An apology - the text below is a simple "Text" export of my MS-Word formatted resume. It’s ugly. It’s gross. It looks like something that belongs on a teletype. But it’s searchable.
Richard S. Conto
Hello,
I have had a long career in Information Technology that I have thoroughly enjoyed, a
career focusing primarily on taking the brightest ideas to come out of Higher Education
and Research and turning them into reliable products and services, demonstrating an
opportunity for later commercialization.
I have worked to develop new products and services ? and to refine those products and
services to make them more reliable and less expensive to operate. I have worked
across a broad range of computer and networking platforms ? from obscure mainframe
systems (such as MTS) to early microcomputers. From software heavy mainframe
services in a (programmer) safe development environment to imbedded network
operating systems (Merit?s MINOS, as well as the HIM/NIM protocol converter.) I worked
alone to develop useful processes (a Cisco router configuration manager that collected
router configurations for 300+ routers operated by Merit Network Inc) and worked as a
member of a team to develop (and operate) the combined Merit Shared Dialin service
which had components of Authentication, Authorization, Accounting, and resource
management.
I have worked in public facing roles from time to time ? from helping to establish the early
IT ?Help Desk? for academic computing at the University of Michigan, to my present
position as part of webmaster@umich.edu
I am looking for a position that would encourage and take advantage of my ability to work
in the fine details of specialized components and in the broad expanse of large systems.
I do have family responsibilities in the Ann Arbor MI area and my strong commitment to
those values ? and an unfortunate economic Great Recession ? contributed to my long
period of unemployment from July 2007 to May of 2009. However, that period has also
sharpened in me a certain desire to push the boundaries of what is possible by shaving
away a certain complacency I had developed working for 22 years at Merit Network Inc.
I am seeking a position in the Ann Arbor area ? within a half-hour commute of Ann Arbor
itself. I think that while my skill set is strong, my employment demands are modest ? 24
years working in non-profits and educational institutions have encouraged a certain
modesty of needs where others may have overextended themselves.
As I think I have demonstrated ? I write a rather garrulous cover letter. Thank you for
your patience in reading it.
cell phone: (734) 904-8347
home phone: (734) 663-2134
e-mail: Richard.Conto@gmail.com
Richard S. Conto
SUMMARY:
* Part of University of Michigan Werb Hosting Service (webmaster@umich.edu,
http://www.umich.edu/~umweb ), provisioning 1300 websites and several hundred
Drupal and Mediawiki installations for the University of Michigan
* Assistant Database administrator for Oracle and MySql databases used by the Umich
Web Hosting service.
* System Administrator over 160 servers providing Web Hosting and Database Hosting
services for the Umich Web Hosting service.
* Over 19 years of experience with network client/server and peer-to-peer
systems on UNIX, developing, testing, and implementing daemons, servers in C
and Perl.
* 18 Years experience developing and deploying end-user applications.
* Good analytical, communication, problem-solving, presentation and organization skills.
* Excellent experience putting a product into a 24/7 production service.
* Familiar with the entire software development life cycle and quality procedures
followed throughout it.
* Software Development Life Cycle involving requirement analysis, design, development,
deployment, testing, documentation, implementation and maintenance for Web-based,
Distributed and Client-Server architectures, Perl/CGI, Javascript, PHP.
* Worked alone and in small teams (3 to 5 developers) on large projects
* Major contributor to Merit AAA/RADIUS software (authentication, authorization,
accounting).
* Worked on multiple different projects, many simultaneously to solve problems and
satisfy requirements as needed.
