Dean Peter Southall - CURRICULUM VITAE
Updated 17th Jan 2008 - not available

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For advice on contracting in Holland click here

For Dean's TACL course in word & HTML (zipped, only 40K) click here for Dutch

and here for English

Me with an S-Series Tandem (right) and a K-Series machine (front) Lau my Tandem K202

 Type of work     : All. The more technical the better.
 Skills:-
 I'm a Compaq Mission Critical Consultant! I've been working on Tandem since November 1987. I have more than 16 years Tandem experience in the following COBOL, SCOBOL, C, Guardian, Enscribe, SQL & TACL. I have S-Series and K series experience.
Place of Birth:        Doncaster, South Yorkshire, U.K. British flag

Marital status:        Single

Permanent Email Address:   theblackadder@pobox.com.removethisbit
Web Page                           http://www.theblackadder.co.uk

Mobile Phone +31 (06) 38304481

Driving Licence: Clean and also passed Institute of Advanced Motorists driving test.

Sort of Jobs I'm a contractor. I'm a techie by trade.  I like development, systems management and technical support most.

Languages: Fluent Dutch. (Passed some Dutch exams). Conversational Swedish.     I speak a little Spanish and have an 'O' level in German.

Skills Summary: TANDEM COBOL, SCOBOL, TACL(programming), TEDIT, 'C' Native mode & TNS ‘C’, NETBATCH, FUP, PATHWAY, SQLCI, DDL, ENFORM, TCIP/IP, DSM SCM, NDM and CONTROL. ENSCRIBE & SQL DATABASES. TCP/IP. OSS ITP Webserver. Interfaces to IEF generated code on the Tandem. Atlas.

I have also many years experience in installing, configuring and using Windows ME, 95, 98 2000 and 3.1. I have successfully installed and have some experience in using Linux. I have 2 years experience using Windows NT (3.5 & 4).

Systems utilities e.g. Mediacom, TAPECOM, RMS, CONTROL, BACKUP, RESTORE, MEASURE, ENLIGHTEN, VIEWPT, TMFCOM, SAFEGUARD TN6530 and DCOM.

Special: I have written several useful Tandem routines with documentation:-
Tape Pooling routine, which uses tapes from a pool of tapes allocated to that type of backup. Runs in Netbatch and records time of backup, how long taken and how many cycles of tapes.

Current - Feb 2007 - Current - Atos-Origin Rijwijk (The Hague)

I, along with 3 collgeaues, have taken over the support for KPN's MMI Mobile Mainswitch Interface system. I manage releases, fix problems and do some development and maintenance. I also do oncall 1 week in 4.

September 2006 - Jan 2007 - Interpay, Utrecht, the Netherlands

I'm working in the support department fixing problems and writing new code. I'm working in TACL, Cobol, Scobol, C & a little bit of TAL.

Jan 2006 - July 2006 - Shell, Singapore

I was doing application support and performance for Shell, supporting a Petrol card system on a Tandem. Same work as I did in Holland. I did a lot of performance tweaks to get the end of days running quicker. I managed to reduce the running times of most of the countries by about 2 hours. I'm helped out with the disaster recovery testing. I was also backup for the systems manager and moved SQL database tables.

Oct 2005– Nov 2005 – On Sabbatical, travelling the world a 2nd time (US (including ITUG), Tonga, New Zealand, & Singapore) :- http://www.theblackadder.co.uk

2005 May 12 & 13th - Itanium Migration Course

Nov 2004 – April 2005 – On Sabbatical, travelling the world (Thailand, Malasia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Cook Islands & the US) :- http://www.theblackadder.co.uk

Oct 2000 - Oct 2004 - Shell, The Hague & Rotterdam

I did systems management and application support for Shell. I helped support a Petrol card system on an S series Tandem. I worked on the project for 4 years. Tasks included looking after Backup strategy, general maintenance of disks, spoolers, the application, batch and so on. I installed OSS on our Tandem and also got the ITP Webserver running. I also looked after the application and helped the users and testers. This included fixing problems quickly for front line users and local application specialists. I completed several special projects for Shell. The most important was a TACL based menu system so that the testers could test the application without ANY Tandem knowledge e.g backups (using PAK and UNPAK), restores, running end of days etc. I also wrote a lot of specialised TACL routines for production to enhance & improve the functionality of the package we used to tailor it to our needs e.g Hotlists. I was on weekly overnight support every 4 weeks. The package we used was written by another company and I had to add TACL based enhancements to their programs to get them to work properly or more in the way we envisaged. These were stopgaps which ended up being used for months or even years. I also helped interview some of the prospective new candidates by doing the technical parts of some interviews.

June 2000 - Sept 2000- Rabo Bank Utrecht

Developer - Shares team working with Cobol/Scobol and embedded SQL.

May 2000 I was in the U.S. on holiday for a month as the Best Man at a friends wedding :-)

PeterAndreMePeterLau.JPG

November 1997 - End of April 2000 - Amsterdam Stock Exchange, Amsterdam, Holland

I was part of the systems management team. I helped maintain 4 Tandems, answer Tandem questions from the developers and I worked on improving the TACL’s to start and stop the system. This was a support role and a maintenance/development role. I helped keep the system running and deal with live problems when they occur. I helped the developers with Tandem advice and manage Security using SAFECOM. I maintained and improved the macros that start and stop the system processes, improving the macros by adding error handling, error messages, improving readability, maintainability and speed. I analysed TACL parts of the application and rewrote/developed new code to improve the application for users, developers and operators. I did other day to day Systems managments tasks including adding IPM's to the system using DSM SCM. I spoke Dutch in the working environment and dealt with telephone problems in Dutch. I helped with the conversion from the K series machines over to the S series Servernet machines.

