In addition to being a computer science professor, I am a consultant on issues related to computer storage systems and, more generally, computer systems. My curriculum vitae is available online, as are details on my research group, the Storage Systems Research Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
File & Storage System Design
Since 2001, I have consulted with several Silicon Valley companies on storage system and file system design issues. These issues range from questions of how to implement petabyte-scale storage systems using commodity storage devices to ongoing consulting on next-generation file systems.
I've been working with Pure Storage since late 2009 to help them design from scratch and implement a high-performance all-flash storage array. In addition to general system design issues and performance analysis, I've worked on software for high-perfomance erasure coding and compression. I've also been heavily involved in preparing Pure's intellectual property portfolio.
Technical Advisory Boards
I've served on the Technical Advisory Boards of several companies, and am currently on the advisory board for 8kpc.
I'm happy to consider service on other advisory boards, particularly for companies solving issues in advanced file and storage systems, distributed systems, or systems security, as long as it doesn't conflict with my existing board service or my work at Pure Storage.
Intellectual Property
I have also served as an expert witness and consulting expert in several intellectual property lawsuits. In doing so, I investigated prior art for patents and analyzed source code to determine whether it infringed the patents at suit. I have prepared expert reports on patent validity and infringement, and have testified at deposition and in court on my findings. If you are interested in having me serve as an expert (testifying or consulting), please contact me by phone or email. I'd be happy to provide references from attorneys who have worked with me on prior cases.
Contact Information
The best way to contact me is by email, since my schedule is often quite full. You can also call my cell phone, but please be aware that my cell phone often has no reception in my on-campus office, so I may not get your message until the evening.