The setting
Vellmark Logistics runs freight distribution centers where handheld scanners, warehouse management servers, and dock systems all depend on the network staying up. You are the systems engineer standing up the new Reno center and keeping the existing sites running.
Every mission on this path happens at the same company, so context carries over the way it does in a real job: the data you cleaned in mission two is the data the finance lead questions in mission four.
The missions
1. network designstarter
Design the network for Vellmark's new Reno distribution center
Vellmark's Reno distribution center opens in two months and needs a network from scratch. Scanners, servers, cameras, and guest wifi will all share the building, and they must not all share the same segment.
You deliver: A network design document with a subnet plan, DHCP scopes, and isolation rules for each segment.
Scored on: Right-sized subnets, DHCP and static plan, Isolation rules, Fits the address space.
Working from: site_requirements.md, planned_segments.csv.
2. troubleshootingstarter
Troubleshoot the dropped scanner connections at the Reno dock
Dock staff at Reno say the handheld scanners keep losing connection every morning right at shift change, then recover later. Freight cannot be logged while scanners are down, so this is costing throughput.
You deliver: A troubleshooting analysis stating the root cause with log evidence and a fix that addresses it.
Scored on: Correct root cause, Evidence from the log, Explains the timing, Fix matches the cause.
Working from: symptom_report.md, dhcp_log.csv.
3. capacity plancore
Plan capacity for Vellmark's peak-season WMS servers
Peak season starts in five weeks and adds roughly 40 percent more load to the warehouse management servers. Leadership wants to know what to add and when, before the busy period, not during it.
You deliver: A capacity plan identifying the first resource to hit a limit, when, and a timed recommendation.
Scored on: Finds the first limit, Projects the timing, Separates the stable servers, Timed recommendation.
Working from: utilization.csv.
4. config reviewcore
Review the Reno edge firewall config before cutover
The Reno edge firewall config was written quickly and goes live at cutover this weekend. Once it faces the internet, a loose rule is an open door, so it needs a review first.
You deliver: A config review listing each finding with the line, a severity, and a specific fix, ordered worst first.
Scored on: Finds the any-any rule, Finds the shadowed rule, Management findings, Line references and fixes.
Working from: firewall_config.txt.
5. runbookstretch
Write the failover runbook for Vellmark's WMS database cluster
The WMS database has failed over three times in the last year, and each time something went wrong that a good runbook would have prevented. On-call needs one clear document to follow at 3am.
You deliver: A failover runbook with ordered steps, the checks proven necessary by past incidents, and verification.
Scored on: Includes the DNS update, Includes the lag check, Includes the pool bounce, Ordered with verification.
Working from: cluster_architecture.md, past_incidents.md.
How the scoring works
Each deliverable is graded against the rubric written for that mission. Separately, every mission on every path is graded on how you used AI, against the same four criteria:
- Understood the task. The learner framed the goal for the assistant clearly instead of pasting the brief and hoping.
- Grounded in the material. The learner directed the assistant into the provided files and based the work on them, not on invented facts.
- Verified the output. The learner checked claims, numbers, or coverage against the source material before submitting.
- Iterated with judgment. The learner refined weak parts of the draft with specific follow-ups rather than accepting the first answer.
Both scores, with the work behind them, go on your proof profile. That is what makes a claim like "I can use AI for systems and networking" something an employer can check.