Director of Information Technology

Larry Patague

Phone: 510/643-6069
Fax: 510/642-8609
E-mail: larryp@msri.org

The Vision

When I first came to MSRI in March 2004, I wrote a strategic plan where I envisioned taking MSRI's computing facilities to an enterprise class level. For the past two years here at MSRI, I've overseen and helped implement the following projects and upgrades to our environment to achieve that goal (that of course could not have happened without the outstanding computing staff and wonderful contractors who have helped in the past years):

Streaming Video/VMath

Introduced digital recording onto a DTE device in industry standard DV format. This foresight will ensure that no matter how streaming media changes over time, we will still have high resolution originals to re-encode from to keep up with the latest Internet trends
More than 800 videos on-line and in the new VMath streaming video format, serving close to 2TB worth of content that can be downloaded
Over 400 videos have been posted on the Internet Archive
Over 100 videos posted on Google video
Provided oversight for procurement, construction and implementation of two video equipment upgrades within the last two years
Streaming videos are higher in quality than ever before
For the first time ever, our videos are available for download to create DVD's or for playback on a computer

Network

Introduced network and server monitoring and alerting
Eliminated a notorious problem where the network would crash every weekend
Reduced overall downtime and increased response time during outages
Upgraded our internal backbone from 1Gps to a 10Gbps backbone
Our internal network now supports Gigabit speeds to the desktop
All networking equipment has been replaced with new best of breed equipment from Force 10, Extreme and 3Com
All new power over ethernet (POE) wireless system that is faster and more convenient to use
Provided oversight for a complete re-wiring of the building's data infrastructure during the expansion project as well as standardizing all cabling to Cat 6.

Servers

Steadily replacing all of our "legacy" (i.e. CPUs 1Ghz or lower in speed) servers
All servers not scheduled for replacement are all connected to our network at Gigabit speeds
We've consolidated many of our systems while still making sure that we will not have single points of failure that would cripple our entire infrastructure
Increased our internal storage capacity from 300GB to 1TB
Increased our video storage capacity from 100GB to 3TB
Increased our backup capacity from 40GB per tape to 300GB per tape

Security

Implemented an ASIC based Firewall capable of Gigabit speeds
For added protection, each server now has it's own software based firewall installed as well
An Intrusion Detection System (IDS) has been implemented
We do frequent penetration tests to ensure our security is sound

Services Introduced

Trouble Ticketing system
Web accessible E-mail
Re-Engineered and standardized our database system for tracking members and participants (coming from an Access 97 hybrid front end and data repository with links to an Oracle 7 database back end to an Access 2003 front end interfacing to a MySQL backend)
Re-Engineered our web site with an all new design and look, as well as a new database backend

Member Systems

All desktops to be 2Ghz or greater (upgraded from 1Ghz or lower)
Standardization of monitors to be 17" to 19" LCDs (upgraded from CRTs)
Low noise systems to ensure a more conducive environment for research

By the end of August 2006, every piece of computing hardware and video equipment from before my time here will have been replaced and upgraded. There are many more great and exciting changes planned, so stay tuned!!!

Curriculum Vitae

Expertise in:
Network Management Systems WAN and LAN Technologies Vendor / Product Selection	Team Leadership Technology Solutions for Clients Network Design	Strategic & Tactical Planning Product Development Troubleshooting / Support

Demonstrated Technical Expertise in: Software Development, OOP, JAVA, JNI, C, Web Site Development, JSP, JavaScript, HTML, Zope, Network Management and Reporting, SNMP, Internet Protocols, SMTP, DNS, POP3, IMAP, Firewalls (Hardware and Software), Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), Database Implementation, Router Configuration (Cisco, etc.), Hardware/Software Integration, N-Tier Client/Server Based Technology, IIS/Apache/Tomcat, Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP/2003, Red Hat Linux 4-9, Fedora Core 1-5, Sun Solaris 8-9, Novell Netware 5, Server/Desktop Monitoring and Support, Asset Management, Change Management

CONSULTANT 2003

Consulted with several companies in delivering solutions to solve various infrastructure problems and deficiencies. Identified unforeseen problem areas and offered guidance to maintain a scalable and easily managed infrastructure. Provided the necessary resources and development help to achieve company goals and revitalize company image.

Restructured and rebuilt company web site to provide a basis for an E-commerce presence providing 200% more product visibility.
Migrated the web site from a Cold Fusion/Microsoft SQL Server implementation to an Apache/Tomcat/MySQL solution saving the company thousands of dollars in recurring licensing fees.
Reengineered company.s network infrastructure to fix various latent problems and provide the means to effectively cut monthly Internet service charges by an estimated 10% savings

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, DJAllen Associates, Inc., Oakland, CA 2002

(A network engineering and enterprise software development firm specializing in network and security management. The firm, founded in 1990, has evolved from a network engineering group into a leading network management solutions provider.)
Charged with realizing the company.s goal of shifting from a services only company to providing the company.s first product offering. Provided leadership in the strategic and tactical planning of the technological shift in focus. Directed all design, engineering and development efforts for the initial product offering.

