David L. Sieving, BS, MS, FBIS

Software & Systems Engineer

 

PO Box 928529, San Diego, CA 92192-8529

https://www.linkedin.com/in/DLSieving

DLSieving@me.com

https://DLSieving.com

 

EDUCATION
 

BS/Biology

with minor emphases in Physics and Astronomy

MS/Computer Science 

with major emphases in Operating Systems & Formal Language Theory

San Diego State University

 

ACADEMIC AFFILIATIONS
 

Upsilon Pi Epsilon 

Computer Sciences Honor Society

Fellow

British Interplanetary Society

ACM SIGGRAPH 

New York Academy of Sciences

 

EXPERIENCE SUMMARY
 

WEB DEVELOPMENT SDKs: GNU toolchains, AWS, Docker, Vagrant, JRuby, Rails, SQLite3, NetBeans, JUnit Test, WAMP (Windows / Apache / MySQL / PHP), Smarty, PHP-Java Bridge / MediaWiki, JDK / JRE / Swing / Nu.XOM, Adobe DreamWeaver

MOBILE DEVELOPMENT SDKs: Xcode/iOS – currently using Swift to develop mobile applications for iOS.

RUNTIME SYSTEMS: (Server) Unix: CentOS, Redis, MDSplus, Solaris, Irix, HP-UX, Linux, MacOS/FreeBSD, SunOS. (Embedded) iOS, VxWorks, LynxOS,  VRTX32/68020, VRTX32/386, VRTX/E. Others: Win2K, WinXP, WinNT, TCP/IP, Oracle, X/Motif, MS-DOS, C-SCAPE, VM/CMS, MVS/TSO-ISPF, VAX/VMS, CDC-NOS, Teradata/TOS and others

HARDWARE & BSPs: GA/Siemens7 Series Programmable Logic Controllers, FPGAs; ARRIS/Verizon: VMS1100, IPC1100; Sun: Ultra, Sparc, SparcBook, SGI; VME: RAD6K, Motorola 2432 & 3604-6 (PPC), Cetia VMPC5a (PPC), VMIC/VMIVME-5588 Ref Mem, DLAN/OR; MC68020, Intel 80x86, HP9000 Series, TI/C80, DT3155, IBM 30XX, DEC/VAX & uVAX, MacBook Core 2 Duo, CDC CYBER series, Teradata, MIL-STD-1750a, TEK 2000 & others

LANGUAGES: Apple/Swift, jRuby/Rails, Python, Java/Swing, JavaScript, JSP, MySQL, PHP, HTML, XML/Nu.XOM, C, C++, Objective C, Pthreads, TCL/TK, Perl, OASIS, SCL, Assembler, PASCAL, FORTRAN, Make, SQL, csh, bsh, tcsh, ksh, SCCS, CVS, AWK, NAWK, JCL, DCL, VMS MACRO, JOVIAL, PL/I, COBOL and others

EMBEDDED DEVELOPMENT SDKs: GNU toolchains, POSIX, QT, VxWorks / Tornado, LynuxWorks / LynxOS, VrTX / Velocity, MS / VC++, KreaTV; Unix/Linux: EPICS/Eclipse, NSE, SDE; Microsoft: Borland, Enterprise Architect; Various other SDKs; Cadre Teamwork and Ensemble, supporting the Shlaer-Mellor (OO) and Yourdon-DeMarco (Hierarchical) methodologies

 

GENERAL ATOMICSOctober 2016 to October 2019

 

NUCLEAR FUSION DIAGNOSTICS SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE DEFINITION – Using Sparx Systems’ Enterprise Architect and Microsoft Visio against a wide array of existing documentation under ongoing development, formulated requirements and use cases and designed embedded software to semi-autonomously control the Tangential Interferometer and Polarimeter (TIP), the Low Field Side Reflectometer (LFSR) and the Upper Wide Area (IR) Viewing System (UWAVS) diagnostics for the international ITER project, the world’s largest collaborative effort in science.  With continued funding to meet schedule coordination with the High Field Side Reflectometer (HFSR), this effort led in the case of the LFSR diagnostic to a successful preliminary design review at the ITER site in Cadarache, France in November of 2018.  Also at the ITER site, attended the CODAC Real Time Framework function block chain configuration and development workshop in January of 2018.