* Minor kernel work (FreeBSD) to solve local problems with NFSv3 locking (with OS/X
clients)
* Minor kernel work in HIM/NIM (UBCnet based IBM 3270 protocol converter adapted for
Merit/Minos and PCtie)
Technical skills:
Programming,
Scripting, and
presentation
Languages:
C, C++, Objective C, Perl (object oriented techniques, networking, CGI,
DBI), HTML, Unix/Linux Shell Scripting (Bourne, C-Shell, Bash,
tcsh), Javascript, m4, awk, Pascal, IBM ASMH/370, FORTRAN
Databases:
Oracle SQL queries and updates, PL/SQL & scripting, Perl/DBI,
MySQL SQL, Postgres SQL, Informix
Technologies:
BSD sockets, Object oriented techniques (Perl, C++), Verisign credit
card payment Web system, Cisco IOS, autoconf/configure, autoconf,
GNU CC, Xcode/GNUStep
Operating
Systems:
UMCE Linux (based on LFS), LFS (Linux From Scratch), Solaris,
FreeBSD, SUSE Linux, Ubuntu Linux, Fedora Linux, Red Hat Linux,
DEC Ultrix, Mac OS/X, MTS, Windows/XP
Networking:
BSD sockets, TCP/IP, UDP, DNS (Bind), DHCP, RIP, IGRP, BGP, VPN,
SNMP
Security
Technologies:
Kerberos, LDAP, SSL, RADIUS, MD5, SHA
Open Source
Servers:
Apache, OpenLDAP, OpenSSL, ISC-DHCP, OpenVPN, CUPS, Samba,
MySQL, Postgresql, BIND, Sendmail, Courier mail
Version Control
Tools
CVS, RCS
Contact Information:
* Phone: (734) 904-8347 (cell), (734) 763-3933 (work), & (734) 663-2134 (home)
* E-Mail: rsc@umich.edu
* Websites: http://rsc.homedns.org http://www-personal.umich.edu/~rsc
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
September 2010 ? present
Client Server Programmer Associate
? Modify, create, deploy ?radmind? loadsets
? Prepare and coordinate for weekend shutdown of major internal datacenter.
? Provision servers and configurations for restructuring and division of responsibilities
due to reorganization of ITCS and MAIS as ITS.
? Deploy and monitor new Linux kernel across hosting environment
? Deploy and configure new ?white box? servers (primarily as database servers.)
? On-Call half-time (shared duty) for web hosting, database, and single-signon systems
? Document, document, document?
? Evaluate Barracuda Web Application Firewall for University of Michigan Web Hosting
environment
? Customer Interaction as part of Webmaster@umich.edu
Computing environments
? UMCE Linux (Administer, Kernel builds)
? RedHat Linux (Administer)
? Mac OS/X (Desktop, Administer)
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
May 2009 ? September 2010
Database Associate (Linux System Administrator)
? Modify, create, deploy ?radmind? loadsets
? Design, develop, deploy IBM system x3650 RAID monitoring tool
? Redesign Oracle backup tool to support Oracle Datapump
? Design, develop, deploy Oracle Standby/Replicant server monitoring tool
? Design, develop, deploy Oracle server error monitoring tool
? Design, develop, deploy Mysql server error monitoring tool
? Enhance MySql ?thread? monitoring tool
? Design, develop, deploy MySql backup extraction tool
Computing environments
? UMCE Linux (Administer, Kernel builds)
? RedHat Linux (Administer)
? Mac OS/X (Desktop, Administer)
Merit Computer Network Inc., Ann Arbor, MI
July 2005 ? July 2007
Client/Server Programmer ? Senior
? Designed, upgraded, and released Merit AAA/RADIUS server software including
Kerberos 5, modified OpenLDAP, AFS/PTS, University of Michigan specific
extensions, and Merit Shared Dial-in service extensions ( C ).
? Administered MICHK12/TTI subscription database, users, and e-mail system.
? Maintain, debug MichK12/TTI subscription CGI pages (Perl, SQL)
? Administered Merit Shared Dialin Service ? update database, deploy configurations.
? Maintain, debug Merit Shared Dial-in Service configuration tools (Perl, SQL)
? Administered Merit Network Usage Reports
? Maintain Merit Network Usage Report programs (Perl, SQL)
? Performed occasional administration of AFS (Andrew File System), a network file
system.
? Modified MichK12/TTI system to support user based renewal of subscriptions,
including supporting credit card charging through Verisign
? Participated in FWNA-Salsa (a federation of universities sharing authentication of
802.11 wireless access for visiting faculty, staff, and students.)
? Managed and administered Apache servers for MichK12/TTI for
development, testing and production services including problem
resolution with server side scripting.
