Simon S.
Technical Consultant
Experience
Technical Consultant
Freelance IT Consultant
Refresh database content on SAP ERP test/QA system EHP7.
Tasks:
- Download and prepare media
- Compile install guides & notes
- Backup transaction data
- Delete the database
- Restore the database from production using SWPM
- Reapply specific parameters
Technologies:
- SAP NetWeaver ABAP
- ECC6 EHP7
- IBM i 7.4
Technical Consultant
Freelance IT Consultant
Upgrade HMC, POWER, and VIOS microcode.
Tasks:
- Download media
- Prepare environment
- Perform HMC upgrade V9R1 to SP1041 / MF71191
- Shutdown all LPARs
- Update POWER9 microcode VL950_131
- Update VIOS 3.1.4.21
- Execute on production and backup environments
- Restart all LPARs
Technologies:
- HMC 7063CR1
- HMC V9
- HMC V10
- POWER S914 VL950
- VIOS 3.1.4.21
Technical Consultant
Freelance IT Consultant
Apply SP stack to 3x SAP ERP landscape ECC6 to EHP7.
Tasks:
- Apply kernel patch
- Download and prepare media
- Compile install guides & notes
- Install SP stack via SUM
- Adjust profile parameters
Technologies:
- SAP NetWeaver ABAP
- ECC6 EHP8
- IBM i 7.3
- SUM 1.0
Subproject Lead IBM i LPAR
Freelance IT Consultant
OS release upgrade from IBM i 7.3 to 7.5 on 11 SAP on IBM i partitions.
Tasks:
- Prep work: pre-PTFs, license keys, SAP on i notes, backups
- Execute release upgrade and post-work
Technologies:
- IBM i 7.3 → 7.5
- IBM Backup and Recovery Media Services for i
- IBM BRMS for i
- IBM FSFC
- IBM Storwize
Subproject Lead IBM i
Freelance IT Consultant
OS release upgrade 7.4 with switch-over to backup machine.
Tasks:
- Prepare BUS4i switch script
- Upgrade backup machine 7.3 → 7.4
- Switch over to backup machine
- Upgrade old production system 7.3 → 7.4
Technologies:
- IBM i 7.3→7.4
- TSP BUS4i HA
- IBM POWER9
Technical Consultant
Freelance IT Consultant
Upgrade 2x2 SAP ERP and HR landscape ECC6 to EHP8.
Tasks:
- Apply kernel patch
- Download and prepare media
- Compile install guides & notes
- Perform EHP8 upgrade via SUM
- Adjust profile parameters
Technologies:
- SAP NetWeaver ABAP
- ECC6 EHP8
- IBM i 7.3
- SUM 2.0
Speaker
Freelance IT Consultant
SAP on IBM i fundamentals workshop.
Tasks:
- Run workshop for 10 participants covering: IBM i OS, database & filesystem tools, SAP on IBM i environment setup, managing SAP on IBM i, miscellaneous SAP on IBM i, performance
Technologies:
- SAP NetWeaver ABAP
- ECC6 EHP7
- IBM i 7.4
- IBM ACS
- Navigator for i
Subproject Lead IBM i LPAR
Freelance IT Consultant
Transition of 2 production and 4 archive IBM i on-premise systems into managed service data center including OS upgrade 7.2 → 7.4.
Tasks:
- LPAR sizing
- Primary contact: coordinate TCP/IP, applications & license keys, system parameters
- Coordinate testing, execute migration, transfer backups to own data center, support go-live
Technologies:
- IBM i 7.2→7.4
- IBM Backup and Recovery Media Services for i
- IBM BRMS for i
- IBM VIOS
- IBM Storwize
- IBM System Storage Tape Library
- Dell EMC Data Domain
Subproject Lead IBM i LPAR
Freelance IT Consultant
Transition of 20 IBM i LPARs from POWER7 to POWER9 with new storage via backup/restore within data center.
