Stu's Résumé

Stuart works primarily as a consultant, developer, or support specialist, working on various UNIX platforms, cross-platform source-control systems, and TCP/IP network infrastructures.

Stuart has significant experience in providing consultation and reviews on the design of software products and TCP/IP network infrastructure, especially spanning the gaps between the traditional skill disciplines and boundaries which often dog projects. This experience is especially strong concerning the use of Internet protocols and services, and the firewalls required to provide security from the Internet.

Stuart has significant experience in both design and development of UNIX applications. Stuart is just as much at home implementing an existing design as providing both design and implementation as required. Stuart also has significant experience in providing support for other developers.

Stuart has significant experience in designing, deploying, administering, and supporting the use of source control management software. Thanks to his experience as a developer, Stuart has an excellent understanding of what developers and their line managers require to manage source code effectively and reliably.

Stuart has extensive experience providing technical support for bespoke software products. Thanks to his solid understanding of IT, Stuart has repeatedly proved he can learn and adapt quickly to meet the challenges of supporting even the largest of products.

B.Eng. University of Sheffield

4 A Levels

Analysis, programming, bug-fixing, configuration management, team leading, system administration, system installation, technical architect

C, C++, Korn Shell, BSD & SYSV UNIX (Solaris, IRIX, AIX, HP-UX, Digital), POSIX.1, TCP/IP, RPC, NIS, NFS, DNS, FTP, DHCP, LDAP, Alta Vista FireWall, Linux, PVCS, RCS, Continuus, History Manager, Makefiles, Visual Basic, Windows 3.x, Windows 95, Windows NT, Novell NetWare, DOS, Year 2000, HTML Editors, Digital Certificates, DDS Drives

Hewlett Packard March – July 1999 Contract

New In-House Test

Project Summary:

New In-House Test Team provides comprehensive testing of locally assembled DDS drives within Hewlett Packard, the world’s leader in tape storage solutions.

Contribution:

• Implementation of DDS4 port

DDS4 is the latest generation of Hewlett Packard’s DDS drive range. Existing testing had to be ported to work with DDS4 drives.

• Team leader, managing a team of three
• Design and implementation of DDS4 port
• Design and implementation of new DDS4-specific tests
• Installation and configuration of source control system
• Introduction and adoption of improved engineering practices
• Liaison with R&D on specification of tests
• Software maintenance, DDS3 port

• Design and Development of Titan bespoke software
  Titan provides all file transfer services between GSM switch sites, billing system components, and external Service Providers. It is the single point of failure for Vodafone’s next-generation billing system.
• Designed and developed all auditing, logging, and interfaces to third party products (such as fax, file transfer, print and backup products).
• Evaluation and testing of third-party products
• Developed Year 2000 test plans and specs to meet internal Millennium criteria.
• Technology Consultant for Vodafone’s Internet link
  Vodafone operate their own Internet web servers, and Internet products, onsite via leased lines.
• Liaison with Publicity, Security, Strategy, IT Support and suppliers (both ISP and FireWall) required to ensure delivery of a smooth service.
• Liaison with security consultant from Digital to manage and review upgrades and reconfiguration of firewall
• Monitoring of, and recommendations for, capacity requirements for available Internet bandwidth.
• Consultation for design of DNS and Firewall infrastructures to integrate with the deployment of a dynamic IP environment, including providing review and capital expenditure justifications for DNS infrastructure.
• Provided Internet consultancy to other companies in Vodafone Group, assisting with moving all Group companies to a single approach (and route) to the Internet.
• Technology Consultant to HireCall development team
  HireCall is Vodafone’s first Internet-based product, and part of Vodafone’s next-generation billing system. It therefore enjoyed a high profile within the company and with external customers.
• Contributed to regular review of design and implementation issues
• Accompanied Vodafone staff to customer premises to provide technical support and training.
• Administration of Continuus source control system
  Continuus is a version control system used by some of the teams (both internal and sub-contracted) involved with Vodafone’s next-generation billing system.

• Designed approach for use of Continuus within Vodafone
• Provided migration of existing code into Continuus
• Liaison with Continuus’ own consultants and technical support staff
• Organisation and adaptation of Continuus’ training courses
• Designed and performed initial installation of Continuus + product updates
• Team leading
  Managed summer interns within the department. Responsible for assigning work, reporting on progress, reviewing the work done, and ensuring work delivered to deadline.

