Experience
In Business
I worked within a business environment for more than twenty years. Starting at a small company and staying as it grew into a large one. So, I have dealt with the issues of both small and larger businesses. And I have helped a company’s computer systems scale up to match their growth.
Developer and Sysadmin
I started as the sole “IT guy”. That meant that I covered both software development and system administration. Even as the team grew, I maintained this dual focus. For system administration, I specialized in Linux. While my development projects ranged over UNIX, Linux and Windows systems.
Projects I’ve worked on include:
- Porting complex software between Operating Systems;
- A custom project accounting system and its time entry front end;
- A system for data exchange between central and branch offices;
- Data transformation and processing utilities; and
- Many “glue” scripts for sysadmin purposes.
As a system administrator, I also deployed the finished products, and kept them operational. Thus giving me insight into the world of “DevOps”.
Skills
Linux and Unix
My exposure to Linux starts with UNIX. I learned the ins and outs of Ultrix and Digital OSF among other UNIXes. From there I migrated to Linux on various hardware platforms. My longest experience was with the SUSE distribution. That experience includes openSUSE, Suse Linux Enteprise Server (SLES) and Novell Open Enterprise Server (OES). Also, I have had exposure to Debian and Red Hat. Since then, I have pursued certification with Red Hat systems. Now, the systems I currently maintain range from CentOS to Debian to openSUSE to Ubuntu.
Windows
I have also worked with Microsoft Windows desktops and servers. I’ve maintained both the open source Samba and the native Microsoft Windows version of CIFS (the Common Internet File System). As well as Novell’s networking offering: Novell Storage Services (NSS).
Virtualization and Cloud
My experience with virutalization systems encompasses VMware, Xen, Hyper-V and KVM. Though, I also have some experience with VirtualBox. This has served me well in coming to grips with cloud systems, in particular, Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Software Development
My programming experience ranges from the traditional to the web apps. I started with standard compiled languages: C and Fortran. Then branched into scripting languages: Perl first, but more recently Python. On the web side, I have used PHP supplemented with some Javascript.
Associates
For larger projects I work in association with Warpspace IT.
Links
I am a Red Hat Certified Engineer: Certification Number 150-024-959
And a member of ITPA – Australia’s premier organization for IT Professionals.
More details about me can be found at my Linked In profile
or by viewing my Stack Exchange profile:
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