Tasks:
- LPAR sizing
- Primary contact: coordinate TCP/IP, applications & license keys, system parameters
- Execute migration to new hardware
Technologies:
- IBM i 7.2→7.4
- IBM Backup and Recovery Media Services for i
- IBM BRMS for i
- IBM VIOS
- IBM Storwize
- IBM System Storage Tape Library
- Dell EMC Data Domain
Freelance IT Consultant
Freelance IT Consultant
IBM i base technology consulting. Looking for an IBM i pro for operations projects? I advise on OS upgrades, PTF updates, LPAR migrations, IBM i Access, monitoring, single sign-on, and integrations.
14+ years IBM i base experience.
Technologies:
- IBM POWER5–POWER10
- OS Releases: IBM i V5R1–7.5
- IBM Storwize systems
- IBM System Storage Tape Library
Focus:
- Transition IBM i from on-premise to managed cloud
- IBM i OS upgrades
- IBM i LPAR operations (performance, backup/restore concepts, high availability, datacenter integration, monitoring with helpdesk connection, service level reporting)
- SAP on IBM i base
Sabbatical
Subproject Lead IBM POWER i
Plan, order, and deploy new POWER9 environment in data center.
Tasks:
- Calculate and size POWER servers & Storwize storage, rack planning, cabling plan
- Coordinate and build IBM POWER9 & Storwize environment in new co-location
Technologies:
- IBM i 5.3–7.3
- IBM POWER9
- Storwize V5000
- IBM SAN24B
- IBM System Storage Tape Library
- IBM VIOS
Subproject Lead IBM POWER i
Plan maintenance and move IBM POWER7 systems to another data center location.
Tasks:
- Schedule maintenance window, shutdown all systems, rack planning, cabling plan
- Coordinate transport, rebuild IBM POWER7 & Storwize in target rack, start systems
Technologies:
- IBM POWER7
- Storwize V5000
- IBM SAN24B
- Storwize V3700
- IBM System Storage Tape Library
Subproject Lead IBM i
Transition customer LPARs from on-premise to managed service with BUS4i high-availability solution and switch-over.
Tasks:
- Coordinate LPAR takeover, prep work, HA solution implementation, switch-over
Technologies:
- IBM POWER9
- IBM i 7.3
- TSP BUS4i
- Menten iEffect
Subproject Lead IBM i / Product Owner
Developed and implemented a custom IBM i application to collect and prepare KPIs for the monthly service level report.
Tasks:
- Gather required system and performance data, coordinate with app owners, hand off specs to dev team, coordinate with reporting team, connect to CMDB, map services, hosts & SLAs
Technologies:
- CMDB
- IBM i
- MS SQL Server
Senior Technical Consultant
Migrate physical IBM TS3500 tape library (<300 tapes) to virtual tape library using BRMS backup software. Converted backups of all LPARs to VTL with dedupe and increased compression to 1:30.
Tasks:
- Inventory physical tapes, size VTL, deploy VTL in data center
- Connect VTL to IBM i LPARs, adjust BRMS, duplicate physical to virtual tapes
Technologies:
- IBM i 6.1–7.3
- Dell EMC Data Domain
- IBM TS3500
Senior Technical Consultant
Convert existing 5250 sessions, keyboard layouts, macros, and DB connections to IBM ACS format. Roll out to ~500 clients via software tools and scripts.
Tasks:
- Create migration guide, test migration of sessions, layouts, macros
- Transfer data, DB connections, write migration script, create ACS update script
Technologies:
- IBM i Access Client Solutions
- Citrix
- Windows Terminal Server
- Windows OS
Subproject Lead IBM POWER i
Plan, order, and deploy a new POWER7 environment in data center.
Tasks:
- Calculate and size POWER servers & Storwize storage, rack planning, cabling plan
- Coordinate and build IBM POWER7 & Storwize environment in new co-location
Technologies:
- IBM i 5.3–7.3
- IBM POWER7
- Storwize V3700
- IBM SAN24B
- IBM System Storage Tape Library
- IBM VIOS
Subproject Lead IBM i / Product Owner
Developed and implemented custom IBM i monitoring software that monitors down to application level and integrates with the support desk.
Tasks:
- Define monitoring points, coordinate with app owners, hand off specs to dev team, coordinate with Icinga team
- Integrate with support desk, map services, hosts & SLAs
Technologies:
- IBM i 7.3
- Icinga 2
- SAP Solution Manager
Senior Technical Consultant
SAP on i base tasks like SAP kernel upgrade 7.x, EHP upgrade, SPS installation, system copy, LPAR migration to new POWER i, Unicode conversion, SAP SSO implementation.
