Stijn T., Linux Networking, Routing, Wireless and Microservices Engineer

Stijn T., Linux Networking, Routing, Wireless and Microservices Engineer

NetOps and SysOps (8.0 yr.), Embedded Software (8.0 yr.), Embedded Firmware (6.0 yr.), DevOps (10.0 yr.)

Summary

- Experienced software engineer with 20+ years in Linux-based systems and infrastructure automation;
- Skilled in developing networking tools and microservices in C, Go, Rust, and Python;
- Hands-on experience with embedded platforms such as OpenWrt and LEDE;
- Worked with distributed networking tools including vallumd for IPset distribution;
- Experienced in firewall setup, routing, and network performance tuning;
- Built CI/CD pipelines and automated deployments using Terraform, Ansible, GitLab, and Docker;
- Familiar with Kubernetes and infrastructure-as-code practices in hybrid environments;
- Used Bash and Python to automate system processes and infrastructure tasks;
- Worked on wireless and telecom-related projects, including Express Wi-Fi and Android-based OTA tools;
- Maintained and customized Linux distributions across ARM, MIPS, and x86 architectures for embedded and cloud systems.

Work Experience

IT Consultant, TrendMiner

Duration: May 2024 - February 2025

Summary: TrendMiner is an industrial analytics platform focused on process manufacturing. Worked on post-acquisition Microsoft 365 tenant migration to align infrastructure across merged entities.

Responsibilities:

  • Coordinated Microsoft 365 tenant-to-tenant migration project following acquisition.

Technologies: Microsoft 365.

Software Developer, Tovera

Duration: April 2023 - May 2024

Summary: Tovera is the company behind Willow, an open-source voice assistant platform for private, on-device interaction. Contributed to voice application server and AI routing infrastructure for inference backends.

Responsibilities:

  • Developed Willow Voice Assistant and application server components;
  • Built an application gateway to manage AI inference server routing.

Technologies: C, Python, Rust.

Wireless Software Engineer, Meta

Duration: June 2021 - March 2023

Summary: Meta is a global leader in technology and connectivity. Worked on Express Wi-Fi and Facebook Wi-Fi infrastructure within the OpenWiFi/OpenWrt ecosystem to improve wireless access in emerging markets.

Responsibilities:

  • Implemented Express Wi-Fi and Facebook Wi-Fi support in OpenWrt/OpenWiFi;
  • Reported and resolved bugs in OpenWiFi;
  • Created eBPF tool for ECN-CE marking (L4S research);
  • Made FQ CoDel parameters in mac80211 configurable;
  • Developed an Android service for APK/OTA installation automation.

Technologies: C, eBPF, Android, OpenWrt, OpenWiFi, Linux kernel, Python, Rust, Hack.

DevOps Engineer, TrendMiner

Duration: November 2017 - June 2021

Summary: TrendMiner is a self-service analytics company for time-series data in process industries. Supported the DevOps team by building CI/CD, IaC, and HA network infrastructure.

Responsibilities:

  • Maintained CI/CD pipelines;
  • Migrated cloud infrastructure to Infrastructure as Code (IaC);
  • Supported performance testing and development operations;
  • Automated SAML (ADFS) test environment deployment with Ansible;
  • Designed and implemented the HA office network.

Technologies: Bash, Go, Java, PowerShell, Python, Ansible, Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes, Prometheus, Grafana, Nomad, Vault, Consul, GitLab, BitBucket, Bamboo, Smashing, AD, ADFS, CentOS, Windows Server, Azure, AWS.

Freelance DevOps / Embedded Projects

Duration: September 2016 - November 2017

Summary: Delivered DevOps automation, embedded firmware development, and network optimization for open-source and small business clients. Focused on OpenWrt/LEDE and Gentoo-based infrastructure.

Responsibilities:

  • Migrated wireless networks to LEDE;
  • Audited Linux infrastructure;
  • Prepared LEDE stable releases on ARM, MIPS, x86;
  • Maintained and packaged open-source software (e.g., Domoticz, Kodi, strongSwan);
  • Developed Vallumd for IPset distribution;
  • Implemented Gentoo auto-deployment with Ansible & Packer.