NUCLEAR FUSION OPERATIONS AND RESEARCH SUPPORT SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT – Using C++, Standard C and Bash on CentOS Linux with the QT interface development SDK in support of nuclear fusion research at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility, developed software to aid in the development of operational procedures, functions, asynchronous event handlers and control point databases; to support computer operators during plasma pulse operations; to coordinate the execution of real-time procedures; and to control the activation, deactivation and track the ownership and locations of the various plasma diagnostic experiments.  Using TCSH and Python, developed near-real-time post-pulse data transfer scripts to stream and convert just-captured pulse data from the in-memory Redis database to dedicated multidimensional vector archives in MDSplus, providing additional logic to enable the archival of historical pulse data to MDSplus.  Thus having found the control room software in conditions ranging from disrepair to marginally usable, brought the core elements into a state of coordinated concurrency, high efficiency, high productivity, user-friendliness, fault tolerance and high reliability.

 

INTUIT DevSecOps TRAININGMay 2016 to July 2016

 

SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE AND INTERNET SECURITY TRAINING – Using the Vagrant virtual machine suite with Docker and Amazon Web Services as a member of the inaugural session of Intuit’s DevSecOps training program, learned by doing how to deploy software as an online service and how to do so securely using offensive measures (specific attacks) to probe for and characterize security weaknesses, thus promoting a deep and broad understanding of how to guard websites and online software against such attacks.

 

MOTOROLA MOBILITY / ARRISNovember 2011 to March 2016
 

PYTHON AUTOMATED TEST SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT – Using Python under Fedora and Ubuntu Linux in a continuous integration environment, designed, developed, deployed and maintained a system of automated firmware validation scripts featuring randomized channel and media profile selection, automated interactive signal detection and channel validation, DVR recording and transcoded re-recording to verify the embedded transcoding functionality and supporting systems of the VMS1100 firmware.  Used same to detect, document, fix and verify numerous bugs in the embedded C++ subject firmware.


JRUBY/RAILS SERVLET DEVELOPMENT – Designed and developed an MVC-architected portable set top box (STB) test interface servlet using JRuby on Rails.  Over the course of two years, grew, simplified, refined, optimized and polished the interface to maximize capabilities and throughput while minimizing the user’s response time and interaction workload and the program’s memory footprint.  Presenting its various features dynamically as needed, the interface maintains an intuitive ordering to the user’s workflow and serializes complex operations to ensure deterministic results and to operate within the typical platform’s memory capacity, especially during CPU and memory-intensive graph generation.  Maintaining the IP addresses of the units under test in an SQLite3 database, the interface presents various hooks into the software embedded on the STBs, enabling in-depth test setup, multiple concurrent test execution, test monitoring, device control, data acquisition, graphical report generation and test case development and supporting automated daily ‘smoke test’ execution.  Tests in progress can be monitored and terminated either per-unit or per-process using SQLite database tables to manage the STBs, the test cases, the tests processes, the test logs and the graphical test reports generated using the JRuby Gruff gem.  Test logs and reports are linked both during and after the tests to the originating test case using a unique test case identifier slug.  This slug originates in the test case descriptor and is embedded in the names of test case, test log and test report files for subsequent use in dispatching program flow to the correct object type for report generation and display.  The test case and report files are thus organized into a relational database for long-term storage, retrieval and post-test analysis to complement the wide range of short-term SQLite3 tables maintained at run time to solve the persistence problem inherent in web-based computing.


C++ DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE – Contributed to the ongoing development of KreaTV, a set top box (STB) embedded software system used worldwide, written in C++, IDL and Java, leveraging the unique diagnostic advantages conferred by the concurrent test script development described above.  Prepared software change sets per customer requirements for peer review in Scrum agile development sprints.

