Interests, Skills, and Hobbies

I enjoy building PCs, repairing (hardware and the OS side), installing the OS, software, and applications onto PCs, managing workstations and servers, and I thoroughly enjoy all aspects of networking PCs, workstations, and servers together. When a computer fails to operate or communicate via the network properly, I have a strong desire to find out why it's happening and develop a solution for the problem. I also enjoy other things besides computers. One of these things is astronomy. I enjoy looking at celestial objects through a telescope or through images on websites. Another favorite thing I like to do is taking care of my ten goldfish.

Computer and Networking Skills:

Most of my computers skills are geared toward the workstation, server, and networking side. I have built and repaired hundreds of PCs and workstations to date. I've also setup and repaired numerous servers. However, I have done many things with PCs over the years. For my home PCs, I have two Windows domain controllers that replicate each other. They are also DNS servers for my local LAN. Any PC on my LAN that can join a domain is attached to my domain. Besides this, I have a dual Intel Pentium 3 1GHz system for a file server. It has four 500GB hard drives in a RAID 5 array with about 1.36TB of total hard drive space.

I have setup a personal FTP and web server on a DMZ that is accessible anywhere through the Internet. I mainly use the FTP side to store school related files on a RAID 1 array. The FTP server is running on FileZilla Server and the web server is running on IIS. Each PC I have has either been built from parts or repaired by myself. I have very few prebuilt systems. Of course you need an operating system on the PC as well. I've installed about every version of Windows - Windows 95, NT4, 98(SE), 2000, XP, 2003, Vista. I'm very fluent in each Windows OS, but mostly in 2000, XP, 2003, and Vista. I've also installed and configured Linux distributions - primarily Ubuntu and Fedora. Here are a few images of some of my stuff:

I've converted an older Intel Pentium 3 733MHz PC into an IPCop router which I am currently using for all my LAN PCs to get out to the Internet. I have installed two add-ons for IPCop called Updateaccelerator and Advproxy Besides. Updateaccelerator caches updates for Windows, Adobe, and Symantec products onto the router hard drive. So when a client PC needs an update for Windows, the client will think it is getting it from Microsoft, but it is really pulling it from the router at LAN speeds, saving WAN bandwidth. Advproxy is a proxy server add-on for IPCop that will cache website graphics and files up to a size that you specify. Besides IPCop, I have setup router software on old PCs using BrazilFW, FloppyFW, Coyote Personal Firewall, and PfSense. With two or more NICs and any of those distributions, you can make an excellent and very reliable router!

My home PCs required a network to operate at their best potential. I did all the crimping, wiring, and configuring for my home network. It has changed dramatically over the years. But currently I am using a Cisco Catalyst 5500 series that I purchased at a county auction for my main switch, along with a D-Link 24 port gigabit switch. I did the configuring on the Catalyst 5500. Unfortunately, I don't have a need for VLANs or any other advanced switching functions at home. At the right, you can see them setup and in use.

I also have a few wireless access points setup and secured for wireless devices/clients. Wireless security anywhere is very important to me. I use MAC filtering, encryption, and disable the SSID broadcast. There are ways around all of those measures, but it makes it harder for someone to break into your network. You wouldn't want anyone sitting at the road or your neighbor using your connection to download illegal material.

Besides BOINC, which is discussed further down the page, below are a few pictures of the Networking Lab PCs and networking equipment I worked with at Davidson County Community College for three years. I managed the entire networking lab which included; Twenty-one student PCs, all the Cisco networking equipment (three racks of 2500/2600 routers and 1900/2950 switches - not all are pictured), and five servers. Each student PC has a removable hard drive. The reason for this is because there are five (or more) classes that go on during the day in this room. Windows XP/Vista, Windows Server, Linux, Security, and Cisco. At the end of each semester, using Symantec Ghost, I had to reimage ALL of the hard drives, which is a little over one hundred drives. Occasionally I had to add an application to an image. This involved imaging the original image on a drive, installing the application in question, using MS Sysprep to prep the image for ghosting, then ghost the image back to the server. I also managed the ghosting server. The bottom right image is of the new Netlab PCs before I set them up physically, and installed all the needed software/applications.

