[{"content":"Who I Am #I\u0026rsquo;m Joseph Maxwell, a Datacenter Technician at Google working on production AI/ML accelerator infrastructure.\nMy daily work combines physical hardware turn-up and site operations: commissioning TPU accelerator clusters, diagnosing optical paths across Optical Circuit Switches (OCS), triaging complex hardware faults with agentic AI, and directing AI agents and Google Apps Script to eliminate repetitive technician workflows.\nBefore Google, I spent 14 years in freelance IT consultation and hardware servicing. That background taught me how to triage hardware faults quickly, manage client expectations, and execute under maintenance window pressure.\nExperience #Datacenter Technician — Google (Oct 2023 – Present) #AI/ML Infrastructure \u0026amp; Deployments Commission and maintain Google Cloud TPU accelerator clusters. Travel for multi-site deployments to handle physical installation, rack-level integration, and cluster turn-up.\nOptical Interconnects \u0026amp; Fiber Testing Isolate optical transport faults using power meters, Visual Fault Locators (VFL), and loopback plugs across fiber patch infrastructure and Optical Circuit Switches (OCS).\nAI-Assisted Diagnostics \u0026amp; Team Knowledge Sharing Perform root-cause failure analysis across 23+ production architectures (accelerator, compute, high-density storage) by combining hands-on systems knowledge with agentic AI tooling. Actively share techniques and train teammates on practical AI workflows to speed up incident triage.\nArea Logistics Tooling \u0026amp; Workflow Optimization Adapted an internal logistics tool from a mentor, extending and improving it with Google Apps Script, Forms, and Sheets for a key site functional area. Streamlined technician workflows, cut repetitive entries, and reduced shift handoff errors.\nStorage Media Destruction Handled the secure staging, chain-of-custody tracking, and physical destruction of decommissioned storage media according to NIST SP 800-88 physical destruction standards.\nMentorship \u0026amp; Safety Evaluated and certified technicians on data security standards, Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) electrical safety, and hardware servicing. Served as site ergonomics champion for safe material handling during heavy rack installations.\nCross-Functional Operations Coordinate with remote deployment engineers, network operations, and site logistics leads during scheduled maintenance windows, providing clear status handoffs to protect cluster availability SLOs.\nDatacenter Technician — Akkodis (Apr 2023 – Oct 2023) #Contract datacenter operations role that led directly to my position at Google.\nFreelance IT Consultant (Jan 2009 – Apr 2023 · 14 years) #Handled technical consultation, infrastructure deployment, and hardware servicing for small businesses and private clients. Managed client relationships directly, resolving hardware failures and deploying backup systems with fast turnaround.\nSkills # Category Technologies Hardware TPU v5e/v5p, GPU servers, high-density storage, 23+ production architectures Networking / Optical Optical Circuit Switches (OCS), fiber (SC/LC/MPO), VFLs, power meters, loopback testing Operating Systems Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL/CentOS), server BIOS / IPMI / BMC, Proxmox AI \u0026amp; Diagnostics Agentic AI hardware triage, AI workflow training \u0026amp; team mentorship, root-cause analysis (RCA) Automation \u0026amp; Tooling Google Apps Script, Google Workspace (Forms \u0026amp; Sheets), Agent-directed tooling \u0026amp; workflows, Bash Safety \u0026amp; Compliance Storage media destruction (NIST SP 800-88), Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), chain-of-custody tracking Operations Root-cause analysis, maintenance window coordination, technician certification Find Me Online # LinkedIn — josephrmaxwell selfhostdojo.com — self-hosting tutorials and Linux guides ","date":null,"permalink":"/about/","section":"About","summary":"\u003ch2 id=\"who-i-am\" class=\"relative group\"\u003eWho I Am \u003cspan class=\"absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100\"\u003e\u003ca class=\"group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700\" style=\"text-decoration-line: none !important;\" href=\"#who-i-am\" aria-label=\"Anchor\"\u003e#\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m \u003cstrong\u003eJoseph Maxwell\u003c/strong\u003e, a Datacenter Technician at Google working on production AI/ML accelerator infrastructure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy daily work combines physical hardware turn-up and site operations: commissioning TPU accelerator clusters, diagnosing optical paths across Optical Circuit Switches (OCS), triaging complex hardware faults with agentic AI, and directing AI agents and Google Apps Script to eliminate repetitive technician workflows.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"About"},{"content":"","date":null,"permalink":"/categories/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Categories"},{"content":"","date":null,"permalink":"/","section":"Joseph Maxwell","summary":"","title":"Joseph Maxwell"},{"content":"Selected engineering and operations work from my role as Datacenter Technician at Google. All details align with experience published on my LinkedIn profile.\nTPU Cluster Commissioning and Turn-Up #Role: Datacenter Technician, Google Cloud AI/ML Infrastructure\nCommission and maintain Google Cloud TPU accelerator clusters. Travel for multi-site deployments to handle physical installation, rack-level integration, and cluster turn-up for AI/ML training and serving infrastructure.