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[Access Request] John for SRE/Infra
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Description

This is a request to re-join the Infra team following a discussion with @Reception123.

Prior public key is still valid and remained securely stored.


Onboarding checklist:

Event Timeline

John triaged this task as Normal priority.Aug 6 2021, 18:30
John created this task.

Noting that MediaWiki Engineering have had quite a discussion between each of us individually and as a group this evening. I'll comment in the morning with my summary once I've slept on it.

Hi,

I am after lengthy talks with Reception and Universal_Omega recommending to refuse this access request.

The comments that are still on your user page (https://meta.miraheze.org/w/index.php?title=User:John&oldid=181658) describe the environment among us as toxic and unworkable. You also said had no faith in leadership or SRE. The conversation you had with Void the other day also showed a complete lack of respect.

It's my opinion that bringing back a member of management who has jumped ship and left us after struggling for years to lead to an environment where we are sustainable and actively effects our relationship with upstream providers is not of a benefit to us.

I thank you for your service over the years but now is our time to reinvent and reset where we stand. Your presence on SRE would not do that in my opinion. The desicions we make over the next months might well be make or break so yes this is a risk.

I'll leave Reception and Universal Omega to make their own comments.

Unknown Object (User) added a comment.Aug 7 2021, 08:31

I'd like to also note that I too have reservations regarding this request. RhinosF1 well-articulated the reasons for my thoughts on this as well.

I feel that the attitude you have held in the past is toxic and does not provide for the best internal SRE environment. Your attitude towards SRE following your resignation has not been friendly. That type of attitude is not conducive to the environment SRE should head for.

You have been a huge asset to Miraheze and I don't think we'd be where we are today without you, and I thank you for that.

I understand that this was quite direct as well and my intention is no disrespect.

The comments that are still on your user page (https://meta.miraheze.org/w/index.php?title=User:John&oldid=181658) describe the environment among us as toxic and unworkable. You also said had no faith in leadership or SRE. The conversation you had with Void the other day also showed a complete lack of respect.

During said conversation and others following my departure, you challenged me numerous times to provide solutions and invited me to work to solve the problem. If you are now openly stating you do not wish for me to engage to provide solutions, that is fine but contradictory.

It's my opinion that bringing back a member of management who has jumped ship and left us after struggling for years to lead to an environment where we are sustainable and actively effects our relationship with upstream providers is not of a benefit to us.

I have over the years taken many initiatives to provide sustainability in this environment. Since my department, Miraheze’s SRE has lost a lot of valuable skills and is struggle to maintain itself never mind be ‘sustainable’. I have not been the project lead since December 2015, and since 2015 I have never been responsible for the long term sustainability of the project - that has always been Southparkfan who has not been in a position to lead the project for a long period of time which is why he stepped down. I left because this wasn’t happening at the time, not because I had failed.

I thank you for your service over the years but now is our time to reinvent and reset where we stand. Your presence on SRE would not do that in my opinion. The desicions we make over the next months might well be make or break so yes this is a risk.

The decisions to refuse volunteers is a decision that will break SRE. There are not other volunteers with sufficient knowledge to support the project, to refuse those that have them would be reckless and dangerous.

I have only made this request because I have been asked by members of SRE and the Board to reconsider my decision to step down.

In T7751#156059, @John wrote:

The comments that are still on your user page (https://meta.miraheze.org/w/index.php?title=User:John&oldid=181658) describe the environment among us as toxic and unworkable. You also said had no faith in leadership or SRE. The conversation you had with Void the other day also showed a complete lack of respect.

During said conversation and others following my departure, you challenged me numerous times to provide solutions and invited me to work to solve the problem. If you are now openly stating you do not wish for me to engage to provide solutions, that is fine but contradictory.

We need people who'll provide solutions not just complain about us. Simply coming back and complaining about us from another angle isn't a solution. You're gonna need to demonstrate your solutions first.

It's my opinion that bringing back a member of management who has jumped ship and left us after struggling for years to lead to an environment where we are sustainable and actively effects our relationship with upstream providers is not of a benefit to us.

I have over the years taken many initiatives to provide sustainability in this environment.

And not a single one has worked.

Since my department, Miraheze’s SRE has lost a lot of valuable skills and is struggle to maintain itself never mind be ‘sustainable’. I have not been the project lead since December 2015, and since 2015 I have never been responsible for the long term sustainability of the project - that has always been Southparkfan who has not been in a position to lead the project for a long period of time which is why he stepped down. I left because this wasn’t happening at the time, not because I had failed.

It should be the focus of everyone that we're sustainable in the long term.

I thank you for your service over the years but now is our time to reinvent and reset where we stand. Your presence on SRE would not do that in my opinion. The desicions we make over the next months might well be make or break so yes this is a risk.

The decisions to refuse volunteers is a decision that will break SRE. There are not other volunteers with sufficient knowledge to support the project, to refuse those that have them would be reckless and dangerous.

I've said that it's a risk but with the comments internally made last night / this morning and the suggestions by Adam at the WMF board elections. I think we'll do better without you. It's probably gonna be a rough 6 months and take a lot of hard work but risky calls with a view to the future are going to pay off.

