# Tony Ambalathingal

> Principal Software Engineer at Ciena

Location: Milpitas, California, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/tonyambalathingal

Experienced software development lead in building systems and networking software for embedded and cloud systems. Significant expertise on Cisco routers and switches in datacenter and service provider product lines, in areas ranging from concept to release including architecture, design, implementation, test and customer support. Proven ability to take on new cross-functional assignments and follow through to completion.

C/C++ |  Python |  Linux | BSD | POSIX  | Datacenter networking | Overlay and virtualization technologies | ASR9K | cat6000 | NCS5500 | VSS | VPC | VxLAN | EVPN | MCLAG | Multicast technologies | Ethernet Technologies |  BGP | MPLS | VPLS | L2VPN technologies | AToM | High Availability | Cross-Functional Initiatives | Systems Architecture | OS infrastructure | Networking protocols | Debugging | validation and test automation | network processors | Merchant Silicon | Jericho | L2 & L3 forwarding

## Work Experience
### Principal Software Engineer @ Ciena
Jan 2019 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area
EVPN  in a virtualized, microservices based linux containerized environment using yocto and bitbake development tools

### Technical Leader - Service Provider Network Systems @ Cisco
Jan 2012 – Jan 2018 | San Jose
- Design and Development of integrated routing and bridging (BVI) forwarding software on IOS XR NCS5500 fixed and modular platforms, for web/OTT and MPLS DC customers, utilizing the advantages of merchant silicon from Broadcom Jericho chipset.
-Development of L2 multicast offload and DNS SSM mapping features in the IOS XR multicast control plane for ASR9000

### Sr Software Engineer/Technical Lead @ Network Software and Systems Technology group @ Cisco
Jan 1998 – Jan 2012 | San Jose, CA
- L2VPN and pseudowire technologies control plane development and support
          . ATOM, pseudowire redundancy, VPLS, BGP AD, A-VPLS provisioning on VSS, 
            and FAT PW on IOS-XE,  VPLS-VPC active-standby on N7K running NX-OS.
-Modular IOS on  QNX Neutrino microkernel  
         . ION control plane performance analysis using tools like xray to identify and 
           improve BGP and multicast convergence and scalability
         .  Posix transport performance enhancements on ION for  TCP and UDP protocol stacks 
            and socket  layers.
         . Infrastructure services development (TTY, libcommon, libposix utilities) for IOS 
           to run on QNX Neutrino Microkernel
- IOS ENA LDP MPLS control plane development on Cisco GSR platform
- Developed working prototype of call dispatcher and DNIS/CLID matching utilities 
       for the NG PSTN  dial services architecture on AS5800 product.
- Design, development and testing of RADIUS DNIS screening featurette  for the resource 
       pooling project on access server product line.

### Software Engineer, Remote Access server development @ HCL Technologies
Jan 1997 – Jan 1998 | N. Virginia
Developed  ISDN dialbackup  feature for  FR links on a Frame relay access device employing a MC68302 processor with embedded OS. FR/DLCI backup and route learning backup mode was implemented for Fastcomm communications at the customer site in a software engineer consultant role.

### Software Engineer, Device driver development @ HCL Hewlett Packard
Jan 1996 – Jan 1997 | Chennai Area, India
-Development of UNIX streams based BRI ISDN driver for Digi Board's 4 port BRI Datafire card, 
-Implemented proxy dhcp module for WAN interfaces.
-RAS client software  design, development
     ISDN virtual device driver for ehanced mode windows using VTOOLSD, development of 
     host driver stack for ISDN Digi Datafire as a DOS TSR and  integration  of the same with 
     ODI stacks using LSL. Conducted exhaustive validation of RAS client over multiple 
     n/w environments (IP.IPx.netbui) using different third party protocol 
     stacks (onnet,netmanage, mstcp).
- Internationalization of FTP software's TCP/IP kernel VxD and dialer modules on Windows 3.1

### Member Technical Staff @ Future Software
Jan 1994 – Jan 1996 | Chennai, India
Added network management  for ISDN terminal adapter module by  implementing party MIB and  SNMP V2 agent extensions.


## Education
### Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) in Computer Engineering
NIT


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tonyambalathingal

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Source: https://flows.cv/tonyambalathingal
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/tonyambalathingal/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-04-12