\nKey responsibilities:\nPhysical installation and rack-level integration of TPU v5e and TPU v5p nodes Multi-site cluster turn-up coordination with remote deployment engineers Status handoffs during maintenance windows to protect cluster availability SLOs Coordination with network operations and site logistics leads Skills: TPU v5e/v5p, rack integration, cluster commissioning, AI/ML infrastructure, multi-site coordination\nAI-Assisted Hardware Diagnostics \u0026amp; Team Mentorship #Role: Datacenter Technician, Hardware Diagnostics\nPerform root-cause failure analysis across 23+ production architectures (accelerator, compute, high-density storage) by pairing hands-on systems knowledge with agentic AI tooling. Actively share techniques and train teammates on practical AI workflows to accelerate triage and reduce incident resolution time.\nKey contributions:\nTriage and diagnose hardware failures across 23+ production accelerator, compute, and storage architectures Integrate agentic AI into daily diagnostic workflows to parse complex error signatures and isolate component faults faster Mentor and train fellow technicians on practical AI workflows and prompt patterns for hardware troubleshooting Update centralized repair documentation based on diagnostic findings to eliminate recurring failures Skills: Agentic AI, hardware diagnostics, root-cause analysis (RCA), team mentorship, 23+ server architectures, technical documentation\nArea Logistics Tooling \u0026amp; Workflow Optimization #Role: Maintainer \u0026amp; Tooling Contributor, Operations Workflow\nAdapted an internal logistics request tool originally created by a mentor, then extended and improved it using Google Apps Script, Google Forms, and Google Sheets for a specific functional area of the site. The improved tool streamlined daily technician workflows, reduced handoff errors, and eliminated repetitive manual data entry across shift rotations.\nKey contributions:\nAdapted and extended a mentor\u0026rsquo;s initial tracking template into a reliable logistics workflow for a key site functional area Implemented automated state transitions, notifications, and data validation using Google Apps Script to eliminate repetitive data entry Standardized hardware intake forms and streamlined technician handoffs, reducing missing details between shifts Maintained the tool across shift rotations to keep parts tracking auditable and real-time Skills: Google Apps Script, Google Workspace (Forms \u0026amp; Sheets), workflow optimization, agent-assisted tooling, operational logistics\nOptical Network Fault Isolation #Role: Datacenter Technician, Network Physical Layer\nIsolate optical transport faults using power meters, Visual Fault Locators (VFL), and loopback plugs across fiber patch infrastructure and Optical Circuit Switches (OCS).\nKey responsibilities:\nPhysical-layer fiber testing and fault isolation using optical test tools OCS routing troubleshooting and verification Fiber infrastructure repair and cable plant documentation Skills: Optical Circuit Switches, fiber testing, VFL, power meters, loopback testing, SC/LC/MPO connectors\nStorage Media Destruction Operations (NIST SP 800-88) #Role: Storage Media Destruction Operations\nHandled the secure staging, chain-of-custody tracking, and physical destruction of decommissioned storage media in accordance with NIST SP 800-88 physical destruction standards across hardware decommissioning cycles and platform upgrades.\nKey responsibilities:\nExecuted physical destruction procedures for decommissioned storage media Enforced NIST SP 800-88 physical media sanitization and destruction standards Maintained strict chain-of-custody tracking from decommission staging to physical destruction Managed secure storage protocols for end-of-life media Skills: NIST SP 800-88, physical storage destruction, chain-of-custody, hardware decommissioning, physical security\nTechnician Certification and Safety Leadership #Role: Evaluator and Site Ergonomics Champion\nEvaluated and certified technicians on data security standards, Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) electrical safety, and hardware servicing. Served as site ergonomics champion for safe material handling during heavy rack installations.\nSkills: LOTO, electrical safety, mentorship, ergonomics, technical certification\n","date":null,"permalink":"/projects/","section":"Projects","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSelected engineering and operations work from my role as Datacenter Technician at Google. All details align with experience published on my \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephrmaxwell/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\"\u003eLinkedIn profile\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"tpu-cluster-commissioning-and-turn-up\" class=\"relative group\"\u003eTPU Cluster Commissioning and Turn-Up \u003cspan class=\"absolute top-0 w-6 transition-opacity opacity-0 -start-6 not-prose group-hover:opacity-100\"\u003e\u003ca class=\"group-hover:text-primary-300 dark:group-hover:text-neutral-700\" style=\"text-decoration-line: none !important;\" href=\"#tpu-cluster-commissioning-and-turn-up\" aria-label=\"Anchor\"\u003e#\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRole:\u003c/strong\u003e Datacenter Technician, Google Cloud AI/ML Infrastructure\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Projects"},{"content":"","date":null,"permalink":"/tags/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Tags"},{"content":"Technical writing on datacenter operations, hardware infrastructure, Linux administration, Go programming, and self-hosting. Also see my hobbyist guides at selfhostdojo.com.\n","date":null,"permalink":"/posts/","section":"Writing","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTechnical writing on datacenter operations, hardware infrastructure, Linux administration, Go programming, and self-hosting. Also see my hobbyist guides at \u003ca href=\"https://selfhostdojo.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\"\u003eselfhostdojo.com\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Writing"}]