# Shaokong Kao > Principal Software Engineer Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/shaokong Experienced Senior Software Engineering Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the computer networking industry. Skilled in Network Processor/SDK, Linux, QoS, switching/routing and system level programming. Strong engineering professional with a Ph.D focused in Computer Networking from University of California at Davis. ## Work Experience ### Principal Software Engineer @ Ciena Jan 2020 – Present | San Jose, California, United States Successfully brought up several new routing/switching platforms which are based on x86 CPUs (Broadwell, IceLake) and Broadocm DNX/DNX2 ASICs. The projects involved Linux kernel and device driver programming, Linux startup scripts, Python scripts, Broadcom SDK initialization, port state machine and optics. The development is done in a Yacto environment using Git as source control. ### Senior Software Engineering Manager @ Extreme Networks Jan 2017 – Jan 2020 Supervised 6-member team across geographic regions through several new routing products development working with Broadcom DNX/XGS network processors on Linux based platform. Delivered critical features. Inspired team members with advancement opportunities and improved team member recognition. • Brought up new Broadcom chip and SDK in record time, allowing whole release to accelerate. • Achieved project release through campus movement and headcount reduction, leading to less customer escalations. • Developed career plans for team members and promoted some members, advancing skill sets and responsibilities. • Mentored junior team member to take ownership of major area by encouraging taking on challenge, ensuring support and back up would be provided, meeting regularly to offer feedback and discuss issues, and reviewing projects, ensuring correct and sound coding an implementation. • Delivered critical features on time and with high quality. ### Technical Manager, Software Engineering @ Brocade Jan 2014 – Jan 2017 | San Jose, CA Led and developed dispersed 10-member ASIC driver team to develop next generation switch / router platform SLX for internet provider and data center. Used Broadcom DNX network processor on Linux based platform. • Guided team through unknowns and issues posed by new Broadcom network processor and SDK, motivating developers with exciting technical challenge and advancement opportunities, resulting in providing stable platform with basic layer 2 functions to rest of teams. • Promoted 2 members to Staff Engineer positions, and 1 senior member to Principal Engineer position, bolstering skills through development opportunities. • Engaged senior developers to re-architect driver infrastructure, moving driver code out of kernel to user land to work better with Broadcom's SDK, and making driver code easier to debug and maintain. • Initiated and inspired team to write comprehensive guide for traffic debugging, conveying valuable information to upper layer teams and tech support teams. • Investigated urgent issue where MAC packet / bit rates were incorrect, identifying root cause due to SDK polling, modifying code and improving processing, resolving inaccuracy. • Built strong team, recruiting employees, interviewing and evaluating qualified applicants, driving members to work through obstacles, collaborating in delivering Brocade's first merchant silicon-based router platform. ### Senior Software Engineering Manager @ Brocade Jan 2010 – Jan 2014 | San Jose, CA Managed 5-member team working on first data center switch VDX using in-house ASIC and Linux based platform. Delivered critical features such as QoS, ACL, CPU protection and policy-based routing. • Drove re-architecture of system service module, streamlining code and adding redundancy support. • Fostered and encouraged senior member’s proposal to re-write QoS module, resulting in modular QoS implementation with High Availability support. • Designed and implemented "control packet trapping / snooping" feature, ensuring correct packets were trapped to CPU, allowing protocols to function and avoiding overload by shaping CUP-bound traffic. • Developed policy-based routing feature, enabling users to route traffic based on specific policies. ### Technical Lead (Software) @ Foundry Network (Now Brocade) Jan 2001 – Jan 2010 | San Jose, CA • Architected, designed and implemented following infrastructure modules. > line card module manager. > line card port manager. > fabric module manager. > event manager. > hardware abstraction layer. > firmware and FPGA download. • Architected, designed and implemented High Availability (HA) and In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) infrastructure (US Patent No: US 8448162 B2). • Designed and implemented Link Aggregation (LAG) and Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP). • Built peripheral device drivers controlling power modules, fans and temperature sensors. ### Senior Software Engineer @ Alidian Networks Jan 2000 – Jan 2001 | San Jose, CA • Developed High Availability feature. • Regarded as "Star Performer" by Director of Software due to success with high profile project. ### Software Engineer @ Sun Microsystems (now Oracle) Jan 1995 – Jan 2000 | Menlo Park, CA Worked in the following areas: 1. Suncreen Firewall 2. Trusted Solaris - Networking Stack ## Education ### Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Computer Engineering (Networking) University of California, Davis ### Master of Science (M.S.) in Computer Enginerring Oregon State University ### Bachelor of Science (BS) in Electrical and Electronics Engineering Shanghai Jiao Tong University ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/shaokong-kao-1364a83a --- Source: https://flows.cv/shaokong JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/shaokong/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-12