Computing environments
? Solaris 2.6, 2.7, 9 (Desktop, Administer, Develop)
? FreeBSD 4.x, 5.x, 6.x (Desktop, Administer, Develop)
? SUSE Linux (Administer, Develop)
? Fedora Linux (Desktop, Administer)
? Mac OS/X 10.3, 10.4 PowerPC (Desktop, Administer)
? Windows/XP (Desktop, minimal Administer)
? Network file systems: NFS, AFS (User, Administer)
Final Salary: $87,5000 / year
Merit Computer Network Inc., Ann Arbor, MI
July 2000 ? June 2005
System Research Programmer III
? Deployed RADIUS authentication of early University of Michigan wireless/802.11 on
Solaris/Unix Servers.
? Deployed RADIUS authentication of corporate staff wireless/802.11 access from
Solaris/Unix servers.
? Designed, developed, deployed Michigan Teacher Technology Initiative (MichK12/TTI)
end-user identity management and subscription management system under
Solaris/Unix, using advanced Perl techniques including object oriented perl,
Perl/CGI, and Perl/DBI to provide web and command line interfaces.
? Maintain, develop additional features in Merit RADIUS software ? Regular expression
matching, various logging and reporting options, various tuning facilities.
? Upgrade ?nasconfig? from Perl version 4 to Perl version 5.
? Upgrade ?cisco configuration collector? from Perl version 4 to Perl version 5
? Managed and administered Apache servers for MichK12/TTI for development, testing
and production services including problem resolution with server side scripting.
Computing environments
? Solaris 2.5, 2.6, 2.7 (Desktop, Administer, Develop)
? SunOS (Develop)
? FreeBSD 4.x, 5.x (Desktop, Administer, Develop)
? Dec Ultrix (Administer, Develop)
? Redhat Linux (Desktop, Administer, Develop)
? HP/UX (Administer, Develop)
? Mac OS/X 10.3, 10.4 PowerPC (Desktop, Administer)
? Windows/XP (Desktop, minimal Administer)
? Windows/9x (Desktop, Administer)
? Network file systems: NFS, AFS, SMB/CIFS (via samba) (User, Administer)
Final Salary: $82000 / year
Merit Computer Network Inc., Ann Arbor, MI
July 1993 ? July 2000
System Research Programmer II
? Participated in design, development, and deployment of initial version of Merit RADIUS
server (version 2) in support of Merit Shared Dial-in Huntgroup Support.
? Adapted UBC MTS version of domain name resolver library software for Merit MINOS
environment.
? Designed, built, deployed, and maintained Lucent/Livingston Portmaster management
utility, ?nasmanager? written in C, using Unix BSD network socket() interface, and
platform specific Makefiles for various Unix systems (SunOS, Solaris, FreeBSD, Red
Hat Linux, SUSE Linux, DEC Ultrix) for Merit Shared Dial-in Service.
? Explored Cisco gateway IOS configuration for implementing GTE.Sprint TELENET
gateway to TCP/IP (telnet) service.
? Maintained, debugged, and upgraded Merit Shared Dial-in AAA service on various
Unix systems (Solaris, FreeBSD, SUSE Linux) using various scripting languages (Perl,
Bourne Shell) as glue.
? Performed Y2K abatement work in general, in particular on Perl/CGI scripts for
displaying Merit Shared Dial-in usage reports.
? Provided technical support for Merit Computer Network Inc. customer and client
organizations with problems related to RADIUS, DNS, routing, and general problem
solving.
? Design, maintain ?unmp? (Ugly Network Management Protocol) compatible data
collection and presentation system (dial up port and huntgroup usage and utilization
monitoring)
? Responsible for Dumb terminal HELP/MENU system ? prototype in Perl, under Solaris,
later re-implemented with modified telnetd and modified lynx (in C) under Solaris and
Linux.
? Shared technologies and solutions with Merit Computer Network Inc. members and
customers ? individually and through quarterly meetings of the Merit Joint Technical
Staff (MJTS)
Computing environments
? Solaris 2.5, 2.6 (Desktop, Administer, Develop)
? SunOS (Desktop, Administer, Develop)
? Dec Ultrix (Administer, Develop)
? HP/UX (Administer, Develop)
? FreeBSD 3.x, 4.x (Desktop, Administer, Develop)
? RedHat Linux (Desktop, Administer, Develop)
? Windows/9x (Desktop, Administer)
? Network file systems: NFS, AFS (User, Administer)
Merit Computer Network Inc., Ann Arbor, MI
December 1987 ? July 1993
System Research Programmer I
? Configured, debugged, deployed UBCnet/HIM 3270 protocol converter for
Merit/NSFNet-2, University of Michigan Libraries.