Tasks:
- Prep work, check PAM, download SAP binaries, apply required PTFs
- Perform kernel patch/upgrade, migrate SAP systems via SWPM
- System copy via SWPM, implement SAP SSO on IBM i, EHP upgrade, apply SP stack
Technologies:
- SAP NetWeaver
- ECC6
- IBM i 7.1–7.5
- SWPM
Senior Technical Consultant
All for One Group SE
Tasks:
- Team coordination for IBM POWER i base technology
- Data center platform services for IBM POWER i
- Expand infrastructure capacity, monitoring, provisioning, service level reporting
- Plan and run IBM i base tech workshops for existing and new clients
- Involve and coordinate partners for client projects
- Service transition management for IBM POWER i projects
- Kick-off, handover, go-live, service acceptance
- Service management for clients
- Capture, qualify, and address requests and changes
- Pre-sales support for IBM i services on-site and in-house
- On-premise IBM i base technology consulting
Successes:
- Closed and implemented 20+ long-term managed service contracts
- Learned SAP Basis on IBM i and delivered client projects
- Invested single-digit millions in new hardware & software
- Increased managed service revenue ten-fold to ~€1M/year
- Reduced support response times through early detection
- Developed and integrated systems into monitoring, reporting, and helpdesk
- Moved to a new data center with infrastructure, executed two zero-downtime migrations
- Achieved 99.9% monthly SLA
Technical Consultant
AMETRAS Informatik AG
Tasks:
- Data center ops for a heterogeneous landscape: IBM POWER i, Windows Server, SUSE Linux, VMware vSphere
- Internal IT, technical support, network infrastructure
- WLAN coverage and implementation for mobile devices
Successes:
- Reduced admin effort, maintenance costs, heat output, and power consumption by 90% through virtualization
- Cut emergency calls from one/week to one per quarter
- Implemented high availability for critical infrastructure and client systems
Subproject Lead IBM i
IBM i OS release upgrades for on-premise and managed service systems.
Tasks:
- Prep work: coordinate application requirements, procure OS license keys and install files, install needed PTFs, perform upgrade, post-work
Technologies:
- IBM i 5.3–7.4
- IBM Backup and Recovery Media Services for i
- IBM BRMS for i
- IBM Image Catalog
Subproject Lead IBM i LPAR
Transition IBM i systems from on-premise to managed service via backup/restore.
Tasks:
- LPAR sizing
- Primary contact: coordinate TCP/IP, applications & license keys, system parameters
- Coordinate testing, execute migration, transfer backups to data center
- Support go-live
Technologies:
- IBM i 5.3–7.5
- IBM Backup and Recovery Media Services for i
- IBM BRMS for i
- IBM VIOS
- IBM Storwize
- IBM System Storage Tape Library
- IBM Spectrum Virtualize
- IBM i SSO
- Dell EMC Data Domain
Voluntary Social Year
Integrations-Werkstätten Oberschwaben gGmbH
IT Department
Tasks:
- Support people with disabilities at work
- Repair and install used PCs for sale
Successes:
- Kept PC repair & sales running despite six-month absence of department head
- Integrated another employee with disability into the team
Summary
For 14 years I have been actively working in IBM i base technology. I helped clients in hundreds of projects tackle challenges in running their IBM i environments so they could focus on their core competencies, services, and products. Before I started freelancing in 2021, I worked for two IT consulting firms serving a broad range of clients mostly in the industrial and furniture sectors. Clients were supported both in the data center as a managed service and on-premise. In the data center, my projects focused on monitoring, continuous service maintenance, and high availability. For on-site clients, the main tasks were OS release upgrades, PTF updates, hardware migrations, and system integration, e.g., Active Directory for single sign-on.
Languages
Education
Elektronikschule Tettnang
IT Specialist in System Integration · IT Specialist in System Integration · Tettnang, Germany
Certifications & licenses
IBM Certified Specialist - POWER9 Scale-Up Technical Sales
IBM
SAP TADM10 Technical Implementation and Operation I SAP S/4HANA and Business Suite
SAP
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