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.

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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.

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