During the Cisco CCNA1-4 classes, I assisted an instructor and helped students if they requested it. Besides the classroom equipment, I setup my own network of computers in a backroom behind the networking lab (some of which is pictured in the downstairs BOINC room images below). I setup a DNS, DHCP, and domain controller and made a Linux router out of an old Pentium II 350MHz system and IPCop.

As for work experience, the most notable things I have done in the job area are:

• Maintain and repair servers/workstations onsite at business locations
• Manage servers and workstations remotely via LogMeIn, VNC, or Remote Desktop
• Manage backups in Microsoft SQL Server
• Manage Windows backups on servers
• Rebuilt extremely critical RAID 5 and RAID 1 arrays after drive failures
• Configure firewall port forwarding, MAC filtering, wireless, and wireless security
• Install Windows NT4/98SE/2000/XP/Vista
• Setup/configure router PCs using IPCop and BrazilFW for use in business environment
• Install rack-mountable Cisco routers and switches
• Communicate needed equipment and price quotes to supervisors
• Use Microsoft Sysprep utility to prepare Windows OS for Ghosting
• Create and multicast Symantec Ghost hard drive images
• Order computer components and networking equipment
• Install RAM and hard drives in workstations/servers
• Installing IBM Client Access Express
• Use Lotus Notes to update and resolve trouble tickets
• Run CAT5e network cables through ceiling to patch panels

Certifications and Education:

I have the CompTIA A+ certification, and an active Cisco CCNA certification. I've worked part-time for Davidson County Community College as an adjunct PC tech for four years while getting two Associate in Applied Science degrees; One in Information Systems Technology and the other in Networking Technology. During the four years I spent at DCCC, I kept a 3.87 GPA with 103 credit hours, and was member of Dean’s list at DCCC six times. I am still currently a member of the Phi Theta Kappa association and graduated with High Honors.

Distributed Computing:

For about four years, I've been very interested in distributed computing using the BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing) platform client to process workunits for health and science research, among other things. In the past I have implemented over thirty PCs at Davidson County Community College dedicated to running BOINC platform projects.
Below are a few pictures of the systems I setup at DCCC to process for BOINC.

Thirteen BOINC PCs downstairs	Nineteen BOINC PCs upstairs
Upstairs BOINC Projects	Upstairs BOINC Workunits
Downstairs BOINC Projects	Downstairs BOINC Workunits

I spent a lot of time setting up and networking each system. I installed the operating system for each system, set BOINC to run as a service on Windows, and for Linux systems, I installed a script in Fedora runlevels 3 and 5 to run BOINC as a daemon at bootup (command line multiuser or GUI). I also setup BOINC on each PC to report to a central PC that used BOINCView to easily manage BOINC projects and workunits for each PC.

To keep the network traffic off the main school network, I used an old PC and two NICs along with BrazilFW and IPCop to setup a router for each BOINC network. I crimped/ran each cable, installed each switch, and configured each router. In the downstairs BOINC room, the systems vary in hardware specs. But most are: Intel Pentium II 350MHz with 256MB of RAM, some dual Intel Pentium 3 500MHz systems with 512MB of RAM, AMD Duron 700MHz with 256MB of RAM, an Intel Pentium 4 2GHz with 512MB of RAM, and an Intel Celeron 1.7GHz with 512MB of RAM. All ran Windows 2000, XP, or Server 2003. In the upstairs BOINC room, the hardware specs are much less than their downstairs counterpart. All of these systems were Intel Pentium II 266MHz to 350MHz; All running Fedora Core 4 or 5 or Ubuntu 5.10, all configured with static IPs, and labeled for easier troubleshooting.

