CertCities.com's Guide to Linux Certs: 2003
A lot has happened since this site last rounded up the various Linux titles a few years ago - and there's more to come. This article will guide you through all the choices, both now and in the near future.
by Greg Neilson
5/14/2003 --
With Linux usage booming and industry commentators suggesting that this trend
will continue for the foreseeable future, it comes as no surprise that many
IT professionals want to move into the Linux arena. For those coming to Linux
from Windows, and to a lesser extent those coming from the commercial Unix variants,
certification readily offers a way to demonstrate competence with this hot technology.
And it's proving to be a popular method: Two Linux certification titles made
CertCities.com's list of 10
Hottest Certifications for 2003.
Today, there are three main bodies that offer Linux certification: CompTIA,
Red Hat and the Linux Professional Institute (LPI). There are several more titles
in the pipeline, as well as a few Linux track options within other certification
titles. This article will profile all of these options to various degrees.
| -- advertisement (story continued below) -- | |
|
One note before we begin: Although Linux certification is still
fairly young, it's already suffered a casualty: the Sair-GNU Linux certification
program has essentially been wound down after an ownership and management shuffle.
This program was originally intended to have three tiers, consisting of the
LCA, LCE and Master LCE certifications. The LPI organization mentioned above
has since arranged for LCA holders to migrate to their LPI certification in
two ways: by taking one of the Level 1 exams (instead of the normal two), they
can achieve LPI Level 1 certification, or they can complete the LPI Level 2
exams without the normal prerequisite of the two LPI Level 1 exams. Either is
a nice alternative if you're looking to switch your Sair-GNU title to one that's
been upgraded more recently.
CompTIA
Certifications Available: Linux+
Experienced Needed: Entry-Level
Type of Exam(s): Standard
Training Available: Yes
(Optional)
Prerequisites: None
Exam Price: $207 (U.S., Non-Member Price)
Exam Availability: Prometric and Pearson Vue Testing Centers Worldwide
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), known mainly for its
A+ hardware technician certification, has steadily expanded over the past few
years into other entry-level titles for a range of IT areas. Linux+ is, as the
name indicates, its Linux offering. It is indeed an entry-level certification
intended for candidates with around six months of practical experience. Currently
approximately 1,000 people hold the title.
Because of the expected audience for this exam, this test is of a different
nature to that of the other certifications you'll find below. The material covered
in the Linux+ exam is similar to that in the LPI Level 1 exams; however, the
level of depth differs. For example, a question from the Linux+ exam might ask
the candidate to recognize the command to use for a given task, whereas the
LPI exam might expect the candidate to recognize which options to use with that
command for that given task.
Like all CompTIA certifications, the Linux+ title does not expire -- it's good
for life.
For more information, visit CompTIA's The CompTIA Linux+ Web site at
http://comptia.org/certification/linux/default.asp. For more information
on the exam, read CertCities.com's exam review posted here.
Linux Professional Institute (LPI)
Certifications Available: LPIC Level 1, LPIC Level 2 (Level 3 still under
development)
Experienced Needed: Entry- to Mid-Level
Type of Exam(s): Standard
Training Available: Yes
(Optional)
Prerequisites: Varies by Title
Exam Price: $100 (U.S.)
Exam Availability: Prometric and Vue Testing Centers Worldwide
The Linux Professional Institute(LPI) is non-profit organization that uses
the same principles of open involvement in the development of their certification
program as used by Linux itself. There are currently 5,500 holders of LPIC certifications,
although a breakdown between the levels hasn't been provided.
LPI offer a multi-tiered certification program of three levels. LPIC Level
1 candidates are able to perform basic administration tasks, LPIC Level 2 candidates
can administer small to medium sites, and, when released, LPIC Level 3 candidates
will be suitable for consulting and advisory roles with Linux.
New versions of the LPIC Level 1 exams went live in February, featuring slightly
revised exam objectives. Previously, candidates were expected to be able to
work with both Red Hat RPMs and Debian packages. These new exams now let the
exam taker choose between the two before the exam actually launches. Therefore,
when looking at test resources for these exams, be careful to check that these
do cover the newer exam objectives.
The LPI web site is at http://www.lpi.org.
The previous version of the Level 1 exams were reviewed here on CertCities.com
here
and here.
Red Hat
Certifications Available: Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE), Red Hat
Certified Technician (RHCT)
Experienced Needed: Mid- to High-Level
Type of Exam(s): Hands-On Lab
Training Available: Yes
(Optional)
Prerequisites: None
Exam Price: RHCE: $749 (U.S.), RHCT: $349 (U.S.)