Technologies: Linux (Gentoo, OpenWrt/LEDE), Ansible, Packer, Domoticz, Kodi, strongSwan, vallumd.

DevOps Engineer, WimiOnline

Duration: April 2016 - August 2016

Summary: WimiOnline is a digital agency focused on web platforms and hosting. Designed and delivered a production-ready CI/CD environment based on containers.

Responsibilities:

  • Created CI/CD pipeline using containers and virtualization;
  • Wrote documentation and handed it over to internal staff.

Technologies: Bash, Python, Ubuntu, Docker, Ansible, BitBucket, Git, HAProxy, Nagios, Nginx, MySQL.

Cloud DevOps Engineer, Skyscrapers

Duration: September 2015 - December 2015

Summary: Skyscrapers provides DevOps-as-a-Service for SaaS companies and startups. Built cloud infrastructure using Terraform and Puppet with performance-focused debugging.

Responsibilities:

  • Automated cloud infrastructure with Terraform & Puppet;
  • Tuned performance of OS and application stacks;
  • Conducted in-depth debugging.

Technologies: Terraform, Puppet, Bash, Python, Ubuntu, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Icinga2, Docker.

Linux Engineer, Proximus

Duration: March 2015 - July 2015

Summary: Proximus is Belgium’s largest telecommunications company. Maintained Linux servers and automated deployments for enterprise clients in the datacenter.

Responsibilities:

  • Automated system deployment with Ansible;
  • Performed migrations and updates;
  • Improved Ansible playbooks.

Technologies: CentOS, Ansible, Bash, Python, MySQL.

Senior System Engineer, Telenet

Duration: March 2013 - February 2015

Summary: Telenet is one of Belgium’s leading telecom and media companies. Focused on streaming infrastructure, automating deployments, and OS lifecycle management.

Responsibilities:

  • Maintained in-house video streaming systems;
  • Implemented full automation with Ansible.

Technologies: CentOS, Ansible, Bash, Python, MySQL.

Senior Operations Coordinator, Telenet

Duration: March 2011 - December 2012

Summary: Supported enterprise infrastructure and hosted middleware platforms. Managed monitoring, tuning, and CI/CD processes.

Responsibilities:

  • Handled VMware, Linux, and Windows server environments;
  • Deployed PHP/Java apps on Apache, Nginx, Tomcat, Varnish;
  • Managed CI with Jenkins and monitoring via Nagios/Observium;
  • Tuned MySQL and hosted environments;
  • Used Puppet for configuration management.

Technologies: Puppet, Jenkins, Nagios, Observium, MySQL, Apache, Nginx, Tomcat.

System Engineer, Seco

Duration: April 2010 - March 2011

Summary: Seco is a technical inspection and engineering company. Consolidated legacy servers and improved monitoring using open-source tools.

Responsibilities:

  • Supported Linux, UNIX, and Windows servers;
  • Introduced Cacti/Nagios monitoring;
  • Performed server consolidation (P2V);
  • Standardized deployments with AutoYaST on SuSE.

Technologies: SLES, Nagios, Cacti, VMware, Bash.

Freelance ICT Consultant

Duration: June 2009 - July 2012

Summary: Delivered open-source consulting services to SMEs and individual clients and focused on virtualization, networking, and web hosting.

Responsibilities:

  • Set up DNS, mail, and web hosting;
  • Tuned MySQL performance;
  • Designed and implemented network infrastructure;
  • Built KVM-based virtualization with auto-deployment.

Technologies: Linux (CentOS), KVM, libvirt, Cobbler, MySQL.

Linux & Open Source Consultant, Kangaroot

Duration: October 2007 - March 2009

Summary: Kangaroot is a consultancy specializing in open-source infrastructure. Supported Linux systems for clients and delivered training.