I attached to numerous projects on each BOINC system. Some of which were:

• ABC@Home
• BURP
• Chess960@Home
• Climateprediction.net
• Einstein@Home
• LHC@Home
• Malariacontrol.net
• Nano-Hive@Home
• Pirates@Home
• Predictor@Home
• PrimeGrid
• Proteins@Home
• QMC@Home
• RALPH@Home
• Riesel Sieve
• Rosetta@home
• SETI@home
• SIMAP
• Spinhenge@home
• SZTAKI Desktop Grid
• TANPAKU
• uFluids@home
• vtu@home
• World Community Grid
• XtremLab

As you can see from the above image, I don't have that much Recently Added Credit. I try to run as many BOINC projects at home as I can. But due to power consumption and heat dissipation, it is difficult in the summer season. Even still, BOINC and its projects are very important to me because of the health and science research that results from each workunit processed. It was with great disappointment that both networks at DCCC had to be shutdown when I finished my degrees there; however, I believe that I made a difference for both health and science because of my efforts.

For more information about BOINC and the numerous projects that utilize the platforms capabilities, please visit the BOINC Wikipedia entry, BOINC Synergy, and BOINCStats.

I use a computer to do about everything in my life! Watch TV, communicate with people, relax, school, and do work. I'm on one nearly 12/7.
When I am "relaxing", one of my favorite things to do is play online games. I love to play first person shooter games such as:

• Quake 3 Arena
• Unreal Tournament 2004
• Doom 3

My all-time favorite is Quake 3 Arena. It came out in late 1999, and I have been playing it since 2000! I'm definitely not a pro-gamer when it comes to Quake 3. But I can put up a mean fight when I play! =) I usually play team-based mods such as capture the flag. But I also enjoy free for all, Rocket Arena 3, Challenge Pro Mode Arena, and OSP.

Besides Quake 3, I also really enjoy playing Unreal Tournament 2004. My favorite mode of game play for UT2004 is Onslaught mode. In this mode, you have to attack enemy "power nodes" that are open, destroy them, and then build your own in place, eventually leading to the enemy power core, to which you have to destroy. It's fun because you get to drive various vehicles throughout the map.

I also look forward to playing Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and Unreal Tournament 2007!

Science and Astronomy:

Science and astronomy also pique my interests quite often! I am always entertained when I read or watch programs of Earth science or new scientific advancements. I have recently begun to get more involved in astronomy and I hope to take further astronomy classes in the future, eventually getting another degree. One day in the future, I hope to work for NASA or go into space. I find proposed lunar and Mars bases very intriguing! I enjoy reading articles about new astronomical discoveries, shuttle/rocket launches, and happenings on SPACE.com as well as keeping up with space weather and also looking at news and images on NASA.

Below are a few images I took, simply holding the camera to the telescope eyepiece. The older hardware I used was a Meade ETX-60 refracting telescope with 9mm eyepiece and a FujiFilm FinePix A205 2MP digital camera.

A closer view of the Moon	Jupiter and some of its moons

As you can see from the Jupiter shot, it is hard to see detail of any celestial object other than the Moon with my current hardware. If I had the funds, I would love to be able to get a larger telescope and digital SLR camera to take images of what I'm looking at. Or even a telescope that has a built-in "camera", and/or connects to your LAN via wired or wireless! What would be more amazing would be being able to setup my own observatory! One of my favorite (free/open source) programs to use to keep track of what's in the sky at night is Stellarium. I've heard that another great program for this is Starry Night - although I don't have the funds to purchase it at the moment.

My favorite movie series are the Rocky movies. I love each one, 1-5 (even Rocky V!) and Rocky Balboa, but Rocky III and IV are my favorites! My reasoning for loving these movies is because they try to get the point across to the viewer that it's not necessarily about size, skill, or age; It's about heart, determination, and will.

I love to watch sci-fi and action movies - Some others I like are: Robocop, Terminator, Total Recall, Predator, etc.

Family Information:

Both of my parents are retired. My mother was a second grade school teacher and my father was a State DoT worker. I have to give a lot of thanks to my parents because they have always tried to raise me properly, but without being too strict. They were good enough to do whatever they could to allow my interests and hobbies to grow. Even though they are Baptist southerners (hehe), if it were not for them agreeing to get a computer and the Internet in the first place, I don't think I would be at the same level I am now. If I couldn't talk to them about my interests in science and astronomy, I probably wouldn't be as interested in it. I have them to thank for a lot of things! As for my siblings, I have one brother and one sister that are both older than me. My sister works as a pharmacist and my brother is stationed in Norfolk, VA in the NAVY.