Exam Availability: Red Hat Testing Locations Only
Relatively speaking, the RHCE is the granddaddy of Linux certification. Now
more than four years old, it was recently joined by a younger sibling -- the
new RHCT certification, which went live earlier this year. The RHCE is considered
the premium-level of the certification, and is a superset of the material examined
for the RHCT.
The most notable aspect of both Red Hat titles is that they feature hands-on
lab testing rather than the standard question and answer format favored by most
other certification programs. Therefore, it would be reasonable to expect that
someone who held these certifications wouldn't be susceptible to the common
criticism of being a good test-taker instead of someone that really knows their
stuff. Some recent test statistics from Red Hat bear this out, with an approximate
44 percent failure rate for the RHCE exams. There are currently 7500 RHCEs and
already 356 RHCTs.
To become an RHCT, you must pass a three-hour lab exam comprised of two hours
of systems installation and attachment to network testing and one hour of system
troubleshooting.
To become an RHCE, the lab exam is six-hours long, with one hour of multiple-choice
questions, 2.5 hours of server installation and network configuration, and 2.5
hours with diagnostics and troubleshooting.
If you sign up for one of these exams, be sure to keep updated on the latest
version: Red Hat have a policy of updating the lab exams to the newest version
of Red Hat within 3 weeks of release, which means that test-takers for these
programs are already being examined in Red Hat version 9.0. Also, unlike the
certifications offered by CompTIA and LPI that are valid for life, the certifications
offered by Red Hat are now only considered current for 2 product versions.
To become Red Hat certified you can't walk into just any testing center; you
can only take these lab exams at specific Red Hat locations. However, there
are Red Hat labs available in many countries worldwide, so it not as geographically
limited as some other lab programs.
To find out more about Red Hat's certification program, go to: http://www.redhat.com/training/rhce/examprep.html.
A review of the RHCE exam can be found on Certcities.com here.
And Then There Were More...
As well as these certifications above, a new certification program is coming
from the folks at UnitedLinux (a partnership between Connectiva, SuSe, SCO,
and Turbolinux). It will consist of two titles, both of which will build upon
the LPI certifications. The UnitedLinux Certified Professional (ULCP) certification
includes the LPI Level 1 exams and has an additional 103 exam for UnitedLinux.
Similarly, the new UnitedLinux Certified Expert (ULCE) title will build on the
LPI Level 2 exams and includes exam 203 specific to UnitedLinux. When these
titles were announced in January, UnitedLinux said that the first exam would
be available in Q1 2003; however, at the time of writing, it has yet to surface.
Fore more on United Linux's certification program, go to http://www.unitedlinux.com/index.html.
A number of certification bodies also offer Linux options within certain certification
titles. For example, HP (http://www.hp.com/certification/)
Accredited Integration Specialist (AIS) program has AlphaServer + Linux and
ProLiant + Linux tracks. Each requires either the Sair-GNU LCA, LPI Level 1
certification or completion of Red Hat course RH133 as a prerequisite. Similarly,
the HP Accredited Systems Engineer (ASE) also has AlphaServer + Linux and ProLiant
+ Linux options; each of these requires either the RHCE or the Sair-GNU LCE.
(Note: Certain HP titles may not be available in all locations.)
IBM's eServer Certified Systems Expert: xSeries Linux certification (http://www-1.ibm.com/certify/certs/xssexslx.shtml)
is another available option. To obtain this title, candidates must already be
LPIC Level 1, Sair LCA or RHCE certified.
And, of course, there's also the latest announcement: Novell's new Novell Certified
Linux Expert (Novell LCE) title. (See news story here.)
Although full details on the credential have yet to released, it is known that
Novell will offer it free to NetWare 6 CNEs.
The Shape of Things To Come
So there's a look at the current class of Linux certifications, with a little
insight into what else is just around the corner. If Linux certifications continue
to be popular and the above programs thrive even with the increased competition,
there's a strong likelihood we'll see even more contenders in 2004. 
What are your plans for Linux certification? Are these titles a waste
of time, or worth their weight in gold? Which one(s) would like you to have?
Let us know by posting your thoughts below.
Greg Neilson, MCSE+Internet, MCNE, PCLP, is a Contributing Editor for
Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine and a manager at a large IT
services firm in Australia. He's the author of Lotus Domino Administration
in a Nutshell (O'Reilly and Associates,
ISBN 1-56592-717-6). You can reach him at editor@certcities.com Attn: Greg.
More articles by Greg Neilson:
Microsoft Certification Changes Mostly Good
Architecture Certifications Point Toward Future
Microsoft’s New Simulation Questions: Report from the Field
A Tale of Two Certs
| 
