Reliability Engineer Site

Berk Singleton

Senior Site Reliability Engineer DevOps, Cloud, Infrastructure, AI

Cedar Park, Texas 78613 214-***-****

ad5tpg@r.postjobfree.com https://www.linkedin.com/berksingleton

Technical Summary

As a Senior Site Reliability Engineer at IBM, I utilize my 20+ years of experience in IBM middleware systems and mainframe operations to create reliable, scalable, and secure cloud infrastructure and applications for global enterprise clients. I have a proven track record of leading complex migration projects from mainframe to cloud environments. My expertise lies in capacity planning, hardware/software integration, network security, monitoring, troubleshooting/RCA, DevOps, and CI/CD methods. I have extensive experience managing diverse enterprise platforms and operating systems simultaneously. I have successfully deployed IBM PureApp, IBM MQ Series Appliance, IBM BigFix, and IBM UrbanCode in BlueMix cloud servers and built enterprise data storage solutions using IBM GPFS and Python, Shell, and ANT scripts. My passion is to deliver innovative and cost-effective solutions that enable digital transformation and business growth for my clients. I have spent time and training on the IBM WatsonX.ai platform.

Work Experience

Sr. Site Reliability Engineer Mar 2021 – Mar 2024

IBM Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area

Support IBM middleware stack In private and public clouds using infrastructure analysis, design, integration, installation, configuration, tuning, and automation for IBM CIO Public and private cloud clients.

Provide initial assessment and possible workaround of production issue

Write Ansible/shell/python code required to automate the tech stack(s)

Troubleshoot and resolve Dev/UAT/Prod issues

Work with Support and Development teams to:

oIdentify and resolve issues on various hardware and software platforms

oDiscuss, design, and plan security integration tasks

oMonitor the health of production and test systems 24 7

Ability to respond promptly to production issues and alerts 24 7

Manage changes in the production environment through ServiceNow API and service implementatoiomautomation

Partner with other IBM SRE teams and program managers to deliver mission-critical services to the market

Support the development of new and existing capabilities for our computing, storage, and network services

Tools used include Dynatrace, Splunk, Grafana, z/OSMF, ServiceNow, RHEL/MS/IBM CVE alerts, IAM, DB2 management, MQ series, RACF, Jira, GitHub, TekTon Pipeline(s)

IBM Middleware Engineer Feb 2019 - Apr 2022

Origina Austin, TX

Provide third-party software support for IBM Products, including configuration and training for IBM BigFix, migration, and Tivoli Workload Scheduler (TWS) performance tuning. Also, provision a DevOps n-tier stack for UrbanCode deployments in BlueMix cloud servers for clients such as Mary Kay Cosmetics and Nuveen.

Infrastructure Architect Jun 2010 - Apr 2024

TxMQ Austin, TX

Clients: Focus, Flagship, State of Nebraska, Enumclaw, State of Oregon, YUM Brands, radialMatrix

Daily tasks include Clients’ WebSphere/MQ/IIB/MQFTE SME, WAS v8.x infrastructure architecture analysis, design, and buildouts on the IBM SoftLayer platform. IBM PureApp pattern creation and systems installation. DevOps work with OpenStack storage (Cinder, Glance, Swift). Docker and Chef deployments of WebSphere. Use Python, Shell, and ANT combinations for parasitized and repeatable application and systems deployment tasks. Use GPFS as a single scale-out data store for the entire enterprise.

IBM BigFix/IEM/ILMT: Architect, deploy, migrate from previous version (7.5 to 9.x), configure and train users on IBM BigFix for IBM Endpoint Manager relays/clients for Lifecycle Management (OS Deployment) Patch Management, Software Use Analysis, ILMT, Server Automation.

IBM BlueMix: Managing repeatable platform deployments of WebSphere, MQ, and DB2. Network, data encryption, and access control into SoftLayer domains.

