Experiences at Versatix IT Solution Consultancy

1.1 Major accomplishments

1.1.1 Designed and implemented a multi-tiered ASP infrastructure with resilient and scalable features to enable a local ASIC manufacturer to automate its B2B shipment process. The core production components were sustained by a distributed architecture over a firewall-segmented network topology, where the web and application servers were deployed in load balancing pools to interact with the LDAP and database HA clusters.

1.1.2 Developed an on-line catalogue/shopping cart application as a web service prototype for the above account. With a lightweight home-made XML parser built into the software, a special JDBC driver was implemented as a local SOAP stub to support a client-side applet, which also featured drag and drop functions in its GUI utilities.

1.1.3 Developed a versatile web application server capable of invoking Java servlets as well as legacy Perl scripts & C library functions dynamically in persistent CGI processes. It was started from scratch as a prototype to supplement a tender proposal for a pre-sale engagement opportunity.

1.1.4 Devised and executed test plans for stressing Sun or Linux servers in out-sourced jobs.

1.1.5 Performance evaluation and tuning of Sun or Linux servers in out-sourced jobs.

1.1.6 Analysed and fine-tuned the performance of a Weblogic 6.1 server in an out-sourced job. Subsequently planned and conducted the procedure of upgrading the application server to a Weblogic 8.1 cluster, which involved configuring load balancing and HA measures, as well as redeploying the applications in production.

1.1.7 Schematic exposition and comment on parts of the Linux 2.2.x kernel's TCP/IP source code as a technology transfer deliverable for end users.

1.1.8 Tender proposal documentation on ASP infrastructures, some of which also deal with the provision of geographical server load balancing facilities and DR site.

1.1.9 Contrived a parallel architecture for load balancing devices to be integrated with the BGP, OSPF, VRRP and STP network technologies in an R & D project.

1.1.10 Currently in the process of designing a blue-print architecture for the QoS treatment of server clusters in a de-centralisation project on a web hosting data centre. It also addresses the integration of differentiated services on Sun and Linux platforms in a heterogeneous environment.

1.2 Technologies and tools

1.2.1 Sun servers, systems and software involvement:
Full ranges of Sun Fire and Enterprise servers, except E10K/E15K
Sun StorEdge FC/SCSI RAID arrays 3310/3510
Solaris 2.x, Sun Cluster, Solstice Backup Server, SunScreen Firewall
Solaris Bandwidth Manager, Solaris Resource Manager and Sun Management Center

1.2.2 Third-party products involvement:
Veritas Cluster Server, Veritas Foundation Suite
Veritas Volume Manager
Checkpoint Firewall
BigIP F5 and Resonate Central Dispatcher
Oracle 9i Database Server
BEA Weblogic Application Server
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Cluster Suite

1.2.3 Open source products involvement:
Linux 2.4.x (RedHat 9.x and Slackware 9.x)
Linux 2.4.x traffic control utilities
Apache 1.3.x, TomCat 4.x
Linux Virtual Server and Volume Manager
Linux HeartBeat and Piranha (trial version) HA Clusters
Linux SuperSparrow for geographical server load balancing
GateD and Zebra for BGP and OSPF implementation

1.2.4 Development contexts and tools involvement:
Solaris STREAMS kernel modules
Linux Netfilter kernel modules
Apache web server modules
Apache SOAP and Axis,
Sun Java Web Service Pack and J2EE

---...