Responsibilities:

  • Supported customer Linux infrastructure;
  • Upgraded network backbone (1Gbps → 10Gbps);
  • Delivered training on Linux, MySQL, LAMP stack, and virtualization.

Technologies: SuSE, Xen, MySQL, Apache, LAMP stack, OpenVPN, Samba.

Linux & Open Source Consultant, X-Tend

Duration: February 2007 - October 2007

Summary: X-Tend was an IT consultancy firm offering open-source network solutions. Delivered secure VPN/firewall setup and Linux training.

Responsibilities:

  • Designed HA firewall/VPN solution on RHEL;
  • Provided first-line support;
  • Taught “Mastering UNIX shell scripts.”

Technologies: RHEL, Bash, VPN, Apache, Nagios.

ICT Administrator, Planet Consultants

Duration: August 2004 - September 2006

Summary: Managed internal IT operations for a consulting firm, including servers and client workstations, and maintained a mixed Linux/macOS environment.

Responsibilities:

  • Designed and implemented corporate network and VPN;
  • Deployed mail and web servers;
  • Maintained Linux and macOS systems.

Technologies: Linux, macOS, VPN, Apache, MySQL.

Helpdesk Operator, Global Care NV

Duration: December 2002 - May 2005

Summary: Provided first-line technical support to residential and business users of Telenet services. Resolved issues via phone, email, and digital channels.

Responsibilities:

  • Supported Telenet customers with internet, email, and connectivity issues;
  • Handled helpdesk requests and tracked resolutions.

Technologies: Windows, networking basics, ticketing tools.

Education

Royal Athenaeum Louvain

IT Management - 6h math (2003 - 2005)

Certification

  • Certified MySQL 5.0 DBA
  • Novell Certified Linux Professional

Technical Environments - Used Applications, Tools & Languages

Tovera

Languages: C, Python, Rust

Meta

Environment:

  • Cloud: Amazon
  • Lud: Amazon
  • Server: Amazon Linux, CentOS Stream
  • Workstation: Fedora, macOS

Applications & Tools: Ansible, Confluence, Docker, Git, Jira, Kubernetes, VS Code, Wireshark

Languages: C, eBPF, Hack, Rust, ucode

Trendminer

Environment:

  • Cloud: Amazon, Azure
  • Server: CentOS 6/7/B, Windows Server 2012/2016
  • Workstation: Gentoo

Applications & Tools: AD, ADFS, Ansible, Bamboo, BitBucket, Confluence, Consul, Docker, Grafana, Git, Gitlab, Jira, K3S, Kubernetes, LibVirt, Nomad, Prometheus, Qemu, Smashing, Terraform, Vault

Languages: Bash, Go, Java, PowerShell, Python

WimiOnline

Environment: Ubuntu 14.04/16.04

Applications & Tools: Apache, Ansible, BitBucket, Confluence, Docker, Foreman, Git, HAProxy, Jira, MySQL, Nagios, Nginx, PHP-FPM, Postfix, PowerDNS, Vmware

Languages: Bash, Python

Skyscrapers

Environment

  • Cloud: Amazon, Digital Ocean, Linode
  • Server: Ubuntu 10.04/12.04/14.04
  • Workstation: Gentoo, Ubuntu

Applications & Tools: Apache, Bacula, Docker, Duplicity, Git, Hiera, Icinga2, MongoDB, MySQL, Nagios, Nginx, OpenDKIM, PHP-FPM, PostgreSQL, Puppet, PuppetDB, Terraform, Vagrant, Varnish

Languages: Bash, Python, SQL

Proximus

Environment:

  • Server: CentOS 5/6/7
  • Workstation: Gentoo

Applications & Tools: Ansible, Apache, Cobbler, Elasticsearch, Git, Kibana, Logstash, Mock, MySQL/MariaDB/Percona, Nagios, PHP-FPM, Pulp, Red Hat Satellite, Rsyslog

Languages: Perl, Python

Telenet

Environment:

