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What I do at work
By Matt | June 6, 2007, 8:04pm
Topics: Work |
Well, the bottom line that I usually tell everyone so they’re not like “Huh?” afterwards, I tell them “computer stuff.” Sometimes I go as far as telling them that I do “server administration and programming.” As vague at that is, it adequately covers what I do. To be a little more specific than that, but without revealing any information that I shouldn’t:
I help one co-worker maintain a server farm consisting of 26 systems: 16 production servers, 7 test servers, and 3 development servers. Production: Systems which are hosting applications publicly (internal to the center only or available to all centers; so not really “public”). Test: Applications that are being tested for release; they’re mostly done applications that are put into the environment to verify they’ll work in production. Development: Servers that are used for development of applications; Test and dev sometimes blend. Applications: Mostly web sites but some have more than just a web site to them. I helped assembly the server farm and helped get it to where it is today, fully functional and serving the needs of several groups within the center. The administration necessary is essentially keeping it running and fix anything that breaks.
I’m also maintain (the previously mentioned co-worker is really responsible for this but I usually do the work while I’m here) a computer lab that is used for testing and development of new IT systems, products, applications, and such. There are about 20+ regular computer systems here that I typically use or work on. This lab is also the office of about 6 people, mostly contractors.
Thats the server administration part. When I’m at my desk (which is one of about 15 cubicles in the office I work in), I do either stuff supporting server administration or I do some programming. Both of these activities tend to focus on security (you know, since the gov’t is all about standards that have to be met; if I wanted to qualify that, I’d say my focus in on implementing gov’t standards for computer security).
So the programming is usually security or server administration tools that support the required standards. The major one that I started the first time I was here was a tool that collects system event logs and web server logs. These logs are imported into a database and the application has a web-based front-end which allows a server administrator to query the logs of any specific system or a group of systems for any given time. Some bragging rights: when I arrived back this term the system had over 200 million records and was over 140 GB… thats a lot! And the system ran fairly efficiently the 9 months I was gone without any required maintenance. I was impressed.
I’m currently working on programming project, but I think explaining what it does would be too technical as it gets down into the enterprise-focused areas of windows security (something the average user has no clue about; which is probably a bad thing, but thats another issue). I’ve worked about 5 days on this little project and I’m very satisfied with my progress. I learned a lot from working on this project, since when I started I had very little knowledge of it (no less than any other enterprise architect might know).
There are other things I do, but they are minor and insignificant. Just a bunch of “computer stuff” sums things up.