My assignment at EDF started at the end of January 2023 and ended at the beginning of March 2024. I started as an application integrator on two projects, with one person working in pairs.
My partner and I were responsible for two projects. The first concerned an application for integrating, via a web interface, the results of checks on steam-generating tubes at the reactor core outlet. The second application was used to consult information on the various sensors positioned around the power plants.
The tasks and environment of these two projects were identical, because at EDF, there is a common process for each application. As a result, everything is managed in the same way in terms of procedures. The following paragraphs will therefore apply to both applications.
With my partner, we had to master both projects, because during vacations or absences, we had to be able to replace the other on the tasks and demands linked to each project.
The work of an application integrator is very diversified. I needed technical skills, but also functional ones, as I was involved in a lot of different things.
My main task was to set up virtual machine systems running on Redhat Linux 7, and make sure they were ready to receive applications. This involved setting up certificates, opening network streams, requesting rights and so on.
Once the environments had been configured, my role was to deploy the applications on them. The development teams delivered ready-to-install packages, and we had automated deployment jobs to perform the installations on each machine concerned.
These applications ran in both non-production and production environments. When a production installation was planned, there was a very meticulous procedure to follow and deliverables to provide. Everything was planned to limit the risk of installation failure, which for some applications can have a considerable impact, given that EDF's core business is nuclear power.
I also had to write documentation for the new things we were setting up in connection with the applications, such as supervision, Kibana/Elasticsearch graphs, etc. We had a dedicated documentation area. We had a dedicated documentation area. I was also in charge of certain functional requests, such as requests to assign rights to application users.
Both projects also had their own databases, which I had to administer and monitor. There was an Oracle database and a Postgresql database. Knowing that these databases were very stable on both projects, it wasn't often that I had to make changes to them.
As with every project of this kind, teamwork is essential. Knowing that here, me and my partner had to be able to do each other's tasks, it was essential to give each other the information and skills concerning each application. We each had our own independent part to play, but it was essential to be able to put things together and pass them on.
The application integrator is a real Swiss Army knife. Between technical and functional requests, monitoring and writing procedures, communication, managing the impact on production and freedom in non-production environments, I've learned to be more cross-functional and to understand, with a broader perspective, the issues and methods that revolve around applications at EDF.