About
Robert Melcher
HPC System Administrator / DevOps-Focused
👋 Hello, I’m Robert
DevOps-focused HPC System Administrator & former Cybersecurity Engineer (9+ years). I build secure, scalable infrastructures using automation, cloud, and containerization.
Current role: HPC SysAdmin @ Forvia – managing enterprise HPC clusters, datacenter deployments, and cross-functional IT coordination.
🚀 Core Expertise
| Area | Key Skills |
|---|---|
| HPC Ops | Datacenter coordination (racking/cabling), InfiniBand (Mellanox), iDRAC provisioning, PBS scheduling, SMB/NFS, app support (CST, Moldflow, Altair) |
| Cloud & Virt | AWS (EC2/S3), Oracle Cloud (Ampere), Proxmox/XEN, Docker, Kubernetes (K8s/K3s + Rancher) |
| DevOps | IaC, Puppet/SALT, GitOps, Terraform/Ansible |
| Security & Net | CCNA, VLAN/firewall design (Cisco/Fortinet/Palo/Juniper), NESSUS, IPsec (StrongSwan), WAF |
🛠️ Tech Stack
HPC: PBS, InfiniBand, iDRAC, SMB/NFS, CST/Moldflow/Altair
Cloud: AWS, Oracle Ampere (4vCPU/24GB), K8s/K3s, Docker/Portainer
SysAdmin: Linux/Windows, Puppet/SALT, AD, BAREOS
Net/Sec: CCNA, multi-vendor firewalls, StrongSwan, Forescout, CyberArk
💡 Key Achievements
- Forvia HPC: Full datacenter deployments, InfiniBand clusters, PBS + app integration, cross-team VLAN/firewall flows
- Homelab: Proxmox + K3s/Rancher on Dell R720, pfSense + VLAN/WAF security
- Cloud: AWS/EC2+S3 apps, Oracle Ampere ARM testing
- Past: Puppet→K8s migration, BAREOS 99.9% backup, Forescout Windows 10 rollout
- Dolphost (2022–24): Secure WordPress hosting with WHMCS/cPanel automation
💼 Experience
HPC SysAdmin @ Forvia (2022–Present)
Cybersecurity Engineer @ Atos (2020–22) – firewall policies, CyberArk, Forescout
SysAdmin @ Netex Romania (2018–20) – Puppet→K8s, Asterisk VOIP, datacenter ops
🎓 Education & Certs
Computer Science – West University of Timișoara (2016–18)
CCNA – ID: NJXWKRFD7D1EQ7C0 (2019–20)
🔮 Exploring
HPC optimization, multi-cloud, K8s security, ARM (Ampere), Terraform/Ansible
🏷️ Merox = ME(lcher) + RO(bert) + X
(ex-mer0x39 → 0x39 = 57 = 5 July birth)
Open to infra, or cyber discussions.