About me

I’m Marvin. Linux, Kubernetes, and virtualization are the areas I keep coming back to. I enjoy understanding how systems fit together, finding the cause of a difficult problem, and building tools that make everyday operations easier.

Today, I work as a Senior DevOps-Engineer Kubernetes. My experience spans developing and operating managed Kubernetes platforms, deploying and upgrading clusters, and investigating production issues. Linux, networking, automation, and security are all part of that work, as are supporting customers and taking part in the on-call rotation.

I work with OpenStack, Gardener, and kOps, build CI/CD pipelines, and write tools in Go, Python, and Bash to automate operational tasks. What particularly interests me is how systems behave once you have to operate them: their dependencies, failure modes, upgrades, and the occasional misleading error message.

How I work

I’m a generalist who enjoys getting into the details: following a failure across dependencies, understanding an unfamiliar system, or writing a small tool that makes an operational task easier. I work closely with colleagues and customers, and share what I learn through documentation and workshops.

Earlier in my career

I started in electrical and data network installation, with hands-on installation work, site coordination, and team leadership. At DaNet, that included supervising technicians, coordinating materials, and working directly with customers across industrial, educational, and private projects.

At FoxJobsAG, a major part of my work involved nuclear power plant construction, repair, and deconstruction projects in Switzerland, France, and Italy, primarily for General Electric. I worked as a site manager and team leader on electrical installations and IT systems. This is a chapter of my life that I’m proud of, both for the practical work and the responsibility I took on.

I later retrained as an IT specialist in systems integration at Triology, completing the programme in January 2020. From there, I moved into Linux, container infrastructure, and Kubernetes operations, working on the Cloudogu Ecosystem and delivering Docker and Kubernetes workshops for colleagues and customers. That path brought me to the platform engineering and operations work I do today.

My CV has the full work history, technical skills, and qualifications.

Away from the terminal

I enjoy mountain biking, hiking, and flying FPV drones. I also enjoy photography. Restoring and tuning cars, gardening, and experimenting with IT projects also keep me occupied outside work.

My photographs have their own space in the gallery.

Kubernetes certifications

I hold the CKS, CKA, and CKAD certifications from the Linux Foundation and CNCF, covering Kubernetes security, administration, and application development.

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  CKS

  Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist

  Certification details ↗
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  CKA

  Certified Kubernetes Administrator

  Certification details ↗
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  CKAD

  Certified Kubernetes Application Developer

  Certification details ↗

What I’m building

I’m currently working on Propagator, a Kubernetes operator written in Go for managing services across multiple clusters. The aim is to make service deployment and lifecycle management declarative, using Kubernetes custom resources and Helm, with Gardener as the initial target environment.

It’s an ongoing development project. You can find a short project overview in my CV.

What you’ll find here

This is where I share troubleshooting notes, experiments, and things I’ve learned while building and operating infrastructure. Kubernetes, networking, DNS, and virtualization will come up often. I’ll distinguish what I’ve tested from what I’m still exploring, including ideas that don’t work out.

Find me

You can find my public work on GitHub or reach me at [email protected]. New posts are also available through RSS.