Each post in this domain is written in case-study format: situation, issue, solution, usage context, and delivery impact.

Security Layering for Edge AI APIs: Encryption, Rate Limits, Validation, and Monitoring

A concrete security module set for an edge AI backend: AES-256-GCM at rest, adaptive rate limiting, input validation, alerting, and automated scanning.

  • Issue: Without explicit controls, an AI API is vulnerable to abuse (burst traffic), unsafe inputs (command/path traversal), leaked secrets, and silent security regressions from dependencies.
  • Solution: Implemented five security modules: encryption at rest, enhanced rate limiting, advanced input validation, security monitoring + alerts, and vulnerability scanning with report generation.
  • Used In: Used in the RADXA AI Suite TypeScript backend security package (`backend-ts`).

Flexible Apache Reverse Proxy Configuration with Ansible

How to use a single, universal Ansible role to deploy static sites, PHP apps, or complex reverse proxies just by changing host variables.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to use a single, universal Ansible role to deploy static sites, PHP apps, or complex reverse proxies just by changing host variables.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Building Custom Ansible Execution Environments

How to package Ansible dependencies into a portable, containerized Execution Environment (EE) for consistent automation across runners.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to package Ansible dependencies into a portable, containerized Execution Environment (EE) for consistent automation across runners.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Orchestrating Complex Patching Waves with Ansible

How to manage Linux server patching across different tiers (Database, Application, etc.) using Ansible limits and targeted groups.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to manage Linux server patching across different tiers (Database, Application, etc.) using Ansible limits and targeted groups.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Automating Linux User Permission Audits with Bash

A practical bash script to quickly map out group memberships, owned directories, and sudo privileges for specific service accounts.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to quickly map out group memberships, owned directories, and sudo privileges for specific service accounts.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Expanding an LVM Partition and Filesystem Online

A guide on how to resize a partition using fdisk, expand the LVM, and resize the filesystem without needing a reboot.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to resize a partition using fdisk, expand the LVM, and resize the filesystem without needing a reboot.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Automating Kerberos Keytab Deployment for Apache SSO

A general workflow for handling Kerberos keytab lifecycle and deploying it securely with Ansible for Apache SSO.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to handle Kerberos keytab lifecycle and deploy it securely with Ansible for Apache Single Sign-On.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Active Directory Integration: Mapping UNIX Users to AD Groups

A strategy for managing technical user permissions on Linux by linking local UNIX groups to centrally managed Active Directory groups.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to manage technical user permissions on Linux by linking local UNIX groups to centrally managed Active Directory groups.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Managing Linux Technical Users: UIDs, GIDs, and Ansible

A practical guide to standardize technical user creation, assigning static UIDs/GIDs, and avoiding conflicts in a large server fleet using Ansible.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to standardize technical user creation, assigning static UIDs/GIDs, and avoiding conflicts in a large server fleet using Ansible.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Securely Managing SSL Certificates in Ansible Repositories

Best practices for handling sensitive TLS/SSL certificates (.cer and .key files) using Ansible Vault to prevent accidental exposure.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to apply best practices for handling sensitive TLS/SSL certificates (.cer and .key files) using Ansible Vault to prevent accidental exposure.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Migrating an Application Directory to a New LVM Volume

Step-by-step procedure to migrate an application directory to a new, larger logical volume with minimal downtime.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to migrate an application directory to a new, larger logical volume with minimal downtime.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Testing Ansible Roles Locally with Molecule and Docker

A quick start guide to initialize and use Molecule with the Docker driver to test your Ansible roles before deploying.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to initialize and use Molecule with the Docker driver to test your Ansible roles before deploying.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Automating Golden Images with Packer and StackGuardian

A workflow for building CIS-hardened RHEL images using HashiCorp Packer and orchestrating the builds via StackGuardian.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to build CIS-hardened RHEL images using HashiCorp Packer and orchestrate the builds via StackGuardian.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

PostgreSQL WAL Archiving and SELinux Conflicts

How to configure WAL archiving in PostgreSQL and resolve the 'Permission denied' SELinux errors when writing to a dedicated archive directory.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to configure WAL archiving in PostgreSQL and resolve the 'Permission denied' SELinux errors when writing to a dedicated archive directory.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Ensuring Reliable Network Filesystem Mounts on Boot

How to configure /etc/fstab with systemd options to reliably mount network shares without blocking the boot process.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to configure /etc/fstab with systemd options to reliably mount network shares without blocking the boot process.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Essential Red Hat Linux Administrator Commands

A practical cheatsheet covering the most essential commands for managing RHEL systems on a daily basis.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to compile a practical cheatsheet covering the most essential commands for managing RHEL systems on a daily basis.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Tracking Required Reboots in RHEL with Tracer

How to use katello-host-tools-tracer to reliably determine if a Linux server requires a reboot or daemon reload after patching.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to use katello-host-tools-tracer to reliably determine if a Linux server requires a reboot or daemon reload after patching.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Safely Shrinking an LVM ext4 Filesystem

A careful, step-by-step guide on how to shrink an ext4 filesystem and its underlying Logical Volume (LV) to reclaim space.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to shrink an ext4 filesystem and its underlying Logical Volume (LV) to reclaim space.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Silent Software Installations on Linux using Ansible

How to automate interactive vendor installers (like SAS Software Depot) by recording response files and executing them via Ansible.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to automate interactive vendor installers (like SAS Software Depot) by recording response files and executing them via Ansible.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Understanding Stretched Networks and Leaf-Spine Architecture

A technical overview of modern data center topologies, leaf-spine designs, and the concept of stretched networks for seamless VM migration.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to understand and implement modern data center topologies, leaf-spine designs, and the concept of stretched networks for seamless VM migration.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Infrastructure as Code: Structuring Ansible Repositories

Best practices for organizing your Ansible inventory, group_vars, and host_vars to cleanly separate development and production environments.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to apply best practices for organizing your Ansible inventory, group_vars, and host_vars to cleanly separate development and production environments.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Troubleshooting NFS Mounts: Permission Denied and Network Routing

How to resolve 'Permission Denied' and 'RPC: Unable to receive' errors when mounting NFS shares, focusing on network routing issues.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to resolve 'Permission Denied' and 'RPC: Unable to receive' errors when mounting NFS shares, focusing on network routing issues.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.

Troubleshooting 'su' Authentication: The PAM system-auth Pitfall

How to resolve 'Permission Denied' errors during 'su' attempts by identifying conflicts between Active Directory and PAM modules.

  • Issue: Needed a repeatable way to resolve 'Permission Denied' errors during 'su' attempts by identifying conflicts between Active Directory and PAM modules.
  • Solution: Implemented a practical runbook/automation pattern with clear safety checks, execution steps, and verification points.
  • Used In: Used in Linux platform engineering, middleware operations, and datacenter modernization projects in regulated environments.