Jeff David, Senior Principal Software Engineer, Mercury Systems, Inc.

Jeff has worked in the computer hardware and software industry since the 80s, including on OS components, wired and wireless networking, board bring-up, ATCA, IPMI, and VITA 46.11. He’s married with grown children and one grandchild! His hobbies include playing the bass guitar and riding motorcycles.

WORKING WITH VITA

1. What role does VITA’s Systems Management Community play in helping the larger embedded computing ecosystem?

VITA’s System Management Community provides a framework for communication within which multiple varied companies can collaborate and create products that successfully and seamlessly interact.

2. For someone not familiar with VITA 46.11, what are the key elements to understanding the benefits of this standard that provides a systems control capability?

Systems that support VITA 46.11 have the ability to communicate with each other over a well-established and well-defined low-level backplane protocol that remains available even when higher-level communication (e.g. Ethernet) is not. The VITA 46.11 Chassis Manager provides a focal point from which all boards in a chassis may be controlled (for power and reset) and an aggregation point on which information about the boards in the system and their health may be easily collected. It is important to understand that the System Management infrastructure remains powered on while the Payload of each board in the system may be powered off.

WHY ENGINEERING?

1. Did you always want to be an engineer? If so, why?  If not, how’d you wind up here?

Haha! No, I wanted to be a travelling musician! Then I settled down and got married, had kids, and went back to school. I enjoyed working on computers at school and got a job at Wang upon graduation. Many industry changes over the years eventually brought me to Mercury.

2. What has surprised you the most about the work you do with embedded computing? (or engineering in general)

How I continue to remain interested and feel rewarded just from getting things to work!

3. What is one of the biggest issue currently facing engineers?

Outsourcing.

4. What advice would you give to someone looking into this field of engineering?

Do what you enjoy doing. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Off the cuff: Tell us your favorite joke.

I thought I was wrong once, but I was wrong…