I'm Tommy van Extel
Linux Specialist and DevOps Engineer
- Age 35
- Address Arnhem, NL
- E-mail tommy.van.extel@gmail.com
- Phone +31 (0)6 28 50 78 37
- Languages Dutch, English
Expert in RHEL, Automation (Ansible), Middleware, Containerization and more.
Introduction
My professional journey began when I started working as a Service Desk employee, where I handled a wide range of workplace IT tasks. Shortly after, I delved into the realm of System Management, specializing in servers and other backend systems.
It was during this time that I developed a strong affinity for Linux, which eventually led me to a consultancy role primarily focused on Linux and Open Source tools.
I also gained experience with various Windows environments and even managed one at a certain point. However, my passion for Linux was unwavering, and I soon found myself seeking a position as a Linux Engineer.
As a Linux Engineer, I continued to refine my skills and eventually became a Linux Specialist, combining my expertise with DevOps practices.
Today, I still find immense satisfaction in working with Linux platforms and tools in various forms, including physical, virtual, and containerized environments
Professional Skills
Work Experience
Hosting Infrastructuur Linux Specialist
At the Politiedienstencentrum (PDC), I focus on managing Linux systems to ensure smooth operations. I resolve incidents, analyze and implement changes, and lead migrations. My current work involves Red Hat Identity Management, Red Hat Satellite, and Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform. I develop Ansible playbooks for DELL iDRAC and Operations Bridge Manager (OBM), and deploy Red Hat Enterprise Linux servers, prioritizing system reliability and performance.
Linux Engineer
At the Shared Service Centre Campus, my role encompassed incident and change management on RHEL Linux systems, with a focus on efficiency and reliability. I was instrumental in deploying VMs via Satellite and fine-tuning them with Puppet and Ansible for optimal performance. My responsibilities also extended to the upkeep of critical development tools like Jira and GitLab. A key project under my leadership was the strategic migration of RHEL6 systems to RHEL8, ensuring a seamless transition and enhanced system capabilities.
DevOps Engineer
I've installed, configured, and maintained Atlassian tooling (Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket, Bamboo) both on-premise, using Ansible, and in Kubernetes clusters, employing Docker and Helm. My responsibilities extended to automating installation and maintenance tasks, preparing Linux systems, and maintaining AWS services with Terraform. I've managed version control and CI/CD with GitLab and Bitbucket, and ensured robust monitoring with Prometheus and Grafana. Additionally, I've led migrations from self-hosted Atlassian Server to cloud environments, consolidated server and cloud platforms, and provided support for Atlassian tooling, including direct collaboration with Atlassian Support and third-party vendors.
Technical Expert (Linux Engineer)
I managed both virtual and physical RHEL and SUSE systems, focusing on efficiency and reliability. I led the migration from Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 to 7, and administered AWS environments, optimizing cloud services and implementing security measures. My responsibilities included user management, automation with Ansible, Docker management, and incident troubleshooting. I developed monitoring solutions with UMF, executed changes, and crafted work instructions to enhance team performance. Additionally, I played a key role in on-call support, ensuring 24/7 system availability.
Medior Consultant
At AnyLinQ (formerly known as TenICT), my role as a consultant within the Midrange Management business unit focused on delivering expertise in UNIX/Linux systems, Open Source technologies, and Storage solutions. My responsibilities included advising on best practices, implementing advanced technical solutions, and ensuring optimal system performance and reliability for clients seeking to enhance their IT infrastructure with cutting-edge technologies. This position allowed me to leverage my deep technical knowledge and problem-solving skills to support diverse and complex IT environments.
Technical Application Manager
At the O&I Department, I spearheaded the implementation of a SCOM monitoring environment, enhancing high availability and disaster recovery capabilities. This setup meticulously monitored a variety of IT components and applications across RHEL, Solaris, and Windows Server platforms. My role encompassed the full lifecycle management of SCOM 2012/R2, from deploying SCOM clients across thousands of systems to migrating the environment to advanced data centers designed for high availability and disaster recovery, integrating seamlessly with Microsoft System Center products, and developing standardized processes and documentation to streamline operations and risk assessment.
Support Engineer
At the SEI Department, I coordinated third-level incidents within the Red Hat Virtualization (RHEV) environment, ensuring rapid resolution and system stability. My responsibilities extended to the creation and management of Windows and Linux templates and pools, along with the installation and configuration of Virtual Desktop Infrastructures (VDIs). I also developed Puppet building blocks to automate and streamline system configurations. Additionally, I actively participated in the change advisory board, contributing to strategic decision-making and the implementation of best practices in our IT environment.
Monitoring Engineer
At the O&I Department, I was responsible for overseeing our virtual infrastructure and middleware environments, ensuring optimal performance and stability. My duties included setting up a new SCOM monitoring environment, coordinating incident response, and troubleshooting across Windows and Linux server systems. I also played a key role in documenting the current monitoring setup, developing and implementing improvement proposals, and supporting the transition of our monitoring environment to an external partner. Additionally, I created detailed work instructions to streamline processes and enhance team efficiency.
Web Operations Analyst
I managed and monitored Red Hat Enterprise Linux clusters and systems, ensuring the smooth operation of Tomcat and Apache websites. I utilized Git and Puppet for registering and implementing system changes. My responsibilities also included monitoring with tools such as Munin and Cacti, resolving website issues, applying updates, and deploying sites across different environments. Additionally, I supported websites running on GX Software CMS and played a crucial role in migrating websites to the AWS cloud, enhancing our infrastructure's scalability and reliability.
