Approximate string matching en-masse
Approximate matching of one string to another is a well-explored topic, but when faced with finding expected near-matches out of large paired sets of strings, the established practices were inadequate. Comparing each element in the first set versus each element in the second set worked, but was much too slow. As a result, I created what I believe is an original approach to this problem.
This is a creative and effective solution to a new problem, and also demonstrates clarity of design and documentation. Even without knowledge of python, it's worth looking at, as the code is simple and straightforward. Both the method of the approach and its performance and footprint are discussed.
Library interface refactoring in Bourne Again shell
Both shell scripting and small-scale design went into this project.
A high-availability tool, SGI Failsafe, used shell as an interface for monitoring and controlling UNIX services. The existing system had a documented and mostly working shell library. However, it was a poor interface, and required the creation of several hundred lines of shell script to control a particular service.
To address this, the interface was repackaged, pulling as much of the logic and actions inside the library to simplify using it, while still allowing nearly complete freedom over logic and design in consuming scripts. The resulting interface reduced the necessary code from hundreds of lines to approximately fifty.
Constraints of the underlying interfaces and the limitations of shell itself prevented the level of clarity I would have desired, mostly noted with TODO remarks in the source. However, given the constraints of the problem, I think the results were excellent. Some constructs are bash-specific, which was unfortunately necessary for clarity of interface and preservation of certain Korn-oriented interfaces.
Documentation of services in sysadmin capacity
As a system administrator, I have undertaken many tasks, but what I find most enjoyable is the identification, undertaking, resolution, and documenting of problems. Taking something from start to finish and doing a truly professional job is a source of satisfaction and pride.
The following two documents only directly show the documentation aspect, the final stage, but hopefully all the prior aspects of the task can be viewed in the results.
Documentation of problems in technical support capacity
Following is the result of an urgent installation problem dropped in my lap while at Wind River. It was created and mailed out to all field engineers the same day as encountering the problem, as it was likely to cost them face and the company customers if not immediately worked around.