My Portfolio

(More documentation is forthcoming on things like LDAP, Kerberos, Virtual Hosts in Apache, etc.)

Coming soon to HPC FAQs.

I have the greatest of intentions of: adding FAQs about NTP, Vim (.vimrc, window splitting), SSH Tunneling, and more. For now, please just consider it to already be done. Also, the HPC FAQ is a real spaghetti mess right now in terms of organization. I also plan to restructure, and stylize it accordingly, for the sake of vastly improved legibility.

A condensed Q&A based on the questions for both HPC2 and SysNet.

Q: Did previous courses adequately prepare you for this course? (Yes/No/Not Applicable) Explain your reasoning.

A: Yes, no, maybe so! I don't have the slightest clue off the top of my head what the prerequisite courses for HPC2 were, but I feel I got through the course without too many issues.

Q: Did the course (choose the best fit):

• Unnecessarily duplicate any other course you have taken?
• Appropriately review any other course you have taken?
• Have no overlap with any other course you have taken?

and Explain your selection.

A: I honestly don't know. I took this course at the same time as HPC Fundamentals, and HPC Systems & Networking. Maybe it did. Maybe it didn't. Even though many of the projects seemed the same between the courses, the projects themselves are so open-ended in terms of configuration options, that one could re-do the same project 4 or 5 different ways and still learn more. Instead of overlapping, the course probably built on, or collaborated with the other HPC courses, allowing for more time to be directed towards exploring the infinite possibilities that the Linux system presents.

Q: Did the various assessments/measures of your progress seem consistent with the syllabus or course outline? (Always/Usually/Sometimes/Never). Explain your reasoning.

A: What assessments? The only course of measure of which I was aware of was our weekly journal. Other than that, it was up to own means and methods.

Q: How would you rate the contribution of the textbook and/or other assigned readings in this course? (Excellent/Good/Fair/Poor/Not Applicable). Explain your reasoning.

A: Not Applicable – I never purchased any textbook, if there even was a textbook for this course.

Q: Did the course meet your expectations? (Definitely/Somewhat/No) Explain your reasoning.

A: Sure – Based on the syllabus, I envisioned this to be a playground for Linux systems administration and systems development. That's exactly what I did. Played.

Q: Time permitting, what would you like to have done more of / explored?

A: In short, everything. I didn't get a chance to play on the video wall, nor did I get a chance to do terminal servers… Need I go on?

Q: What is the value in documenting knowledge?

A: It provides for an easy to access resource for one to refer back to previously completed projects, or as a base for someone else to build upon what you have learned.

Q: The experience differs for each individual. What has been your experience this semester?

A: I had fun. Wish the semester was not yet over.

Q: How many times were you absent from class?

A: Class? What class? I did this as an independent study.

Q: What grade do you feel you deserve for this course?

A: HPC0: “A” HPC2: “A” SYSNET: “A”

Q: Why do you feel you deserve this mark? (Justify your answer based on your own perceived performance, not on need.)

A: I feel I accomplished quite a lot during the course of the semester. The documentation for most of it is scrambled amongst multiple files on multiple different storage mediums at this moment, in large part as a result of moving from one state to another during the semester. A lot still needs to be added to my portfolio, for it to be complete.

Q: How did you feel about the course?

A: I had fun, and am not yet ready for the semester to be over.

Q: Was it useful/interesting to you?

A: Everything I learned has been extremely useful, and will be utilized in my own projects at home and abroad in the future.

Q: What was your least favorite aspect, and why?

A: While working on a couple of the projects I undertook, I came across conflicting information between different How-To articles on the same topic. I have made notes and will be finalizing my documentation accordingly.

Q: What was something meaningful to you with respect to the course? Why does this stick out in your mind?

A: I got the chance to dedicate some time to learning some of the things I have been wanting to learn for a long time now, but simply had not had the opportunity to do so.

Q: Any other comments or suggestions?

A: Find a way to make the semester longer. It was too short to accomplish everything that I wanted to.