VirtuArchitect / Personal platform engineering lab

Enterprise infrastructure architecture and automation for complex environments.

I am John Goulden, an infrastructure architect and the creator of ZTF-Orchestrator. My independent engineering work helps teams explore repeatable, reviewable operations for Nutanix and complex infrastructure environments.

Prepare workflows. Review execution. Keep evidence for handover.

Start here

Make selected Nutanix operations repeatable and reviewable.

ZTF-Orchestrator brings workflow preparation, readiness checks, applicable approvals, execution history, and evidence into one operations console. Explore the workflow, inspect its implementation, and assess whether a defined use case fits your team and environment.

Read the flagship case study Watch the v1.8.5-rc1 simulated demo View speaking page

Practical use cases

Deployment, operational review and disaster recovery preparation.

Repeatable deployment

Prepare reviewed inputs, run selected workflows, and retain results that another engineer can inspect and use for handover.

Operational review

Bring configuration, applicable approvals, execution history, and evidence together. Controls and validation boundaries vary by workflow.

Disaster recovery (DR): infrastructure rebuild preparation and rehearsal

Backups preserve what you need to recover. Our focus is preparing and rehearsing how to rebuild the infrastructure you recover onto.

Evaluate selected rebuild workflows as part of a wider recovery process. Incident containment, security clearance, backup restoration, and application acceptance remain separate responsibilities. A guide or simulated demonstration does not establish recovery performance in your environment.

Read the infrastructure-recovery guide

Release and validation status: v1.8.4 remains stable. v1.8.5-rc1, published 17 October 2026, is a controlled-UAT candidate with open live-validation, recovery and soak gates. Current v1.8.5-rc1 screenshots are simulated controlled-UAT candidate screens. The new narrated video is also a simulated controlled-UAT candidate demo; the earlier video is retained separately. Compare release channels and version-specific downloads.

Independent open-source project. Not affiliated with or supported by Nutanix. Production suitability requires environment-specific validation.

Flagship console

ZTF-Orchestrator is the flagship case study.

See how preparation, execution, and review come together in the console. The walkthrough and dashboard use simulated data; live workflow suitability requires environment-specific validation.

v1.8.5-rc1: simulated controlled-UAT candidate demo. This narrated 90-second tour uses the current candidate screenshots and simulated data. No live infrastructure is connected or operated. It is not proof of completed UAT or production readiness; v1.8.4 remains stable. English captions are available in the player.
v1.8.5-rc1 simulated controlled-UAT candidate screen: dashboard showing sample runtime, jobs, governance and readiness data.
v1.8.5-rc1 simulated controlled-UAT candidate screen: Dashboard. Simulated demo data; no live infrastructure is connected. This is not proof of completed UAT or production readiness. Captured 19 October 2026. Open full-size candidate screen.
Readiness checks Health signals before operational workflows run.
Run history Visible outcomes, failures, and review points.
Approvals Clear checkpoints before risky actions.
Inventory Installed components, generated configuration, and gaps.
Proof before change Lab-safe workflows Offline-ready planning Reviewable runs AI governance patterns
7 active engineering projects
v1.8.4 ZTF stable release; v1.8.5-rc1 is controlled UAT
CI public portfolio with demo-backed and test-backed evidence

Latest update

Portfolio evidence refreshed across the current repository baselines.

Reviewed 20 October 2026: ZTF-Orchestrator v1.8.4 remains stable, with v1.8.5-rc1 available separately for controlled UAT. The candidate adds Upgrade Advisor assessments, live PE drift collection and guarded configuration workflows. Newer source fixes are identified separately from the published candidate. NKP local CLI and governance capabilities and EAAP domain/identity controls are reflected in their project pages; the other reviewed projects retain their current public baselines.

Review project evidence

About

Architecture experience translated into working platform tools.

I am John Goulden, an enterprise architect and infrastructure engineer with a long-standing interest in cloud, virtualisation, infrastructure platforms, and AI systems. This independent portfolio documents personal engineering projects, experiments, and demonstrations built outside my professional responsibilities.

My focus is on environments where change needs to be planned, bounded, reviewed, and handed over cleanly: Nutanix platforms, VMware-to-Nutanix readiness, NKP deployment paths, disconnected or proxied infrastructure, and internal platform operating models.

The projects here turn that background into working consoles, frameworks, readiness tools, and demos. The common thread is operational clarity: reduce manual ambiguity, make risks visible before action, and leave behind evidence someone else can inspect.

Project portfolio

One coherent body of work across platform operations and AI governance.

