Paul Baker
Chicago, IL
http://paulbaker.net/work.html
pbaker at paulbaker.net

Professional Experience

• Led the research, design, implementation, and deployment of several key products and infrastructure projects at Where2GetIt.
• Implemented from the ground-up a fully-redundant high-availability web application cluster infrastructure that provides Location Based Services to all of Where2GetIt's clients.
• Designed and implemented redundant load-balancing for several distinct application clusters (Web Front-end, Mapping, Geocoding, and Driving Directions) utilizing the open-source Linux Virtual Server project.
• Implemented a fully redundant MySQL Database cluster with multi-master replication and fail-over.
• Implemented separate development, staging, and production cluster environments to ease product development, testing, and deployment in order to facilitate system upgrade and maintenance with zero-downtime.
• Developed the open-source Warsync cluster replication software used to synchronize all of Where2GetIt's production server clusters.
• Instituted around-the-clock service and network monitoring with Netsaint/Nagios.
• Designed and implemented a Perl Model-View-Controller (MVC) framework to facilitate the combination of Where2GetIt's many distinct administration and data management utilities and applications into a single web portal application.
• Designed and implemented Where2GetIt's full line of XML-RPC based web services that serve half a million transactions per day.
• Streamlined Where2GetIt's product development cycle and moved all Where2GetIt intellectual property under version control with CVS. Instituted issue and request tracking with Bugzilla. In 2004, moved version control to Subversion and issue/request tracking to Trac.
• Designed and implemented a digital asset management (DAM) system for Maytag International. The DAM was highly integrated with Maytag's unique model numbering rules to automatically apply attributes to an asset during import if the filename contained a model number. The system stored several different media types (MOV, PDF, PS, TIFF, DOC, etc.) and converted between types on-the-fly based on format requested by the end-user.
• Re-factored and migrated applications from MySQL to PostgreSQL/PostGIS in order to facilitate advanced geo-spatial queries of location information.
• Evaluated existing PostgreSQL replication projects and eventually implemented a custom PostgreSQL replication solution based on PostgreSQL's PITR mechanism.

• Deployed and administrated a Quad Xeon Internet Server in a production environment using Debian GNU/Linux, Stronghold Web Server, and MySQL Database Server.
• Redesigned and implemented the shopping cart system used on Rotz Records web site to be template driven as well as more secure, functional and manageable.
• Re-branded Rotz Records shopping cart for the Stiffpole Records web site. Also designed and implemented a secure web interface to manage several aspects of the Stiffpole web site, including order management, inventory, and special pricing structure.
• Designed and implemented a shopping cart system for Music Video Distributors web site. This system was designed to be template driven and include separate consumer and business-to-business sections. The consumer section was designed with ease of use in mind. Registration was asked as the last step in order process. Consumers could login to their encrypted account section to review current and past order status. The B2B section, entirely secured with login and encryption, allowed customers to also look up all orders placed with MVD including those not placed through the web. The B2B section featured more order placement options, including an advanced quick order-entry mode as well as order upload via tab-delimited or CSV files. Most aspects of the site were managed and auto-generated via a secure-site manager web interface.
• Designed and implemented a mailing list manager to manage Rotz Records and Stiffpole Records mailing lists. Members were allowed to subscribe and unsubscribe via the web site or through e-mail. It included most of the features available in similar mailing list managers such as Majordomo.
• Designed and implemented a web spider using Object-Oriented Perl. The spider's main function was to search the Internet as efficiently as possible to gather market-targeted email addresses off of web sites. It was designed with multi-processor systems in mind, enabling it to visit as many sites as possible simultaneously by forking off several parallel spiders. Running on a Quad Xeon 550Mhz system, the spider was able search over 650,000 web pages and gather over 81,000 unique targeted email addresses in 24 hours.

• Supervised and trained a team of technicians in the construction and support of PC desktop systems.
• Researched and implemented key troubleshooting and technical support strategies.
• Performed hardware and software maintenance and upgrades.
• Planned and implemented network server and workstation system installations and security policies.
• Developed and maintained dynamic content on the company's commercial web site.
• Developed and wrote online MCSE and A+ test taking system for PC Center Training Institute's web site.
• Key figure in the expansion and growth of the company into new fields and industries.

• Designed and developed the ClanRing Quake Mod written in QuakeC. The ClanRing Quake Mod was recognized as the standard multi-player team-play Quake Modification and has been used by thousands of players over the Internet and in several commercial Quake Tournaments including the Red Annihilation Tournament at E3 in 1997.
• Coordinated a team of over 20 beta server testers on the Internet through all phases of design.
• Designed and maintained product web site and support solutions.
• Source code licensed by several online gaming companies including MPlayer and HEAT.

• Computerized all company operations, including accounts receivable, accounts payable, and inventory control.
• Responsible for all IS decisions and systems purchasing.
• Installed and maintained local area network wiring and hardware.
• Installed all server and workstation software including accounting software and operating systems.
• Trained all employees to use and operate systems and software programs.
• Created floor plan layouts for several clients using computer aided design software.

Education

Related Skills

Operating Systems - Debian GNU/Linux, Mac OS X, UNIX, and Microsoft Windows.

Programming Languages, Frameworks, and Technologies - OO Perl, MVC, FastCGI, PHP, XML-RPC, SOAP, XML, (X)HTML, CSS, Javascript, AJAX/JSON, UNIX Shell Scripting, AppleScript, and Objective C.

Databases - Usage and Administration of MySQL and PostgreSQL, PostGIS/OpenGIS, RDBMS Theories and Strategies, and DBI Perl Modules.

Server Applications - Apache and Mod-SSL, LVS Load-Balancing, OpenSSH, Rsync, Subversion, CVS, Nagios Network Monitoring, Bind, Exim MTA, Courier-IMAP/POP, CUPS, and Samba.

Related Projects