Lesson 2: Routing, cascades and fallback behind one gateway
28 min read·
Module 7 · Lesson 2 · About 55 minutes · Needs: Module 3 lesson 6 (tiering and budgets), Module 4 lesson 3 (the model port), Module 2 lesson 3 (residency). No key: every model is a scripted stand-in
The situation
Week 7. On 22 September, 13:00 to 13:40 UTC, the primary provider slowed down and 30% of its calls hit the gateway's 8-second timeout. Funmi wants fallback designed, not left to luck; Ana wants cheap questions on the cheap tier; Leila asks where a fallback may send a UK tenant's question; Gareth asks what happens when every model fails.
The running example: two Tallis Retail Group questions, "How many days of annual leave do I get?" and "My laptop screen is cracked. How often are laptops replaced, and when is the helpdesk open?"