JAKE SKINNER / NETWORK ENGINEER
I’m a Network Engineer supporting Walmart Global Tech through Apex Systems. In L2 NetOps, I diagnose production network faults, restore service, and build tools that make operational work easier.
Data centers / WAN & GWAN / Distribution centers / Store networks
01 ABOUT
My work moves between day-to-day production troubleshooting and rotating escalation coverage. That can mean working through a persistent connectivity problem or joining an active outage where several teams need a clear picture of what the network is doing.
I use packet analysis, monitoring data, and device diagnostics to investigate routing, switching, circuit, hardware, and network-service issues. I carry out operational remediation, coordinate with carriers, vendors, and engineering teams, then validate restoration and monitor stability.
Our team supports retail, club, distribution, campus, data center, and WAN connectivity, alongside DNS, DHCP, and IP address management. L2 is the operational step beyond front-line triage: I investigate and restore service, escalating design or lifecycle changes with the evidence engineering teams need.
02 EXPERTISE
I work from the symptom back to the fault: interface errors, a missing route, an unstable peer, or a circuit that is no longer carrying traffic as expected. I compare device state with monitoring history and packet behavior to narrow the problem across LAN, WAN, and backbone environments.
Assessing business impact, applying operational fixes, and validating stability. When hardware fails, I coordinate replacement and vendor support, track progress, and keep a clear handoff across shifts.
A connectivity issue can involve the physical link, switch port, VLAN, power delivery, or services such as DNS and DHCP. I trace those dependencies—including the infrastructure serving wireless access points—and bring in specialist teams with the findings they need to continue the investigation.
Python, shell scripts, and APIs for inventory queries and troubleshooting helpers. Runbooks, diagnostic playbooks, and incident lessons make the next investigation easier.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
03 SELECTED WORK
Tools built around friction in day-to-day engineering.
Interactive network troubleshooting tool
I built an interactive terminal application for exploring device information, routing state, interface statistics, and circuit data during troubleshooting.
The engineering problem During troubleshooting, I often need several views of the same device: its hardware, interfaces, neighbors, and routing state. Writing separate queries and working through raw results interrupts that investigation. TitanView brings those lookups into one menu-driven workflow.
Python · Interactive terminal UI · Search & filtering · Formatted tables
Search for a device, select the intended result, and move from its overview into interfaces, neighbors, routing information, or performance metrics. Autocomplete and readable tables make the results easier to navigate. I refined device selection and usability around the friction I encountered in engineering workflows, so more of the interaction stays focused on the question being investigated.
Operational workflows
I worked on Wibey, an AI-assisted workflow for creating structured incident notes and turnover information.
The engineering problem A useful handoff needs more than a list of actions. It needs the impact, findings, changes, and remaining questions, often assembled while an engineer is still working the incident. Wibey explores using operational knowledge and existing documentation to help draft that structure with less repetitive writing.
AI-assisted workflows · Knowledge retrieval · Incident documentation
The concept combines knowledge retrieval with AI-assisted drafting to help organize incident context into structured notes and turnover information. The goal is to preserve the technical thread of the investigation—what is known and what needs attention—while reducing the effort spent rewriting it for a handoff.
I also experiment with troubleshooting scripts and personal networking: VLANs, segmentation, VPNs, and wireless links. It’s another way to work through how networks behave.
04 HOW I WORK
I start with what is failing, who or what is affected, and when the behavior changed. That scope sets the urgency and helps focus the investigation.
I compare monitoring history, device state, and packet captures to isolate the fault. When the evidence points beyond the network, I share what I have ruled out and what still needs investigation.
After applying an operational fix or coordinating a replacement, I check that service has recovered and watch for stability. A cleared alert is one signal; the affected service also needs to work.
During the incident, I communicate impact, findings, and the next action. At handoff, I document what was tested, what changed, and what remains open so the next shift can continue the work.
I capture recurring patterns in problem records and runbooks, escalate issues that need longer-term engineering changes, and build helpers for the lookups I keep repeating.
05 AWAY FROM THE TERMINAL
Outside of work, I’m a big space enthusiast. I own several telescopes and recently started exploring astrophotography. Astronomy is something I enjoy both through a telescope and through the things I read.
A few space and astronomy reads I’ve enjoyed.
Quanta Magazine Podcast & transcript
A conversation with Adam Riess about why measurements of cosmic expansion disagree—and what might resolve the Hubble tension.
Scientific American Article
An investigation into quasars that rapidly dim or brighten, and what those changes reveal about matter around supermassive black holes.
Scientific American Article
A look at the first generation of stars in the early universe.
06 GET IN TOUCH
ENGINEERING STARTS WITH A CONVERSATION
Networks, automation, a tricky technical problem, or the next career opportunity. I’d be glad to talk.