Romain Hardouin contributed a targeted stability fix to the apache/cassandra repository by addressing nondeterministic ordering in SSTable TOC entries. He implemented deterministic lexicographic ordering by collecting component names in a TreeSet before writing them to the TOC, ensuring consistent output across storage operations. This change improved the reliability and reproducibility of SSTable management, reducing flaky behavior and enhancing the debuggability of storage pipelines. Romain applied his expertise in Java, data structures, and file I/O to deliver this focused improvement. The work demonstrated a thoughtful approach to system stability, addressing a subtle but impactful issue in Cassandra’s storage layer.