? Maintained, debugged, deployed MTS Kermit implementation
? Update PDP-11 object code linkage editor
? Redesign, develop, deploy, operate new Merit Statistics and Billing process and
software ? reconciling session logging data into billing reports in Plus.
? Designed, developed, deployed, and maintained Cisco Configuration Collector (perl
scripts on Solaris/Unix to collect Cisco configuration information from 300+ routers on
a daily basis.)
? Design, implement, distribute MNETAUTH ? Merit Network Authentication, two
implementations, C and Plus
? Re-write & deploy Merit Dialin ?Host Locator? (name to MINOS Network address
mapping system) including configuration tools and authentication/password interface.
? Participated in specification RADIUS Accounting requirements with Livingston
Enterprises
? Shared technologies and solutions with Merit Computer Network Inc. members and
customers ? individually and through quarterly meetings of the Merit Joint Technical
Staff (MJTS)
Merit Computer Network Inc., Ann Arbor, MI
August 1985 ? December 1987
Computer Systems Consultant I
? Merit network Helpdesk support.
? Administer GTE Telnet / ADP Autonet rebilling program (software)
? Create and maintain local support for KERMIT distributions.
? Administer VAX/VMS ?RUAC? for SDSC (San Diego Supercomputer Consortium).
? Profiled technical assistance for end-users of Merit Dial-in, GTE/Sprint TELENET
service, and ADP/AUTONET service.
? Provided help desk and technical assistance for the University of Michigan Computing
Environment.
OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
Home, Ann Arbor, MI
July 2007 ? April 2009
Projects, Self-Improvement, Family
? Build, configure, install Apache 2.2 server with support for multiple virtual hosts,
mod_perl, mod_php
? Developing role based IPFW firewall and DNS management system
? Manage Apache virtual host logging for error and access management,
including CGI, mod_perl, and mod_php DHTML development
? Build, configure, install Courier mail service with IMAP support
? Manage local DNS server for naming home LAN devices (6 computers, printer, web-
cam, Wii console, Apple Airport, various other roaming devices.)
? Manage local DHCP server for IP and routing administration of various devices.
? Manage IP Firewall and IP NAT service for protecting home LAN devices
? Various Perl scripts for managing large photograph library
? Explore various backup technologies ? bacula, amanda, etc.
? Learning PHP and MySQL by redeveloping personal web pages as DHTML
? Learning MySQL and Postgresql constraints, triggers, and procedures
? Learning and applying ECMA/Javascript
? Modified FreeBSD kernel ethernet driver to reduce logging of flakey cable modem
up/down transitions
? Modified FreeBSD kernel NFS/NLM (NFS locking module) to correct bug and enhance
logging & debugging
? Re-write FreeBSD ?rcorder? (system service initialization ordering) program to
correct error handling and improve reliability
? Manage FreeBSD based NFS server disk utilization, quota management.
? Monitor Home LAN utilization with ?cacti? (concerned about COMCAST 250G/month
data transfer limit.)
? Manage home mail server for imap access with Courier/Courier-Imap
? MySQL administration via mysql command line and phpmyadmin
Computing environments
? FreeBSD 5.x, 6.x, 7.0, 7.1 (Desktop, Administer, Develop)
? openSUSE Linux (Desktop, Administer)
? Fedora Linux (Desktop, Administer)
? Ubuntu Linux (Desktop, Administer)
? Mac OS/X 10.4, 10.5 / PowerPC & Intel (Desktop, Administer)
? Network file systems: NFS (User, Administer, Fix Protocol Units)
Environments: Sun Solaris (2.5 to 9), FreeBSD, SUSE Linux, Red Hat Linux, Mac OS/X,
Windows/XP, Oracle, Informix, Cisco IOS, Sun NFS, AFS, Apache, Netscape Webserver,
MTS (Michigan Terminal System)
Educational qualification: Bachelor of Science & Engineering (BSE) ? Computer
Engineering, University of Michigan, 1987
Miscellaneous: 3 character University of Michigan ?uniquename?; 6 digit SlashDot uid.