Ben Santora
Linux Systems Technician · Linux Restoration Specialist · Open Source Advocate
Professional Summary
Linux systems technician focused on restoring, optimizing, and maintaining practical Linux environments on real-world hardware. Experienced in building lightweight Debian-based systems, troubleshooting hardware and software issues, creating repeatable Linux deployment workflows, and extending the useful life of aging computers through open-source solutions.
Combines hands-on Linux expertise with decades of engineering troubleshooting experience: diagnosing complex systems, isolating failures, documenting solutions, and returning equipment to reliable operation.
Linux Experience
Independent Linux Systems Technician
Linux Restoration Lab / Open Source Projects
2026 – Present
Designing practical Linux systems focused on hardware restoration, lightweight computing, and long-term usability.
Linux Restoration & Hardware Recovery
- Restore aging and abandoned PCs by replacing obsolete operating systems with optimized Linux installations.
- Evaluate hardware compatibility, performance limitations, and upgrade possibilities.
- Extend the useful life of computers otherwise considered obsolete due to modern OS requirements.
- Develop repeatable workflows for hardware assessment, Linux installation, configuration, and optimization.
Debian-Based Linux Systems
- Build customized Debian environments from minimal installations.
- Develop lightweight desktop systems using Openbox, Tint2, and carefully selected software stacks.
- Create personal Linux configurations optimized for speed, simplicity, reliability, and maintainability.
- Maintain system images, configuration files, package lists, and deployment notes.
Linux Troubleshooting & Diagnostics
- Diagnose hardware and software problems: boot issues, storage devices, networking, graphics, audio, drivers, firmware, system services, package conflicts.
- Apply systematic troubleshooting methods developed from decades of engineering experience.
- Use Linux tools, logs, command-line diagnostics, and AI-assisted analysis to identify and resolve problems.
Linux Tools & Automation
- Create scripts and workflows to simplify system installation, configuration, backups, maintenance, and hardware documentation.
- Build personal Linux technician environments containing diagnostic and recovery utilities.
Documentation & Knowledge Sharing
- Maintain detailed technical documentation for Linux builds, hardware testing, and troubleshooting procedures.
- Create practical guides focused on helping others install, maintain, and understand Linux systems.
- Promote responsible hardware reuse through Linux-based computer restoration.
Selected Projects
Lightweight Debian Workstation Project
Design a minimal Debian-based desktop environment emphasizing low resource usage, simplicity, reliability, and user control.
Linux Hardware Restoration Projects
Recover multiple older computers by evaluating hardware condition, selecting appropriate Linux distributions, optimizing performance, documenting configurations, and returning systems to productive use.
Personal Linux Technician Environment
Develop a customized Linux workspace containing diagnostic tools, recovery utilities, hardware testing applications, automation scripts, and configuration management resources — a practical environment for restoring, maintaining, and troubleshooting computer systems.
Technical Skills
Engineering Technician - Employment History (1972 - 2021)
RF Power Technician
XP Power LLC — Gloucester, MA
2018 – 2021
Assembly and test of RF matching network systems.
Geodetic Instrument Technician
B. L. Makepeace Inc — Boston, MA
1985 – 1990 · 1998 – 2013
Repair and calibration of surveying instruments — levels, transits, theodolites, rotary lasers, EDM / total stations.
Avionics Technician
Cambridge Aero Instruments — Warren, VT
1991 – 1998
Assembly, test, and calibration of avionics for sailplanes — variometers, GPS, navigation computers.
Engineering Technician — Superconducting Magnet & MRI Systems
Intermagnetics General Inc — Guilderland, NY
1981 – 1985
R&D on superconducting magnets — participation in the creation of some of the world's first MRI systems.
Assembly / Test Technician / R&D
Environment One Corp — Schenectady, NY
1978 – 1981
Assembly, test, and R&D of original-design instruments; subcontract work for Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory.
Documentation Technician
General Electric Corp — Schenectady, NY
Summer 1972
X-Ray Development.
Education
A.A.S. Electronics Technology — SUNY Mohawk Valley