How do I fix server errors (500, 503) with W&B Inference?

Server errors indicate temporary issues with the W&B Inference service.

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Error types

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500 - Internal Server Error

Message: “The server had an error while processing your request” This is a temporary internal error on the server side.

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503 - Service Overloaded

Message: “The engine is currently overloaded, please try again later” The service is experiencing high traffic.

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How to handle server errors

1. Wait before retrying
   • 500 errors: Wait 30-60 seconds
   • 503 errors: Wait 60-120 seconds
2. Use exponential backoff
   import time
   import openai
   
   def call_with_retry(client, messages, model, max_retries=5):
       for attempt in range(max_retries):
           try:
               return client.chat.completions.create(
                   model=model,
                   messages=messages
               )
           except Exception as e:
               if "500" in str(e) or "503" in str(e):
                   if attempt < max_retries - 1:
                       wait_time = min(60, (2 ** attempt))
                       time.sleep(wait_time)
                   else:
                       raise
               else:
                   raise
   
3. Set appropriate timeouts
   • Increase timeout values for your HTTP client
   • Consider async operations for better handling

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When to contact support

Contact support if:

• Errors persist for more than 10 minutes
• You see patterns of failures at specific times
• Error messages contain additional details

Provide:

• Error messages and codes
• Time when errors occurred
• Your code snippet (remove API keys)
• W&B entity and project names

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Inference