Work
IQOQI
https://iqoqi.at- Last Updated: Friday, 08 November 2024
At the IQOQI, I specialize in server maintenance and software development, handling a variety of responsibilities that advance the institute's technology. I oversee the restructuring of technology in meeting rooms and implement innovative solutions, such as collaboration tools like Mattermost, while prioritizing cost-effectiveness and open-source options. In my role, I constantly seek to learn new things, particularly in internet security, and I assess which technologies are worthwhile versus those that may be a waste of time. Additionally, I serve as the GDPR contact, ensuring that our practices comply with data protection regulations. My work also includes managing server installations, from procuring and setting up racks to developing backend systems and maintaining data sources, as well as frontend programming and styling using HTML and CSS.
Establishing the IVA
I successfully established the IVA as a central hub for managing data across administrative and research domains. It offers a range of tools to streamline daily processes and libraries for collecting data on scientific publications and events. Much of this data is integrated into our public website, for which I developed custom Joomla components and modules, using SOAP for seamless connectivity.
Technical Foundation
To support the IVA, I created APM (Advanced PHP Managed), a LAMP-driven framework tailored to our needs. While I recognize the benefits of modern technologies, I continue to use PHP for its maintenance ease, speed, and portability. The framework includes features for LDAP authorization, database access, caching, and error handling, as well as application-level objects for reports and AJAX requests.
Server Management
When I joined the institute, we used a complicated third-party-hosted website. I advocated for self-hosting and led the transition to a new technology stack, starting with a single LAMP server. Over time, I integrated LDAP authentication and established dedicated servers, including a backup solution to enhance performance.
I consistently use Debian Linux as the operating system, currently on version 12 (Bookworm). Challenges like power outages prompted a reevaluation of our server architecture, leading to the virtualization of our infrastructure. Now, we host multiple virtual server instances externally, ensuring stability and scalability for future needs.
Sideprojects
- Last Updated: Friday, 22 September 2023
ACM Automotive Cost Management
Since I am a car fanatic, I would also like to know the exact expenditures for it. That's quite an effort. I collect all receipts and enter them into an Excel file to generate various reports. But it can't be Excel, can it? That's why I got the idea to write a web application based on Laravel.
AirDesign
http://ad-gliders.com/- Last Updated: Friday, 22 September 2023
AirDesign the bright new star on the paragliding sky was founded about 2012. I'm proud that I could participate in the founding process of this company.
Naturally, my part was to create the website. Built with joomla and stuffed with extra extensions and custom modifications, it is now time to rethink, restructure and redesign the whole page.
08. May 2014 The new page is up and online.
Hugin Sweda
- Last Updated: Friday, 22 September 2023
After a few small contracts in similar areas I raised my skills in dealing with people and different situations by working in field service for a company what was selling primarily POS appliances and software. Also hard and software in the hotel industry.
My job consisted basically in installing the hardware client server systems, server rack systems for oracle cluster and software interfaces to other vendors for example Telephone, Aircondition or other POS systems.
Our business partners and customers came from all over Austria and therefore I had to travel a lot. But since I really enjoy driving it was a great opportunity to gather experiences from many different specifications and requirements. To meet so many diverse kind of people was also a great part of this work.
At some point in time I saw a chance to learn more about what it needs to drive a business, quitted my employment and started as small business entrepreneur. This was mainly to learn more about sales, accounting and self management. Funny detail, my main customer was my last employer Hugin Sweda. I did this work till I got the chance to work at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information.
Disoft
- Last Updated: Tuesday, 19 November 2024
I got my first employment as IT technician and software developer at Disoft a small company in Innsbruck.
My former boss told me one day that the reason he hired me was because I took two upgrade training courses for HTML and Windows NT. Aside from the courses topic it was important to him that I was willing to learn. It was the time where Java Server Pages where getting popular and specially in this region nobody knew about this technology. So since every new employee would have had to learn JSP the willingness to do so was most important to him.
So I started my IT career from scratch by learning Java Server Pages. I got in touch with Java Script and later on also with pure Java.
Since at this time I was the only fulltime employee I also had to maintain the whole IT infrastructure including servers. This way I learned about Linux, Sun Solaris and Oracle. Retrospective it was kind risky of my boss to put me in charge for the systems in spite of little knowledge of the matter. But I learned quickly.
One of the most remarkable memories was to see the whole smartphone market come to life. At the times where no one would have had every dreamed of anything like an iphone I had an prototype in my hands from one of the first companies who tried to merge an handheld computer with an mobile phone. We wrote software for this device what everyone knows now as MMS.
Disregarding some troubles it was a very interesting time and I have learned a lot. Unfortunately the company is no longer in existence.