I have only made this request because I have been asked by members of SRE and the Board to reconsider my decision to step down.

I shall take on your board your comments once I have seen you exhibit the 'solutions not problems' complex and have taken responsibility for sustainability of volunteer recruitment - as I have not seen either of these demonstrated by yourself over the years you've been involved in the project. In fact, you've contributed to two highly valuable members of SRE leaving recently.

Look at sslrequest. I've been trying for a long time to get the support the put a new system in place and been constantly blocked. I tried to introduce new people into our team and got nowhere. I've worked successfully with partners that Miraheze managed to completely ruin. We need to press reset and try and get us into a position where we are respected in communities. Currently we're far from it.

Look at sslrequest. I've been trying for a long time to get the support the put a new system in place and been constantly blocked. I tried to introduce new people into our team and got nowhere. I've worked successfully with partners that Miraheze managed to completely ruin.

These sound like problems without solutions though. For the latter point, you have consistently blamed the wider team for the collapse in relationships without providing any solutions in how to solve them. This comment also sounds like you're complaining about things not happening without proposing solutions on how to address and fix them.

Well to be fair, I do think John makes a valid point here.

I think, and is my opinion, that we should accept John in Miraheze again. He has valuable skills and knows how to manage the infrastructure of Miraheze.

I'd like to ask a few questions:

  1. How would you manage interpersonal relationships and dynamics among SRE members?
  2. What is your vision for Miraheze in the long term?
  3. What do you plan on doing if you are to return in the Infra team? Are there any specific tasks that you plan on undertaking?
  4. What about Miraheze's current situation has changed your view that it has a future and caused you to want to return?
  1. How would you manage interpersonal relationships and dynamics among SRE members?

Interpersonal relationships are a two-way street - both parties need to want to have such a friendly relationship. Others do not but require to work together so these become professional only. SRE has always had a mix of these differing relationships - the management of them is difficult especially in a volunteer environment as there have been consistent problems in the past with managing these with one current member of the SRE team. Besides this one member, I have good relationships with all others members be them friendly, professional or on said spectrum.

Managing conflicts and issues within a volunteer environment is hard and difficult - being able to civilly address and work on solving problems is critical. This is how I would handle all dynamics and is how I have dealt with all prior dynamics, I have never in the past skipped the stage of attempting to solve a problem civilly and one-on-one where the other party is willing to engage and do so. When this is not possible, it must be referred for a neutral person to attempt to mediate a civil solution.

  1. What is your vision for Miraheze in the long term?

My vision is the vision it has always been for Miraheze since Day 1. To be a successful project, that is community centric and builds the tools and environments necessary for communities to prosper, take control of their own destiny and lead by way of example. This vision has been consistent and has been adapted yearly in anniversary celebrations of Year 1, Year 3, Year 4, and parts of Year 5. Specifically, the technical infrastructure needs a real and thorough review and there's a lot of long term iffy problems that need solving with regards to stability. These would be main focus.

  1. What do you plan on doing if you are to return in the Infra team? Are there any specific tasks that you plan on undertaking?

The main tasks I would do would be to conduct a full infrastructure analysis as I have done in the past, re-evaluate where resources are being utilised and understand the full impact on adjusting these. I would seek to work towards the formalisation of internal Infrastructure and wider SRE processes to ensure we can create a strong and stable team. I would seek to develop and upskill @Void specifically to ensure he is in the best possible position as a member of the Infrastructure team to execute his volunteering duties efficiently and effectively. I will also seek to review and update our older untouched infrastructure for DNS and Mail, ensuring these are fully rehashed and increasing the monitoring of fault-led tolerance levels.

  1. What about Miraheze's current situation has changed your view that it has a future and caused you to want to return?

The decision by SPF to step down as DSRE and the Board's hunt for a new DSRE has shown me that the change I so heavily stated was needed has been properly identified and is being worked on. I have engaged with the Board privately on other matters in the past which are being worked on now as well. With Reception currently in the DSRE seat, I believe we have someone who has the relevant activity levels to be able to engage and work with to ensure the project progresses at an appropriate speed.

Thank you for providing in depth answers to all the questions.

This request is approved by me with the understanding that you will work to maintain a professional relationship with other volunteers, particularly those you have and have had disagreements with. It should be a given that all members of the team would disengage from an argument or disagreement that is becoming uncivil or where it serves no purpose but drama, and request a team manager (or other relevant administrative body) to step in to mediate the dispute.

Cheers,
Void

For the record this was also discussed with me as per the policy and I also approve and agree with the statement above.

MacFan4000 updated the task description. (Show Details)

@John LDAP password has been set to K14, please login to ldapwiki and change it.

Assigning to SPF for the remaining two things, although @Reception123 can do Facebook. (Again for twitter, please give some SRE members admin access in tweetdeck).

Standard OVH is done, but not ca.ovh.com or RamNode (though I believe I can do both). Twitter will still need to be done.

Unknown Object (User) added a comment.Aug 11 2021, 22:46
In T7751#156332, @Void wrote:

Standard OVH is done, but not ca.ovh.com or RamNode (though I believe I can do both). Twitter will still need to be done.

I think @Reception123 did CA OVH now.

John reassigned this task from Southparkfan to Reception123.