 

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SPACE TECHNOLOGY SECTORMay 2003 to August 2011
 

GROUND DATABASE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT and INTEGRATION* - SPACE BASED INFRARED SYSTEM (SBIRS) GEO: Developed web-based payload command and telemetry database maintenance interfaces using Java and JSP under the NetBeans IDE. Researched, installed, configured, integrated and tested the SW development environment and operational infrastructure for automated, recursive command script generation from this database using the hybrid open-source WAMP package (Windows/Apache/MySQL/PHP), the open-source PHP-based Smarty web template system (used to compartmentalize the presentation and back-end segments) and the PHP-Java Bridge interfaced to a Linux-based MySQL server. PHP is the server-side HTML embedded scripting language (Php: Hypertext Preprocessor) used to integrate scripts and static tags in the production of dynamic web content. Developed applications that retrieve and parse structure definitions in the database to automatically and recursively generate interface definition tables into WordXML documents (using the Base64 module), hex dumps and C-language HSL structure definitions permitting data content validation using Hex Workshop.


SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT - SPACE BASED INFRARED SYSTEM (SBIRS) GROUND SOFTWARE: Administered software repositories using IBM Rational's ClearCase environment. Optimized and standardized the build and installation procedures for several distinct but interrelated subprojects, coordinating with the CMMI program to achieve and maintain industry-standard best practices. Scripted and performed baseline divergence analyses using Perl and ExCel, conferring with the author of CompareLabel to develop a much more powerful Unix version. Performed extensive analyses on the POSIX vs. NISPOM compliance of the CygWin and MKS Toolkit Windows-based Unix emulators toward establishment of a secure but also fully POSIX-compliant build, development and runtime environment.


POST-DELIVERY SUPPORT ENGINEER - SPACE BASED INFRARED SYSTEM (SBIRS) GEO: Authored payload and space vehicle command plan algorithms, procedures and SCL scripts for use in pre-launch testing.  Executed and monitored the deliverable scripts at the customer site in the context of pre-launch ambient and thermal vacuum stress testing.


Electro-Optical Infrared Systems Engineering: Nine grueling months of formal, in-depth scientific and technical training in which individuals and teams applied the physics of optical systems and electromagnetic theory toward a requirements-based phenomenological approach to mission and payload design. Analyzed, developed and presented the aircraft tracking and data commutation, throughput, storage and hardware support requirements for the class project - an airborne LASER/RADAR (LADAR or LiDAR) precision terrain mapping system for aerial reconnaissance applications.


GROUND SEGMENT TEST COORDINATOR - SPACE BASED INFRARED SYSTEM (SBIRS) HEO: As site lead for interstate end-to-end satellite and ground system test activities, coordinated local resource utilization, technical preparations and the classification and declassification of a shared control center facility with the preparations and activities of the remote customer.  Oversaw the collection, recording, duplication and delivery of payload telemetry to analog tape during thermal vacuum testing.  Translated spacecraft command scripts from OASYS to SCL in support of simulation and testbed development activities. Mined spacecraft telemetry archives to characterize long-term wear of payload mechanical components toward establishing suitable on-orbit periodic maintenance plans.  Authored and applied detailed payload state-of-health checklists and auxiliary procedures to launch operations and on-orbit support activities.

