Spencer SMOLEN · DEVOPS
Home Articles6 Projects4 Products2 Bookshelf7 Résumé Contact
Connect
Home Articles
6 posts

Articles

#gitops#kubernetes#helm#vault#releng#observability
Common Gotchas When Working with HPAs in Kubernetes

Common Gotchas When Working with HPAs in Kubernetes

The Horizontal Pod Autoscaler looks simple, but missing metrics, unset requests, averaging behavior, and stabilization windows can make it quietly do the wrong thing.

Jul 2026 ·11 min·#kubernetes
Learn How to Learn Linux: Part II

Learn How to Learn Linux: Part II

A practical tour of man page sections, local documentation paths, and command-line discovery techniques for learning Linux from the system itself.

Jul 2026 ·7 min·#observability
Creating an Automated RPM Build Pipeline using GitHub Actions

Creating an Automated RPM Build Pipeline using GitHub Actions

How to connect traditional RPM packaging with GitHub Actions so packages can be built, archived, and distributed through a repeatable CI pipeline.

Jul 2026 ·10 min·#releng
Debugging Bash Scripts with $PS4

Debugging Bash Scripts with $PS4

Using Bash's PS4 prompt with set -x to add timestamps, file names, line numbers, and useful context to shell trace output.

Jul 2026 ·4 min·#observability
Learn How to Learn Linux: Part I

Learn How to Learn Linux: Part I

A deep look at Linux's built-in documentation culture, from the Unix Programmer's Manual to the man page system, and why learning how to use it changes how you learn Linux.

Feb 2023 ·7 min·#observability
Creating an Ansible user in Linux

Creating an Ansible user in Linux

Creating a dedicated non-root Ansible user with sudo access and SSH key authentication for more secure Linux host management.

Nov 2022 ·7 min·#releng

© 2026 Spencer Smolen Chattanooga, TN
Currently
RoleSenior TechOps Engineer
BasedChattanooga, TN
BuildingChartpress
Turning manual release operations into repeatable, observable platform workflows.
Popular Tags
#gitops #kubernetes #helm #vault #releng #observability