Setting the Scene

Photo: Samuel Zeller

This must, by now, be my fifth or sixth attempt at a blog. As per usual, I'll tell myself that I'll do better this time, and I'll write regularly, and post when I find solutions to interesting problems.

Whatever, hopefully I'll at least manage to keep some useful content here.

To set the scene for some of the material I'll be blogging about anyway:

I'm a university student at Imperial College London in the Department of Computing. As of this writing, I'm a third year, on the four-year MEng programme.

In my spare time, I indulge in a number of hobbies:

  • Playing Heroes of the Storm, a "Hero Brawler" (or a MOBA...) by Blizzard Entertainment
  • Running Imperial Cinema, the student-run cinema of Imperial. This year, I'm the chair. Last year, I was treasurer. Ho hum.
  • Acting as Media Technical Manager for Imperial College Union's Media Group.

Heroes of the Storm

Not much to say here. If you like playing (EU West!), then poke me. Maybe I'll play a match or two with you - I'm not very good...

Imperial Cinema

There's a lot of fun technical stuff that goes on here. We've got:

  • Digital Projector: Barco DP2K-10Sx (without the Barco Alchemy board)
  • Media Server: Doremi ShowVault (with the web GUI hacks)
  • Audio Kit: Some Flare surrounds, primarily because they're small
  • Servers:
    • ernie: webserver and database server. Stores ticketing info.
    • avantgarde: acts as a bridge between our automation and the outside world

Media Technical Manager

This is fun. I manage:

  • onyx: an ESXi install, with a bunch of different OSs on it.
  • cog: CentOS. On onyx. Runs our directory server - we use FreeIPA.
  • gears: Debian. On onyx, bound to cog. This is the storage VM, running home directories, media storage for Rivendell. Supports NFS, AFP (netatalk) and SMB (Samba), as well as SFTP, if you have shell access rights.
  • galen: Debian. On onyx. Media group webserver. Runs some websites.
  • hubs: OS X Server. Mostly around for Profile Manager and Apple Remote Desktop.
  • icr-firestar: Debian. Runs the ICRadio website.
  • icr-optimus: CentOS. Central server for the Rivendell radio broadcast system we use.
  • stoic-blackadder: Debian. Used for ICTV's playout system.
  • stoic-dexter: Debian. Also used for various internal bits of ICTV.
  • stoic-hannibal: Windows, used for live video production, running CasparCG
  • nucleus: OS X Server (again). This is a Mac Mini.

as well as a bunch of Mac clients of varying vintages:

  • silverbolt
  • airraid
  • slingshot
  • fireflight
  • skydive
  • groove
  • streetwise
  • superion
  • omegasupreme
  • tachyon
  • lightspeed
  • cliffjumper
  • stoic-macedit1
  • hyperon
  • boron

...some Mac Minis used for live production purposes:

  • hardhead
  • chromedome
  • brainstorm

...some Apple TVs:

  • felix-atv
  • media-atv

There's quite a bit here, and all the Mac clients are bound to cog for directory purposes, and to hubs for Profile Management (and Munki).