Project Maturity Primary evidence Boundary
ZTF-Orchestrator Stable v1.8.4; controlled-UAT candidate v1.8.5-rc1 Versioned releases, validation receipt, source history, historical simulated media Lab-facing console; Native Foundation mutating adapters remain gated
NDC Studio v10.5.0 prototype Guided lab VM workflow, demo, release notes Mock/safe inspection surface for developer-platform patterns
NKP ZeroTouch Framework v0.1.0 framework Demo, repository, deployment-mode documentation Planning framework for connected, proxied, and air-gapped paths
Migration Readiness 0.4.0-alpha.1 Narrated overview, live-readiness proof, console screenshot Readiness and handoff evidence, not executed migration proof
StrataOne Control-framework experiment Live demo, public repo, SBOM and scan posture Vendor-neutral orchestration exploration with explicit live-operation limits
Cluster Assurance v0.1.0 lab-first implementation Static demo, README screenshots, appliance runbook, test matrix Read-only Prism checks; no mutating Prism actions or vendor support claim
Enterprise AI Architecture Pattern Reference implementation Console screenshot, case study, tests, papers, status boundary Personal architecture experiment, not a certified standard
Develop Prototype
Nutanix Developer Cloud Studio v10.5.0 live demo showing lab profile, Prism readiness, scope approval, and guided AHV lifecycle controls. Live demo snapshot

Nutanix Developer Cloud Studio

MIT license Last updated Sep 9, 2026 Changelog

A self-service portal pattern for requesting Nutanix-backed lab environments, now including guided lab VM workflows, lab profile selection, setup validation, scope approval, and evidence export.

v10.5.0 Prototype Mock mode Prism-safe Guided lab VM workflow

Demonstrates catalog, request, approval, and environment views, including Prism Element and Prism Central lab profiles, read-only setup validation, approved scope, guided create/clone lifecycle checks, reconciliation, and evidence export.

  • For exploring internal developer platform patterns.
  • Static demo and mock mode keep the experience safe to inspect.
  • v10.5.0 documents the guided lab VM workflow while keeping real lifecycle execution lab-only, disabled by default, and Platform Admin-gated; the Sep 9 update polishes the operational console layout.
Deploy Framework
NKP ZeroTouch Framework live demo showing operations console, deployment modes, readiness cards, and environment status. Live demo snapshot

NKP ZeroTouch Framework

MIT license Last updated Sep 9, 2026 Changelog

A local CLI and governed deployment framework for connected, proxied, and air-gapped NKP paths, refreshed with console icons, editable setup, operational dashboard, and deployment UAT evidence updates.

v0.1.0 Framework Air-gapped Validation UAT evidence

Focuses on deployment modes, prerequisites, validation, editable setup planning, RS256/JWKS OIDC evidence, deployment UAT evidence, and offline-package thinking before a cluster is touched.

  • For comparing connected, proxied, and disconnected operating paths.
  • Shows runner, operational dashboard, editable setup, validation, UAT evidence, and bundle-preparation concepts.

Local CLI phases and dashboard governance support guarded apply-class paths. The public demo is simulated and never provisions infrastructure; production validation is not established.

Generalize Control framework
StrataOne infrastructure orchestrator dashboard showing control plane status, deployment actions, fleet readiness, operational runbook, and result inspector. Live demo snapshot

StrataOne

MIT license Last updated Sep 13, 2026 Changelog

A vendor-neutral orchestration experiment for distributed infrastructure operations, now including a Sep 13 Azure Local provider handoff, queued-credential safeguards, SBOM attestation, and execution-manifest evidence.

Framework FastAPI RBAC Live demo Azure Local Provider handoff Manifest evidence Redfish gated SBOM attestation Trivy scan

Tests how inventory, runbooks, approvals, lifecycle controls, approval-gated live Redfish, Azure Local provider handoff artifacts, credential-reference guarded queued jobs, SBOM-backed supply-chain evidence, Trivy high/critical fixable-CVE gates, and OEM validation boundaries could work when the model is not tied to one platform.

  • For exploring a broader infrastructure orchestration pattern.
  • Sep 13 Azure Local handoff adds an execution manifest, artifact bundle, and ready-for-provider-handoff boundary without live Azure mutations.
Assure Lab-first / read-only
Cluster Assurance Orchestrator dashboard showing Nutanix estate health, readiness gates, evidence trust, schedules, and operational domain cards. Static demo snapshot

Cluster Assurance Orchestrator

Public repo Last updated Sep 24, 2026 Test matrix

A read-only Nutanix health assurance console for validating Prism connectivity, collecting cluster evidence, tracking readiness gates, and supporting operations teams before production assurance claims are made.

v0.1.0 Lab-first Read-only Prism Schedules RBAC Audit trails Evidence exports

Covers Prism Central and Prism Element connection profiles, manual and scheduled read-only health runs, evidence manifests, archive exports, PostgreSQL-backed settings, local bearer sessions, and readiness gates.

