projects / it training
Automating training infrastructure (Fast Lane)
C#-based control and automation of a large environment of virtual and physical machines for IT training – as software developer and system architect.
- Client
- Fast Lane GmbH (employed)
- Industry
- IT training
- Period
- 2011-01 – 2017-06
Context
Fast Lane GmbH specialises in demanding IT and networking training. Behind every course sits a large environment of virtual and physical machines that has to be provisioned, configured, networked and reset – reliably and for many courses in parallel.
My role
From 2011 to 2017 I worked there as software developer and system architect. My job: make this infrastructure controllable and automatable – from architecture design to implementation.
Approach
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Control and automation services in C# with LINQ, WCF, Entity Framework and ASP.NET MVC
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Virtualisation integrated via the VMware vSphere SDK
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Lab networking via Layer 2 Tunneling (L2TP)
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Additional automation with Python and Bash
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Version control with Team Foundation Server and Git, continuous integration with TeamCity
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Client application with Electron, React and Redux, plus an Android app
Result
The software maintains virtual lab environments in VMware vCenter, runs in data centres around the globe and is the central platform for all of the company’s remote labs – with session sharing, distributed classrooms and custom lab environments. A centrally controlled training infrastructure in which virtual and physical machines are provisioned and managed automatically. A formative period for me in distributed systems, automation and backend architecture – experience I bring to every architecture project today.