IBM SoftLayer: This includes installing, configuring, tuning, and automating the scripting of the IBM Middleware stack on virtualized SoftLayer systems.

IBM MQ SME Apr 2019 - Jun 2019

Sogeti, a Capgemini Company Austin, TX

Created IBM MQ server instances and API/REST interfaces for JBoss EAP management and Supported Bottomline Technologies with the design and architecture of a virtualized environment. Architected a solution using multi-instance queue managers, leveraged DevOps design and structure principles to enable automation, and deployed BigFix/ILMT agent to monitor network capacity.

Infrastructure Engineer Sep 2015 - Nov 2016

Univar Solutions Seattle, WA

Daily tasks: WebSphere (Portal, Commerce, AS)/MQ/IIB/MQFTE SME, MuleSoft build-outs on the AWS platform and local servers. MQ v7 to v9 migration planning and implementation on Z/OS (capacity planning, sysplex integration with page sets, logs, bootstrap data sets, code libraries, and queue manager configuration data sets defined on shared volumes, configuration planning for TCP virtual IP addresses (VIPA) on each TCP stack in the sysplex). WebSphere commerce and portal migration from v6 to v7/8/9.

Level 3 problem support: Printer sharing maintenance, application support, DB2, application network integrations, MuleSoft, AIX/Linux servers.

Infrastructure Engineer Nov 2011 - Sep 2014

Insight Global Charlotte, NC

Daily tasks: Clients’ WebSphere/MQ/IIB SME, WAS v7.x/v8.x infrastructure architecture analysis, design, and buildouts for various e-commerce internal groups.

MQ/FTE Series: installation, configuration, tuning, and automation scripting using ANT, GitHub Desktop.

z/OS v1R12 details: DataPower xi50 SAF configuration into Communications server (TCP/IP), WebSphere v8.5 z/OS UNIX System Services with (HFS)/(zFS), RACF, System logger, Workload management, IBM HTTP Server for z/OS, SecureWay Security Server (LDAP) Server, IBM HTTP Server for z/OS. Configure WebSphere WOLA (JCA, proxy EJB, connection factory) into IMS and CICS.

Perform JVM tuning, javacore and heapdump analysis. WebSphere deployment automation analysis, configuration, and implementation on various platforms.

CA Wily toolset: installation (APM, CEM, Spectrum, DCC, etc..), configuration, dashboarding, and usage enterprise-wide for problem analytics to solve application, system problems, and eCommerce site performance tuning.

IBM ILMT v7.5: tool component installation (WebSphere, DB2, LPAR/WPAR/Windows(CIT) server agents), configuration and usage. Wrote fixlets as required for repeatable tasks/batch work

SAS: application monitoring and jvm tuning.

Manhattan DOM/MIF: installation, configuration, Weblogic JVM tuning. CA Layer 7 POC development. MQ, MQ/FTE tuning, and optimizations.

Infrastructure Architect May 2007 – Sept 2008

Clarity Resources Fort Worth, TX

Daily tasks include: WebSphere v6.x SME. Architecture review and infrastructure analysis for a greenfield z/Linux WASv6.1/ND/XD installation, J2EE monitoring infrastructure work-up, JVM tuning, javacore, and heapdump analysis. JMS/SIB configuration. Jython coding for automated configuration management and packaging. DataPower configuration.

XD includes Operations Optimization, ODR set-ups, Application Edition Manager scripting, CIM scripting, core group management, and multi-cell configuration.

WESB includes: Configuring multiple inbound services, XSLT, business object mapping, event table DB optimization

Specialized task: WebSphere SME across numerous IT groups and WebSphere projects. Install IBM ILMT tool.

Consultant – On-site – various assignments Nov 2000 - Nov 2011

Earlier experience in IBM systems consulting roles with clients such as AAA, CyberShift, HealthPlan Services, CNA, Georgia Farm Bureau, Utica National, Markel, United Health Care, American Airlines, Kaiser Permanente, Wal-Mart, and the Government of Quebec.