* Team award recipient, Timely Awards Program

 

JET PROPULSION LABORATORY - Mar 98 to Oct 2002
 

MARS EXPLORATION ROVER TEST & OPERATIONS SUPPORT SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT (contractor: User Technology Associates): As an integration lead for NASA's 2003 Mars launch opportunity, recovered, built and adapted Cassini heritage real-time embedded relational database oriented memory-mapped spacecraft command and telemetry software written in Standard C for use on the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) project. Ported same to the Solaris 7-based VxWorks 5.4/Tornado 2.xx cross-development environment for execution on the Power PC 2432/MVME 3604 platform using the mv2400 board support package. Wrote full-duplex reflective memory drivers to map portions of this database between VME chassis in real time using the VMIC/VMIVME-5588 reflective memory board. Developed and integrated a real-time reflective-memory-mapped time server phase-locked loop (PLL) providing spacecraft-synchronized clock services to the mission-critical spacecraft dynamics and attitude control simulation.  Performed extensive PLL testing using the VxWorks debugging and runtime visibility tools in concert with a logic analyzer to ensure the robustness of the algorithm against late or missing clock signals, ensuring proper synchronization and anti-aliasing over a wide range of signal compression and expansion scenarios.  Developed a TCP/IP-based GUI using TCL/TK, featuring flow-controlled command and telemetry channels using Unix and VxWorks sockets and message queues. This interface became the basis for the mission's Ground Support Equipment testbed interface, parsing and channeling scripted spacecraft commands to the uplink board and channeling telemetry to both the GSE and the Ground Data Systems mission operations consoles. Coordinated development and integration of target software and co-established the software CM and build infrastructure.


As a follow-on to the ground support equipment (GSE) development effort described above, dedicated four months as a MER flight software build test engineer to the early detection, characterization and reporting of Mars-transit and surface rover software anomalies during development. Bringing several in-house Unix and PC-based space flight operations tools to bear on the flight software running in the testbed (RAD6K) or remotely in emulation test sets (PPC750), prepared activity and anomaly reports as well as detailed test plans from the Mission Plan and software design documents. Prepared, documented and maintained the emulator test procedures for the benefit of the build test team as they evolved through use in parallel with the flight software.

REAL-TIME SOFTWARE & SYSTEMS ENGINEERING (contractor: Federal Data Corp [Northrop Grumman IT]): As development and technical lead for the Defense Information Systems Agency's (DISA) Common Operating Environment (COE) Real-Time initiative (RTCOE), procured VME hardware and RTOS (LynxOS) software; assembled and configured a multiple-platform VME testbed (Motorola, Cetia and Force).  Mapped API and wrapper design to the POSIX.13 profiles PSE52 and PSE54.  Tasked and scheduled LynxOS API and wrapper development.  Designed, cross- and native-developed the Pthreads-based APIs, wrappers and test drivers in POSIX Standard C and C shell script using the Gnu-based LynxOS Open Development Environment on Sun Ultra 2 and on the Motorola MVME3604-6 and Cetia VMPC5a targets.  Supplied LynuxWorks (formerly Lynx Real-Time Systems) with diagnostic information facilitating LynxOS 3.0.1-3.1.0 development and bug fixes.  Proposed future LynxOS enhancements to permit thread name assignment and RTOS scalability based on selection of POSIX.13 units of functionality.  Maintained all software under CVS.  Participated in requirements definition for ongoing development.

As a private pilot, took aerial photographs of local proving ground terrain in support of advanced autonomous Mars rover navigation research & development.

 

SOFTWARE INTEGRATION AND TEST (contractor: Federal Data Corp [Northrop Grumman IT]): Built, integrated, debugged, maintained and tested CDE-based Unix middleware for the Defense Information Infrastructure's Common Operating Environment (DII/COE). Early on in the project, constructed a COTS build environment using GNU and X11 freeware with X/Motif library support and used this in turn to build several third-party COE components written primarily in C for the HP-UX 10.20 environment on an HP9000/712 platform. Debugged and maintained Unix/X/CDE-based C and shell script code in support of early integration efforts. Maintained, enhanced and packaged Solaris and HP-UX targeted OS patch clusters addressing security and Y2K concerns. Maintained and redesigned COE Kernel regression and interoperability test suites on behalf of DISA's third-party vendor Kernel Platform Compliance Program (KPCP). Served a close-knit team as DII/COE Software Test Lead using and evolving the KPC procedures for the manifold purposes of third-party vendor platform certification, in-house software regression testing and as a software design feedback mechanism. Developed, followed and maintained a comprehensive written management process in the spirit of ISO-9001. The legacy of these efforts fueled significant follow-on business in the form of continued funding, project expansion and increased staffing levels.