April 1997 – October 1997 Rabobank/Origin, Utrecht, Holland

I worked with Atlas doing maintenance work and wrote new programs in Cobol (SQL & Enscribe). I did performance work and teaching TACL/Performance Techniques to Dutch colleagues.

November 1996 - April 1997 Logica, Stockholm Sweden

We wrote a system which needs to process transactions for the Norwegian bank - BBS. We need to process a lot of data very quickly and are therefore using the Native Mode C (NMC)/RISC compiler. I have been educating 2 ‘C’ programmers in how to use the Tandem. I wrote & designed the Netbatch/TACL batch relationships between the batch programs.

May 1996 - October 1996 P.T.T. in Den Haag Holland.

Testing an Access application for the first month. Tested the new SQL/IEF Tandem telephone Card system for the other 5 months. I provided technical advice. Dutch was the working language.

November 1995 - April 1996 Interpay (via Twinsoft) in Utrecht/Hoofdorp, Holland

Developed software for use with paying over THE INTERNET. I have written 2 TCP/IP C communication servers in C (one waited, one nowaited) which talk to users via Internet.
I updated a TAL program to send messages to EMS using the SPI interface (for system error message handling). Dutch was the working language.

November 1994 - October 1995 P.T.T. in Den Haag & Groningen, Holland.

Working on P.T.Telecomm's chargecard project. I was working in the test team as the Technical Tandem expert, providing technical support for the Application
Testing department. I wrote test specs, test programs, SQL queries, sorted out Tandem related problems and supported the other members of the team. I provided the
technical link between our team and development to discuss Tandem/Application problems. I moved to the development department in PTT at the end of January
when the test team was disbanded. I worked to enhance the Cobol programs for new functionality for the exisiting system. We used embedded SQL code. I also
rewrote TACL macros for efficiency, readability and compactness. I worked on the replacement system which is being written using IEF. I converted the old
Cobol interface code into C modules to work with the new IEF system. I integrated the IEF code with the Interface code and solved the problems we have
with IEF.

April 1994 - November 1994 Syntegra in Brighton (part of BT) British flag

Application and technical support on the chargecard project. I dealt with live and overnight batch support of the SQL application and I answered queries from the
users. I provided a link between technical and application support and perform a variety of technical duties. I then moved to application development to write COBOL/SQL programs.

January 1992 - April 1994 B.P. Oil UK Ltd in Hemel Hempstead. British flag

I progressed from application programming to the Quality Assurance team and onto Systems Managing after impressing BP with various performance improving projects. As Systems Manager I looked after the running of the system and I evaluated new hardware. I worked on the performance team to increase system performance. I reduced the batch logon time by half and I completed a major project to make further improvements to reduce the batch run time and eliminated memory problems.
I programmed in COBOL and SCOBOL on many parts of the system writing online and batch programs. In the Q. A. team I looked after the
CONTROL software package and wrote TACL code and menus.
I provided live application and system support for the UK & German systems.
I worked long hours and worked hard to beat tight deadlines.

December 1990 - January 1992 EDS in Sheffield British flag
I worked as an Associate Systems Engineer in Sheffield after being transferred by Midland Bank.
I worked on both the Tandem and IBM mainframes, converting the Tandem hot card system onto the IBM. I was a major part of the team to resurrect the Tandem
Polling System, acting as Systems Manager (with another SE) and rewriting the old DB Batch jobs into TACL / NETBATCH. As such I was responsible for operator
education and supervised the system that went live in 1991.
On the IBM I wrote batch programs in COBOL.

June 1990 - December 1990 Midland Bank Plc in Sheffield British flag

I was an Analyst programmer working on Midland's Switch Card batch and on-line systems. I was on call-out duty for the Switch Card polling system.

November 1987 - June 1990 Equity and Law in High Wycombe. British flag

Junior Analyst working on Payroll and Pensions Payments systems

Courses:

Itanium Migration Course - 2 days 2005 May

ZLE (Zero Latency Enterprise) 3 day course May 2003

Cobol/Scobol (in house at Equity and Law) - 6 weeks
Tools and Techniques for Analyst Programmers - 1 week
Introduction to IBM hardware and software - 1 week
IBM Cobol conversion course - 1 week
Easytrieve IBM - 2 days
Netbatch Self-teach - 20 hours
SMDM1 - 1 week
C II Programming - City and Guilds - Evening Course
C III Programming - City and Guilds - Evening Course
Enlighten - 2 Hours
SQLCI Self-Teach - 1 week
Embedded SQL Self-Teach (COBOL/C) - 1 week

TACL programming - 1 week

TACL Certificate

Academic Qualifications
Education: 1978-1984 Weston Favell Upper School, Booth Lane South, Northampton.
1982 'O' level passes in Maths (A), Physics (B), Geography (C), Biology (A), Chemistry (A), German (B/C), English (C), Religious Education (C).

1983-1984 'AO' passes in Maths (A) and General Studies (C).

1984 'A' level passes in Chemistry (B),
Biology (D), Maths [Pure and Statistics] (B).

1984-1987 Sheffield University, gained a special Honours degree in Mathematics, Class II(i).
Courses studied included Statistics, Pascal, Convexity, History of Maths, Optimisation, Control Theory, Modelling and Mechanics/Biological Dynamic Systems.

Final year: Mechanics of snooker.
Projects Calculus in the 18th century.
Corrosion of reinforced concrete under marine conditions.

Interests:        I love to travelling and spend a lot of spare time exploring new countries and cultures. I write about my experiences on my web page.

I'm the co-founder of the Legal Aliens Expats group. We organise activities to help integrate ex-pats into Dutch life.

I'm co-chairman of the "Friends of Klein Duimpje" society. Klein Duimpje is a small Dutch micro brewery.

Referees: Available on request