Hello! I’m Matt

I’m a multidisciplined geek with interests both inside and outside the world of tech.

Work

I mainly work with Microsoft operating systems including everything from Windows NT Server to Windows 10/Server 2019. The majority of this is related to Citrix (XenApp/XenDesktop) & Remote Desktop Services systems and Microsoft Exchange. I also do a lot of work with Hyper-V, Vmware ESXI, Cisco IOS/ASA and HPE FlexFabric and occasionally Citrix Netscaler

Hardware wise I mostly deal with HP and Dell servers and desktops with some IBM/Lenovo, Supermicro and others thrown into the mix. I’m familiar with HPE MSA and IBM storage systems and deal with these from time to time with previous experience in Dell Equallogic and NetApp.

Tech hobbies

In my spare time I do a lot more work with Open Source and free software in both senses of the term. Although I currently run Windows 10 on my desktop, I used Linux as my primary operating system for many years and write this blog on an Archlinux virtual machine via SSH using ZSH and VIM. I also use git for version control.

As a hobby I enjoy building and deploying software and systems on various linux distributions, mostly Archlinux and Ubuntu at present and FreeBSD/FreeNAS. I also enjoy keeping the hardware in my gaming PC relatively up to date.

More recently I have been spending a lot of time learning more about the security side of things and have been teaching myself some of the tooling available in Kali Linux.

So far I have mainly posted Linux related content on this blog but that is likely going to change to much wider subject matter.

Non tech hobbies

Outside of the world of tech I have several other hobbies and passions.

At present a large amount of my time is taken up with working on my daily driver/project car, an imported 1995 Eunos Roadster. I felt the need for a hobby that didn’t involve sitting in front of a screen and while I was initially apprehensive, having never worked on a car in my life, I found that a lot of my tech skills (knowing how to use google and troubleshooting) were transferable.

Over the course of the last couple of years I’ve repaired the car’s electrics, replaced the engine, upgraded various things along the way and am soon to embark on bodywork and paint - wish me luck!

I hope that anyone reading this might be able to find something here useful in some way and I always appreciate feedback.

DISCLAIMER: All opinions posted on this site (or anywhere else on the internet for that matter) are my own and do not represent the views of any past or present employer.