 

CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY - Aug 95 to Mar 98
 

SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION AND NETWORK SECURITY: Planned, installed and maintained LAN and computer hardware and software for several computer laboratories on the Caltech campus. Served an aggregate community of approximately 500 users spanning four separate research and administrative areas. Configured and maintained a wide range of homogenous and heterogenous systems and networks including SunOS, SOLARIS, LINUX, FreeBSD, IRIX, WINDOWS 95 and WINDOWS NT communicating over TCP/IP, NFS, NIS, WINS and SAMBA protocols. Implemented a progressive program of network security comprising Secure Shell (SSH), sensitive email encryption (PGP), deactivation of unused network services, automated periodic security scans (and backups), strict password protocols and account policies and rapid response to CERT advisories, all with minimal impact on system availability. Thanks to the success of this program, despite numerous break-ins campus-wide, none of the participating systems were compromised. Updated and maintained several Web sites. More specialized laboratory work with TI's C80 DSP and the DT3155 image acquisition systems, the WACOM DIGITIZER and associated simulation and analysis tools called forth my embedded systems and hardware expertise.

 

GTE GOVERNMENT SYSTEMS (General Dynamics) - Feb 94 to Jan 95
 

WEATHER INFORMATION SYSTEMS (contractor: CDI West): As technical lead, Configuration Manager and developer in a small team environment, recovered and organized the U.S. Army's mobile Integrated METeorological System (IMETS) source using CVS under SunOS 4.1.3 UNIX. On targets SUN4 and HP9000/385-720, applied system level performance tests to characterize failure modes. Developed a detailed build procedure and supporting shell scripts; used same to prepare end-user product media. Repaired C, FORTRAN, X-WINDOWS, SHELL SCRIPT and MAKE logic. The legacy of these efforts fueled significant follow-on business in the form of continued funding, project expansion and increased staffing levels.

 

TELEDYNE INET / MAGNETEK (L3 Systems) - Sept 91 to Feb 94
 

EMBEDDED POWER CONTROL SYSTEMS: As a software development technical lead, developed real-time control software for the MC68020 based state controller module of the prototype SERPOS tightly-coupled 500-750 KW nuclear submarine reversible power distribution system. Designed and developed supervisory state control, fault detection, interrupt handling and lossy-integrator based current monitoring software. Debugged and upgraded UNIX and VME-based TCP/IP SOCKET COMMS software. Organized and managed the SCCS software configuration database. MICROTEC C and MC68020 ASSEMBLER were cross-developed on SunSPARC1 under SunOS 4.1.1 (UNIX SYSTEM V) using the VRTX32 VELOCITY environment for the MC68020 target across ETHERNET. Used VMEbus for IP comms and TCP/IP over OR/DLAN/ETHERNET to communicate between power modules and with the TADPOLE SPARCBOOK/SOLARIS-based user interface. Committed final software to EEPROM, conducted regular exhaustive system tests and developed detailed test procedures based on the results and on cumulative experience. Used VRTXdesigner on SUN/UNIX.

EMBEDDED POWER DELIVERY SYSTEMS: Developed real-time, object-oriented control software for the 80386-based controller of an on-line 50KW UPS with interactive topology. Developed fault processing, power recovery, timing control, digital output, display drivers, data acquisition benchmark and circuit breaker test software. Used CB test software to characterize undocumented CB state behavior. Spearheaded the hardware-software integration process. Provided project management assistance. Used BORLAND C++ and 80386 ASSEMBLER with VRTX32/386 under MS-DOS. Used VRTXdesigner on SUN/UNIX.

ELECTRIC PLANT CONTROL INTERFACE: Designed and implemented the GW2000 NOMAD 80486 notebook-based, object-oriented user interface to the electric plant of the MARF nuclear submarine training facility. Used BORLAND C++ to develop the MS-WINDOWS based software which networks over an RS-232 link to the power units.

