Here’s a list of the classes I’ve taught at various conferences and user group meetings. I’ve included blurbs for the current set of classes I’m teaching these days. Feel free to contact me if you are interested in attending or hosting any of these classes.

Classes on Perl and System Administration

Automating System Administration with Perl

Look at the seat to your left at any technical conference. Now look to
your right. Chances are, if the person next to you is automating their
system administration tasks, they are using Perl. Python and Ruby are
both great languages, but there’s a reason why Perl is still the
predominant language in this field. Join me as we explore the latest
Perl tools and best practices for working with:

• filesystems
• DNS and DHCP
• config files, all formats include XML
• network mapping and monitoring (including tools like SNMP, nmap, graphviz and RRDtool)
• user activity, including process and network connection management
• database administration
• email protocols (SMTP, POP3, IMAP)
• security tools like message digests (MD5/SHA-2), network sniffing, and better password mechanisms

You’ll walk away from this survey class with Perl approaches and
techniques that can help improve your daily system administration life
in each of these areas.  If you don’t have the time to keep up with
all of the advances in the Perl world that can benefit the sysadmin,
this class is for you.

Past classes:

• Perl for System Administration
• Perl for System Administration Emergencies
• Perl for System Administration Networking Power Hours
• Perl Saves the Day

Classes on Creativity and System Administration

Over the Edge System Administration: Volume 1

Who should attend: Old-timers who think they’ve already seen it all and those who want to develop inventive thinking early in their career. Join us and be prepared to be delighted, disgusted, and amazed. Most of all, be ready to enrich your network and system administration by learning to be different.

It’s time to learn how to break the rules, abuse the tools, and generally turn your system administration knowledge inside out. This class is a cornucopia of ideas for creative ways to take the standard (and sometimes not-so-standard) system administration tools and techniques and use them in ways no one would expect. We’ll also cover some tools you may have missed.

Note: The teacher takes no responsibility should your head explode during this class.

Over the Edge System Administration: Volume 2

Who should attend: Old-timers who think they’ve already seen it all and those who want to develop inventive thinking early in their career. Join us and be prepared to be delighted, disgusted, and amazed. Most of all, be ready to enrich your network and system administration by learning to be different. Previous attendance at Volume 1 of the series is recommended but not required.

Join us for volume 2 of the wildly successful Over the Edge System Administration class series. Once again we’ll learn how to break the rules, abuse the tools, and generally turn your system administration knowledge inside out with the help of a whole new set of examples. This class is a second cornucopia of ideas for creative ways to take the standard (and sometimes not-so-standard) system administration tools and techniques and use them in ways no one would expect. We’ll also cover some tools you may have missed. This class will take some of the concepts from volume 1 and develop them even further.

We feel it is important to remind you: The teacher takes no responsibility should your head explode during this class.