  • For making Nutanix estate health, evidence quality, and support triage visible before assurance claims are made.
  • Read-only Prism collectors are in scope; mutating Prism actions, production NCC execution over SSH, and vendor support claims are explicitly out of scope.
Migrate Alpha / readiness
Migration Readiness Control Plane 0.4.0-alpha.1 operations console showing Nutanix Provider Edition, source and target providers, live-readiness gates, and local-first evidence workflow. Live demo snapshot

Nutanix Migration & Readiness Control Plane

MIT license Last updated Sep 8, 2026 Commit history

A readiness and handoff model for VMware-to-Nutanix migration planning, now with a narrated overview, operator workbench navigation, Nutanix DEV proof, live-readiness checks, environment access gates, and local-first evidence workflow boundaries.

0.4.0-alpha.1 Alpha Readiness Handoff Nutanix DEV proof

Separates assessment, planning, workflow state, live endpoint proof, operator-friendly PASS/FAILED/preflight results, and handoff artifacts from the act of executing a migration.

  • For making migration gaps visible before a change window.
  • 90-second narrated overview showing the Migration Readiness operator console, environment connection model, readiness workflow, ESXi/vCenter/Nutanix context, and evidence-led migration planning. Demo data is simulated.
  • Alpha status is explicit; live-readiness, Nutanix DEV proof, and the narrated walkthrough are not presented as executed migration proof.
Govern Research / AI governance

Enterprise AI Architecture Pattern

Public repo Last updated Aug 23, 2026 Status

EAAP Control Plane is an active, production-oriented reference implementation for governing AI-assisted enterprise decisions through deterministic controls, approval boundaries, execution tokens, local approval paths, and audit evidence.

AI governance GR-001 to GR-011 Test and validation evidence OpenAPI Security scan Token persistence
Problem

AI-assisted decisions need deterministic controls before recommendations can become operational action.

Implemented

Governance evaluator, persistent local approval queue, scoped execution tokens, HTTP domain-agent delegation, tenant-scoped identity controls, audit utilities, Docker smoke evidence, HLD, ADRs, and threat model. Enterprise integrations retain the documented maturity limits.

Evidence

Public source, verified check-suite expectations, OpenAPI validation, security scan, Docker Compose smoke evidence, migration and Kubernetes manifest validation, and explicit STATUS.md maturity boundary.

Boundary

Reference implementation and personal architecture experiment, not a certified standard or production-ready enterprise platform.

Differentiator

Clear proof, careful boundaries, and tools people can actually inspect.

Review before action

Roles, approvals, governance checks, run history, and visible readiness states before important changes.

Proof of behaviour

Smoke tests, release checks, sanitized UAT records, compatibility review, CI checks, and exported evidence.

Real delivery paths

Container, appliance, GitHub Pages, hosted demo, reference architecture, and offline package paths where the project calls for them.

Engineering journal

Short notes on why the projects exist and what they are teaching.

Architecture notes, lab lessons, and project rationale for the operating models behind the portfolio.

Published research

Research papers behind the AI governance work.

Published preprints that document the governance ideas behind the Enterprise AI Architecture Pattern and related constraint-focused research.

Primary paper Enterprise AI governance

Enterprise AI Architecture Pattern

Sets out the governance model behind the EAAP Control Plane reference implementation: model-as-component, deterministic control layers, evidence classification, approval boundaries, execution gateways, and auditability.

Deterministic controls Evidence classification Execution boundary Auditability
Related research Constraint-focused governance

EAAP-LGF: AI Governance for Lethal Decision Support

Applies the same control-plane thinking to lethal decision-support governance, arguing for stronger prohibition layers, evidence classification, calibrated confidence gates, independent legal review, multi-authoriser approval, and immutable accountability.

Constraint-focused governance research; not a weapons development, procurement, or autonomous lethal systems document.

John Goulden · ORCID 0009-0000-5626-6535

Contact

Discuss a ZTF-Orchestrator evaluation.

Looking to standardise a Nutanix workflow or explore infrastructure-rebuild preparedness? Tell me which process you want to assess, your intended outcome, and whether an approved evaluation environment is available. We can discuss a defined scope, prerequisites, and the evidence needed to assess suitability. Please do not send credentials or sensitive infrastructure details.

These are independent engineering projects developed outside my professional responsibilities. Technical feedback, architecture discussions, and community contributions remain welcome. Email me at john@johngoulden.de or use the project repository for technical issues.