Successfully launched and sold first product within 1 year of company.s refocusing.
Lead software developer in creating the first product offering.

SENIOR NETWORK ENGINEER, DJAllen Associates, Inc., Oakland, CA 2000-2001

Managed day to day operations of company.s network infrastructure and network security systems. Team Leader for various contracts in both design and implementation of solutions for our clients needs and budgetary requirements. Project Lead for vendor on-site service where customers may feel hostile towards vendor. Facilitated informal training to our clients on products and services we deliver. Provided analysis for network and system troubleshooting.

Lead an international team in implementing, integrating and deploying a network management infrastructure for India.s first remote network management service center.
Lead Designer for a $1.2M Network Operations Center (NOC)
Project lead to reengineer network management system that previously monitored only an estimated 100 devices to a system that monitored 1000+ devices.
Designed and implemented an open-source firewall and IDS solution that saved the company thousands of dollars over a commercial solution.

NETWORK ENGINEER, DJAllen Associates, Inc., Oakland, CA 1998-1999

Provided daily customer and technical support for various clients in remotely managing their networks and systems. Acted as client liaison to various vendors for products and telecommunications services. Worked with various packet sniffing technologies to isolate and identify network problems.

Project Manager for facilitating company.s building relocation.
Project Lead in redesigning and implementing company network infrastructure for improved efficiency, higher performance and cost reduction.
Configure and deploy servers and desktops with various operating systems.
Key member in supporting various telecommunications services such as Frame Relay, DSL and ISDN.

TECHNICAL APPLICATION EXPERIENCE:

Aprisma Spectrum
Opticom Iview
ICS Continuity
MySQL Database
Microsoft Exchange 2000
Microsoft Active Directory
Symantec Anti-Virus Corporate Edition
Veritas Backup Exec
Microsoft Visio
Wild Packets Etherpeek
IPSwitch Whats Up Gold
Attention! Software Products
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
Metrix WinWatch
Snort IDS
Spamassassin
Dovecot IMAP

CONSULTANT	2003
Consulted with several companies in delivering solutions to solve various infrastructure problems and deficiencies. Identified unforeseen problem areas and offered guidance to maintain a scalable and easily managed infrastructure. Provided the necessary resources and development help to achieve company goals and revitalize company image. Restructured and rebuilt company web site to provide a basis for an E-commerce presence providing 200% more product visibility. Migrated the web site from a Cold Fusion/Microsoft SQL Server implementation to an Apache/Tomcat/MySQL solution saving the company thousands of dollars in recurring licensing fees. Reengineered company.s network infrastructure to fix various latent problems and provide the means to effectively cut monthly Internet service charges by an estimated 10% savings
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, DJAllen Associates, Inc., Oakland, CA	2002
(A network engineering and enterprise software development firm specializing in network and security management. The firm, founded in 1990, has evolved from a network engineering group into a leading network management solutions provider.) Charged with realizing the company.s goal of shifting from a services only company to providing the company.s first product offering. Provided leadership in the strategic and tactical planning of the technological shift in focus. Directed all design, engineering and development efforts for the initial product offering. Successfully launched and sold first product within 1 year of company.s refocusing. Lead software developer in creating the first product offering.
SENIOR NETWORK ENGINEER, DJAllen Associates, Inc., Oakland, CA	2000-2001
Managed day to day operations of company.s network infrastructure and network security systems. Team Leader for various contracts in both design and implementation of solutions for our clients needs and budgetary requirements. Project Lead for vendor on-site service where customers may feel hostile towards vendor. Facilitated informal training to our clients on products and services we deliver. Provided analysis for network and system troubleshooting. Lead an international team in implementing, integrating and deploying a network management infrastructure for India.s first remote network management service center. Lead Designer for a $1.2M Network Operations Center (NOC) Project lead to reengineer network management system that previously monitored only an estimated 100 devices to a system that monitored 1000+ devices. Designed and implemented an open-source firewall and IDS solution that saved the company thousands of dollars over a commercial solution.
NETWORK ENGINEER, DJAllen Associates, Inc., Oakland, CA	1998-1999
Provided daily customer and technical support for various clients in remotely managing their networks and systems. Acted as client liaison to various vendors for products and telecommunications services. Worked with various packet sniffing technologies to isolate and identify network problems. Project Manager for facilitating company.s building relocation. Project Lead in redesigning and implementing company network infrastructure for improved efficiency, higher performance and cost reduction. Configure and deploy servers and desktops with various operating systems. Key member in supporting various telecommunications services such as Frame Relay, DSL and ISDN.

TECHNICAL APPLICATION EXPERIENCE:
Aprisma Spectrum Opticom Iview ICS Continuity MySQL Database Microsoft Exchange 2000 Microsoft Active Directory	Symantec Anti-Virus Corporate Edition Veritas Backup Exec Microsoft Visio Wild Packets Etherpeek IPSwitch Whats Up Gold Attention! Software Products	Adobe InDesign Adobe Photoshop Metrix WinWatch Snort IDS Spamassassin Dovecot IMAP