Skills Employed:

HP-UX UNIX, Korn Shell, C Programming, Digital UNIX, Alta Vista FireWall, NFS, RPC, FTP, TCP/IP, Team Leading, Continuus, DNS, HTML, Java, Digital Certificates

Admiral Computing Ltd 1996 – 1997 Permanent

Eurostar Ticketing Project (Tribute Sales Guide)

Project Summary:

Tribute Sales Guide is a UNIX-based server allowing the world-wide travel trade to query timetables, reserve seats and print tickets for trains operated by various companies including Eurostar (U.K.) Ltd and what was British Rail. This was a rapid development, client-managed project with Admiral staff working out of client offices.

Contribution:

• Team Leader & Technical Authority – Post Installation Support
  Involved liaison with teams from Admiral, other sub-contractors, Eurostar and its commercial partners. Included reporting directly to senior management or the IT Director.
• Management of a four-man Admiral team correcting software defects
• Investigation of all reported software defects
• Analysis of impact of financial errors
• Design and implementation of fixes for software defects
• Design and implementation of post-installation software features
• Design of software delivery procedure
• Source Control Manager
  A part-time role managing the source base, and the tools, used by up to four teams working on parallel releases.
• Administration and technical support
• Design and implementation of move from RCS to PVCS-based source control system
• Design and implementation of UNIX scripts to provide project management features on top of UNIX PVCS
• Design and implementation of software build procedure
• Functional Design & Development
  Worked within principle development team, developing new software features from high-level design and functional specification documents.
• Design, installation, and management of UNIX systems

As the resident UNIX expert, I was principle architect for the UNIX servers used by the three development teams and the two support teams. Contributor to the operational procedures for the main production systems, including disaster recovery. Provided support to day-to-day UNIX operators & development teams.

Skills Employed:

Team leading, analysis, programming, configuration management, system administration, C, AIX UNIX, PVCS, RCS, Makefiles, TCP/IP, X.25, NIS, NFS

University of Sheffield 1994 – 1996 Contract

Corporate Information And Computing Services Department

NQS Project Summary:

The University was contracted to evaluate and develop UNIX software to manage batch processing over large numbers of UNIX systems for all UK universities. This software is now is use worldwide; notable users include Monsanto Corporation (a major US chemicals company), and the Australian Meteorological Office, who use the software to co-ordinate generation of continental weather forecasts between twelve separate sites across Australia.

The NQS Project was a one-man project reporting directly to the Deputy Director of the Department. The NQS product was originally developed for NASA in 1985, and released under the GNU General Public License in 1992.

Contribution:

• Project officer
• First, second & third-line technical support
• Design and implementation of new functionality
• Ports to other UNIX variants
• Networking design w/ NASA engineers
• World-wide support

Skills Employed:

Project management, requirement analysis, configuration management, technical support, C, C++, Solaris, IRIX, AIX, HP-UX, Digital UNIX, Linux, POSIX.1, TCP/IP

Software Support Project Summary:

Support of C/C++ programming

The University required cover to provide support for staff and students looking to develop computer software in C/C++.

Skills Employed:

C, C++, Solaris, Linux, Technical Support

Windows 95/NT Project Contribution:

• Evaluation of technologies
• Support of NT Server installations
• Support of Windows 95/NT over TCP/IP

Skills Employed:

Windows 95, Windows NT, TCP/IP, Visual Basic, DHCP

Generic NQS (OpenSource™ Batch Processing System)
Generic NQS is the world’s leading OpenSource™ batch processing system for UNIX. Distributed, and maintained, via the Internet, Generic NQS has been adopted by a wide range of educational, government, and commercial organisations around the world.

Generic NQS is the continuation of the work developed under contract at the University of Sheffield (see above).

Contribution:

• Project management
• World-wide technical support
• Requirement analysis, design, implementation, and product release
• Technical consultant for organisations looking to add their own features
• Liaison with commercial manufacturers on product inter-operability
• Liaison with technical author for manufacture of documentation
• Ports to new versions of UNIX (e.g. IRIX 6.4, HP-UX 11, Solaris 2.6)
• Ensures development, support, and project management skills are kept current
• Provides continued exposure to the very latest versions of UNIX operating systems

Linux (UNIX-like operating system)

• Modification to SMP scheduler to support IRIX-like system administration
• Various bug fixes to Slackware installation software

Computer and Software Society (CASS)

• Project leader
• Design & implementation of "Arafel" workgroup software for DOS/Novell NetWare v3.x
• Design of "Babel" workgroup software for UNIX
• Training scheme teaching C/C++ to fellow students

Book Reviews

• Former contributing book reviewer to "Sun UK User Forum" magazine, reviewing books on OO methodologies, C++, and Java.

• Music
• Walking
• Reading
• Photography