Systems Group

Modernizing and Maintaining Computer Science Department Infrastructure

Summer 2026

Awab Suliman, Roshan Kalantarian

Advisors: Oliver Hollocher-Small & Andrew Danner

Our summer roles focused on maintaining and improving the Computer Science Department’s computing infrastructure. Rather than conducting traditional research, we worked on large-scale systems administration tasks that support the department’s students, faculty, and research labs. Our responsibilities included upgrading the department’s Linux workstations to Ubuntu 26.04, replacing aging laboratory computers, upgrading the CS subnet’s firewalls, updating to a newer CUDA version, improving default VS Code configurations, and replacing the server rack in Martin 310.

Many of these projects required balancing reliability with minimal downtime. We developed an understanding of automated system deployment using the FAI process, various scripts, and Ansible, while also learning how a large number of systems are upgraded and configured safely through staged testing. We also contributed improvements that enhance the everyday experience of students using departmental machines, including cleaner VS Code defaults for students.

Through this work, we gained practical experience with Linux systems administration, networking, automation, hardware deployment, and infrastructure management. Our various projects provided insight into how large academic computing environments are maintained and how careful planning, scripting, and testing ensure that hundreds of users can rely on stable and secure CS clients throughout the academic year.