System Administrator
I managed and monitored a diverse set of systems including Linux, Windows, and VMware ESX vSphere. This included installing Citrix and Terminal Services, supporting core network services such as Active Directory, DNS, and DHCP, and managing email services through Exchange and Google Mail & Apps. My responsibilities also extended to monitoring these systems with tools like Nagios and Splunk, ensuring not just operational stability but also proactive management to anticipate and mitigate potential issues before they impacted our environment.
Service Desk Employee
At Silicon Hive, later known as Intel UMG, I managed and monitored RHEL systems, NetApp filers, and DELL server hardware, alongside a wide array of middleware software. My responsibilities spanned installing and maintaining CAD and CAE applications within Platform LSF, provisioning with tools like Cobbler and CFengine, and supporting a variety of environments from Windows Server and desktop systems to DELL hardware. I also maintained our storage and backup solutions, managed software licenses, and ensured system health through extensive monitoring with Nagios and other tools, contributing to a robust and reliable IT infrastructure.
Service Desk Employee
Starting at Philips PGIS TAS with workplace management, I transitioned to managing RHEL systems and DELL/SUN hardware at Philips Applied Technologies. This included installing and maintaining critical CAD and CAE applications within Platform LSF, supporting a broad hardware spectrum, and overseeing NetApp filers and tape backups. I ensured license compliance via FlexNet, managed virtual systems with Xen Hypervisor, and maintained robust monitoring with Nagios. Additionally, I was responsible for deploying workstations, managing printers with CUPS, and effectively resolving IT-related issues, leveraging Track-It! for incident registration.
Work Experience - Atlassian
Technical support and maintenance for Jira and Confluence
Technical support and maintenance for Jira and Confluence
Technical support and maintenance for Confluence
Technical support and maintenance for Jira
Technical support and maintenance for Confluence
Technical support and maintenance for Confluence and Crowd
Education
HBO ICT & Management and Security (Bachelor)
Fontys University of Applied Sciences
HBO Associate Degree ICT Service Management
Fontys University of Applied Sciences
MBO 4 ICT Administrator
ROC Eindhoven
MBO 3 Assistant ICT Administrator
ROC Eindhoven
VMBO Kaderberoepsgericht (Pre-vocational Secondary Education - Intermediate Vocational Track) ICT
Pleincollege De Burgh Eindhoven
Certifications
Linux Foundation Certified Systems Administrator (LFCS)
Linux Foundation Certified IT Associate (LFCA)
EDB Certified Associate - PostgreSQL 12
Red Hat Certified Specialist in Linux Diagnostics and Troubleshooting (EX342)
RHCE 8 Red Hat Certified Engineer (EX294)
RHCSA 8 Red Hat Certified System Administrator (EX200)
Red Hat Certified Specialist in Advanced Automation: Ansible Best Practices (EX447)
Red Hat Certified Specialist in Ansible Automation (EX407)
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (renewal)
ACP-500 Atlassian System Administration
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
RHCE 7 Red Hat Certified Engineer (EX300)
RHCSA 7 Red Hat Certified System Administrator (EX200)
LPIC-1 Linux Professional Institute 1
SUSE CLA SUSE Linux Administrator
References
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Tommy is an excellent Linux engineer for whom quality results are of the upmost importance. He shows great determination and is fully dedicated to both customers and colleagues. He’s also very funny and a pleasure to be around!
Yanne Veronneau Commercially minded entre(intra)preneur -
I have worked with Tommy at Avisi and I agree with the recommendations of my colleagues!
But more importantly, I think that as a colleague and also as a future client, you can trust Tommy to complete the given detailed task. Always nice to be able to trust someone when carrying out work! Also, it is special that he makes the complete and clear descriptions of how his Ansible/Kubernetes scripts work, which most technicians cannot do very well.It was nice working with you especially considering your sense of humor :)
Thijs van Amersfoort Technical Consultant & Integration Expert -
Tommy is an excellent Linux / DevOps engineer. Give him a task and you know it is finished perfectly and in time. Tommy helped us tremendously in improving our Ansible provisioning system. Furthermore he was responsible for the operational work on our Kubernetes-based hosting platform. He is able to make technical difficult configurations easy to maintain and deploy, hiding the difficult parts in scripts and configurations and providing easy to use runbooks and scripts.
Tommy will make sure he is always up-to-date with the latest certifications and developments in his field so you can be sure to have the latest updates of your system.
In short a valued colleague working accurate and independent.
Sander Brienen Customer Success Manager EMEA at Gitlab -
When Tommy just joined our Atlassian consultancy team, we were doing installations and upgrades manual which are error prone. Tommy has been main responsible for implementing Ansible scripts for new installations and upgrades of existing environments, including customer specific requirements. This has helped us to not only be more efficient in doing these tasks but also to make fewer mistakes.
Next to that, Tommy has been responsible for hosting our customers managing a Kubernetes and Docker based environment.
Tommy is a fun and relax guy to have around in your team and most definitely will add some humor as well. It has been a pleasure working with you!
Patrick van der Rijst Atlassian Certified Master -
Tommy is a very valuable contributor to a team. Independent, yet a team player. He thinks "solutions", not "problems". His comprehensive knowledge is enormous - and he picks up quickly and proactively on anything he doesn't know. Never tired of answering questions, always willing to walk the extra mile.
Besides this, Tommy is a wonderful and very humorous person to work with. I'd recommend him for any team!
Bart Muijzer Consultant at Sue B.V.
Contact Me
KvK-nummer 83816364 – Btw-identificatienummer NL003875228B50