 

TERADATA (NCR) - Sep 89 to Nov 90
 

DISTRIBUTED DISK DIAGNOSTIC UTILITIES: Solved various software, hardware and firmware problems in offline and parallel online disk diagnostic utilities for Teradata's distributed RDB computer. Designed adaptations to the parallel, UNIX-based MACH OS. Cross-developed in PASCAL and INTEL 80386 and 80486 ASSEMBLER on VM/CMS via SUN/UNIX for DBC/1012 processor modules.

SQL PREPROCESSOR PORT: Developed platform and language portability requirements for embedded SQL pre-processor and runtime support software using C under SUN/UNIX/X-WINDOWS.

SYSTEM-LEVEL REGRESSION TEST: Tested and diagnosed a DBC/1012 RDBM interface system using SUN/UNIX to access VM/CMS and MVS/TSO. Wrote test drivers in C, SQL & JCL on the CMS side & used MVS/TSO-ISPF to execute & monitor the tests.

 

INDEPENDENT R & D - Jan 88 to Sep 89
 

CONDITIONING FACILITY CONCEPT AND DESIGN: Designed a large-scale conditioning facility for use in astronautics (U.S. Pat 5,302,130).  Developed a custom CAD system and device interface.  Used BORLAND PASCAL under MS-DOS for the IBM PC and compatibles with standard peripherals.

 

TRW (Northrop Grumman Space Technology) - Dec 84 to Dec 87
 

VRTX INTERNALS: Designed and developed the task, address space, telemetry, configuration, interrupt and error management components for VRTX/E, a REAL-TIME OS KERNEL with extended memory addressing, for use with the MILSTAR communication satellite's payload software. Cross-developed the OS software in IEEE-std ASSEMBLER on a VAXCLUSTER array for the MIL-STD-1750A flight computer supporting an application written in JOVIAL.

SATELLITE TEST SYSTEMS: Diagnosed, maintained and enhanced real-time pre-launch satellite test software using VMS FORTRAN and VAX-11 MACRO on the Defense Support Program (DSP). Applied this experience to the conception, design and implementation of a similar, more advanced system on uVAX/uVMS using the Gamma Ray Observatory test system as a baseline.

 

COMPUTER SCIENCES - Aug 83 to Nov 84
 

NASCOM NETWORK MONITOR: Developed & tested GUIs, control center displays and a message validation DBMS for a human-interfaced NASCOM Deep Space Network message filtering computer array for NASA/GSFC using PASCAL under VAX/VMS.

 

PUBLICATIONS and PATENTS
 

Gravity Differential Conditioning Facility and Method of Use (U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,130), Official Gazette, U.S. Dept of Commerce, 12 April 1994.

 

A Centrifugal Habitat for Reduced Gravity Environments, Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, 49/3, 83-96 (1996).

 

An Engineering Approach to Miogravity Syndrome, Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, 108/4, 346-348 (1997).

Calculating Cause of Speedy Stones (letter on geological phenomena), Science News 149/3, 35 (1996).

 

It Takes One to Know One (letter on forgery detection), Biblical Archaeology Review 29/5, 8 (2003).

 

Give Us Data, Not Emotions (letter on critical inquiry), Biblical Archaeology Review 30/4, 8 (2004).

 

SPECIAL TRAINING, AWARDS and CERTIFICATIONS
 

NASA Special Recognition Award, Flight Software, Mars Exploration Rover

NASA Special Recognition Award, Defense Information Systems Agency

Electro-Optical Infrared Systems Engineering, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems

Special Recognition Award, Lockheed-Martin Space Systems

High-Altitude Aeronautical Training, NASA-Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards AFB

Aeronautical Safety Award, Federal Aviation Administration

Physical Oceanography Seminar, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (11-29 June 1973)

Advanced Aquanautical Training, National Association of Underwater Instructors