Core Skills

Kubernetes, Microservices, Platform as a Service (PAAS), ETL Tools, Information Technology Infrastructure, Server Architecture, Microsoft Office, LDAP, Management, Leadership, Technical Proficiency, Project Management, Networking, Infrastructure Technologies, Computer Science, Troubleshooting, Communication, Linux, COBOL, WebSphere, Performance Tuning, Software Development, Proactive Monitoring, Incident Response, IT Service Management, Excel, Business Objectives, Building Automation, Operational Excellence, ITSM, Continuous Improvement, Proactive Monitoring

BigFix/ILMT Assess the current state of BigFix – use BigFixDD, BigFixDisk, BigFixPerf analysis

BigFix Management Server Capacity Planning

BigFix Relevance and Session Relevance Languages - to substitute variables in action scripts and retrieve information from the BigFix database for custom reporting.

Create secured relay architecture - for various endpoint devices across the enterprise.

BigFix Components Usage:

>> IBM BigFix Lifecycle

>> IBM BigFix Patch

>> IBM BigFix Compliance

>> IBM BigFix Protection

>> IBM BigFix Inventory

>> IBM BigFix Asset Discovery

>> IBM BigFix OSD - MDT Bundle, Bare Metal Profile, OS Deployment Server (PXE), OS

upgrades

Use CVE / STIG compliance baselines to quantify customer baselines

Configure Web Reports, Inventory, and Compliance modules per silo requirements

Write custom fixlets to properly score AIX 5.x OS not decommissioned for legacy enterprise-level one app’s

Create proper software bundles

Create ILMT reports for management that reflect their level of understanding of software provisioning

Ensure Passport Advantage licensing relevancy per silo

Verify PVU usage by creating spreadsheets from ILMT reports and comparing data from HMC subpool usage reports

MQ Series: RFHUTIL(c): MQMD parsing, message flow debug, JSON debug, network troubleshooting

ESQL: write procedures and functions for message/node dev/perf and code debug

Clustering: PowerVM (AIX), HA manager (HACMP (UNIX) / MSCS (Windows)), Multi-Instance QM‘s

OS Tuning: mqconfig (IPC tuning), semaphores, /var/mqm sizing, net.ipv4.tcp.*, max procs, max files, etc.

MQ Tuning: topology design, aliasing, qm.ini stanzas, channels, queues, message flows

MQ Security: Ident/authentication, authorization, auditing, confidentiality, data integrity

MQ Scripting: MQSC command files, runmqsc shell scripts

Protocols: MQ, MQTT, SOAP, HTTP/HTTPS, LU6.2 (Z/OS APPC/MVS)

MQ/FTE: Connect: Direct, RESTful API via Web Gateway, Apache ANT integration

Mule ESB: Cloud Configuration, MQ integration, message flow security and performance

IDE: IBM MQ Explorer, SourceForge IBM MQ Admin Tool, IBM Explorer for z/OS

IBM App Connect Enterprise (ACE): MQ integration with legacy Cobol copybook data

DataPower: Cryptography technologies: multi-bit Encryption/Decryption, Digital Signature

Security Frameworks: OAuth2.0, SAML and SSO

DP automation: implementing Gateway Scripts, SLM (service level monitor)

IBM API Management: API implementation, Plans, Security Policies, Socialization

IBM Advance Developer portal: Publish APIs/Plans using API Manager

IBM IDG form factors: Appliance, Linux and Docker container

HA: Active-passive mode – Gateway Cluster, interface standby groups, NFS mounts, etc...

Management: WebGUI alternatives - REST interface, CLI, XML/SOAP (SOMA, AMP)

Maintenance: Firmware upgrades using management sets via WAS console/admin scripts

Versions: v6.x, 7.x, 7.2, 7.5

Education

Stockton State College Pomona, NJ 1980 - 1982

Completed 32 credit hours Computer Science

Languages

English

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