  • Server: CentOS 4/5/6/7, Vmware ESX(i), Windows Server 2003 & 2008
  • Workstation: Fedora, Gentoo, Mac OSX

Applications & Tools: Ansible, Apache, Cobbler, Confluence, Crowd, CVS, Docker, Drupal, Elasticsearch, FishEye, Git, HAProxy, Jenkins, Jira, Kibana, Logstash, Memcached, Mock, MySQL, Nagios, Nginx, Observium, PHP-FPM, Postfix, PowerDNS, Puppet, Rsyslog, Samba, Subversion, Tomcat, Varnish, WordPress

Languages: Bash, PHP, Perl, Python, SQL

Seco

Environment:

  • Server: Debian, Novell OES2, RHEL 5, SLES 10 & 11, Ubuntu, Vmware ESX(i), Windows Server 2003 & 2008
  • Workstation: SLED 11, Windows XP, Windows 7

Applications & Tools: Apache, BIND, Cacti, Courier IMAP, DHCPD3, eDirectory, Exim, GNU Radius, GroupWise, KVM, MySQL, Nagios, Netfilter, NFS, Novell iFolder, Novell iPrint, OpenLDAP, OpenSSH, OpenVPN, Postfix, PowerDNS, Samba, Sendmail, Subversion, Xen

Languages: Bash, Perl, PHP, Python, SQL

Kangaroot

Environment:

  • Server: CentOS, Debian, Fedora, Gentoo, RedHat, SLES
  • Workstation: Fedora, Gentoo, Windows XP

Applications & Tools: Amavis, Apache, Asterisk, AtMail, BIND, Cacti, ClamAV, Cobbler, CUPS, Cyrus IMAP + SASL, DHCPD3, Endian Firewall, Exim, KVM, MailScanner, MySQL, Nagios, Netfilter, NET SNMP, Open-E, OpenLDAP, OpenNMS, OpenSSH, OpenVPN, Postfix, PureFTPD, Qemu, Samba, Sendmail, Squid, Subversion, SugarCRM, Tinyproxy, Tomcat, VRRPD, Xen, Zenoss, Zimbra

Languages: Bash, PHP, Perl, SQL

X-tend

Environment:

  • Server: CentOS, Debian, RedHat, SuSE
  • Workstation: Fedora, Gentoo

Applications & Tools: Alfresco, Amavis, Apache, Asterisk, BIND, ClamAV, DHCPD3, MailScanner, MySQL, Nagios, Netfilter, OpenLDAP, OpenSSH, OpenVPN, OpenXchange, Postfix, Postgres, Samba, Sendmail, Subversion, Xen

Languages: Bash, PHP, Perl, SQL

Planet Consultants

Environment:

  • Server: Debian, Windows XP/embedded
  • Workstation: Gentoo, Mac OS9/OSX

Applications & Tools: Amavis, Apache2, BIND, ClamAV, DHCPD3, Dovecot, Eclipse, Fetchmail, Horde2 + IMP3, MRTG, Munin, MySQL, Netfilter, NET SNMP, OpenSSH, OpenVPN, Postfix, ProFTPd, Putty, Quagga, Samba, Snort, SpamAssassin, Subversion

Languages: Bash, CSS, PHP, Perl, SQL, XHTML

Own infrastructure, various projects

Environment:

  • Server: CentOS, Debian, Gentoo, LEDE/OpenWrt, Ubuntu
  • Workstation: Gentoo, Mac OSX

Applications & Tools: Ansible, BIRD, Cobbler, Conntrackd, Docker, Domoticz, Drupal, ElasticSearch, FreeSWITCH, Gitlab (+CI), Graylog, Keepalived, MailCleaner, MongoDB, Net-SNMP, Netfilter, Nginx, Odoo, OpenVPN, PHP-FPM, Postfix, PostgreSQL, PowerDNS, Puppet, Quagga, Redis, Salt, SpamAssassin, Subversion, Unbound, Varnish, WordPress, Zabbix

Languages: Bash, PHP, Python, SQL