by external factors outside Absorb Software's direct control.

How These Incidents Are Resolved

Recovery from a cloud provider outage follows a consistent process driven primarily by the provider:

1. Incident Monitoring: Absorb Software monitors the status of the cloud provider's services during an outage to assess potential impacts on Absorb LMS.
2. Coordination: If the incident is confirmed to affect Absorb LMS access, Absorb coordinates with the provider on resolution.
3. Provider Recovery: Once the provider resolves the underlying issue, DNS resolution is restored and access to affected Portals returns automatically. 
   • No action is required from Admins or Learners.

Guidance During an Outage

If you are unable to access your Portal and suspect a cloud provider incident, the following steps can help you confirm the cause and stay informed until access is restored:

• Check the provider's status page: For AWS-related disruptions, refer to the AWS Service Health Dashboard for real-time incident updates.
• Retry access after recovery: Once the provider reports the issue as resolved, retry accessing your Portal to confirm that connectivity has returned.
• Contact Absorb Support: If access issues persist beyond the provider's reported recovery, reach out to your Absorb client success representative.