Q&A: Novell Certs Go Linux
We talk with Novell's Dan Veitkus about the company's move toward new hands-on Linux certifications, the upcoming NetWare 6.5 track and how it may all affect the future of the program.
by Becky Nagel
10/13/2004 -- With Novell shifting its technical future to Linux, so follows its certification program. While the company is still releasing NetWare-specific titles (6.5 exams are in development), the major Novell credential news during the past two years has come in the form of its Linux certification plans.
In 2003, the company announced development a hands-on Certified Linux Engineer (CLE) title, released earlier this year as the replacement for its flagship Certified Directory Engineer practicum. Then, following its acquisition of SuSE, Novell debuted the SuSE Certified Linux Professional (SCLP), only to announce it would be replaced with a Novell-developed Certified Linux Professional (CLP) title a few months later.
While many know that both of Novell's credentials require passing hands-on exam, not all are aware that are priced at $192 each -- hundreds less than those offered by most other programs. To bring the hands-on exams to the market, however, Novell had to move away from the traditional test delivery providers, thus limiting availability to less than 100 locations worldwide.
We recently got a chance to sit down with Dan Veitkus, vice president of Worldwide Training Services for Novell, about these new Linux credentials, changes announced over the past year, and the challenges of releasing the program's hands-on exams. Here's what he told us:
CertCities.com: Let's start with the Certified Linux Professional exam: Why did Novell decide not to use the exam already developed by SuSE for this title?
Dan Veitkus: It is not a case that Novell decided not to use the SuSE exam for CLP, because in fact...[It’s] in full force today. It’s available through Novell’s testing service providers, both Pearson Vue and Prometric, and we do have customers studying the SuSE curriculum and taking the SuSE Certified Linux Professional exam.
Now the reason that we are transitioning to the [Novell-developed CLP exam exclusively] at the end of this year, is primarily driven by two factors. First and foremost...Novell has made a strong commitment [going] forward [that] the preponderance of our exams will be practicum based. We are going to move away from the form-based traditional exams of the past that have become with time problematic from a security perspective. That is the first and foremost reason for us moving to a new program that has the practicum exam as one of the cornerstones and underpinnings of the program.
The second thing we’ve done is consolidate the existing SuSE curriculum that maps to SuSE version 8.1, and we have consolidated that into three courses that will be recommended for CLP instead of the present seven courses recommended for SCLP.
...So SUSE Certified Linux Professional really was the de facto certification to take in support of the shipping SuSE distribution through 8.1. The Certified Linux Professional is one, a consolidation of courseware into three courses which are more like the traditional Novell deliverable that are partners and our customers are use to consuming. Number two, it uses the practicum examination as a cornerstone of the overall program versus the form-based exam that’s associated with SCLP. [Three], the CLP will launch in support of the...SUSE 9 distribution.
Really two very...different programs with different objectives, not one replacing another. As time goes on however, we will have a migration plan for any SCLPs to go into the new Novell CLP program.
There is going to be an automatic transition for anyone who earned the SuSE title into the CLP at the end of the year, correct?
Veitkus: That is correct. For anyone that has completed their credentials on SCLP, they will be grandfathered into the program or evergreened into the new CLP. Then when Novell does a continuing certification requirement for CLP, candidates that have come in through the SCLP route or the new CLP route will both be affected equally and evenly.
What about the lower-level LPI titles the SuSE credential required? Why not bring those requirements over to the CLP?
Veitkus: The LPI continues to be recommended as prerequisite knowledge for our Certified Linux Engineer (CLE) program...It still represents fundamentally one of the very best preparatory paths that someone can take if they want to fully exploit a career in Linux and they require certification to do it.
Why not require the mid-level CLP as a prerequisite for the higher-level CLE?
Just as we today recommend LPI as a potential path to getting to CLE, we would also would expect...that the LPI route to CLE will not go away as a result of perhaps introducing CLP.
Although the CLP is debuting in beta at BrainShare, when will the exam go live? Are both exams available/going to be available in Prometric and Pearson Vue testing centers worldwide?
Veitkus: The CLE examination is indeed available worldwide, but not through the traditional testing service provider channels of Pearson Vue and Prometric. The CLE practicum exam is delivered today directly by Novell and through partnership with our authorized training partners. What Novell literally has done with the launch of the practicum exam is help reengineer the way that high stakes exams are brought to market.
We have systematically enabled our authorized training partners around the globe to come in, qualify and set their testing centers up such that they can deliver the practicum examination. So if someone is interested in CLE, they can contact Novell directly or the authorized training partner in their area and that partner may or may not be set up to do the exam just yet -- many are. Through an authorized partner or directly from Novell, the CLE exam is available worldwide and we are literally delivering it today globally.
When we originally talked with Novell regarding the CLE, the plan was to have the exam delivered through Prometric and Pearson Vue testing centers...Was that the original plan, and if so, what happened?
Veitkus: ...The strategy has not changed. Novell is very much interested in equipping the testing service providers Pearson Vue and Prometric to offer our practicum exam. To date the ability or inability for them to deliver the exam has really been more about their commitment, their timelines and their internal decisions that they have made relative to their test drivers and revisions to their test drivers.
It has not been a Novell decision to avoid the [test delivery providers]. So we are in discussions today with both Pearson Vue and Prometric about the practicum examination and how we can make it available through their testing centers. And we’re hopeful that one or more of them will very shortly be on-board and will have the opportunity to announce that they’ll be making the practicum available to their authorized centers.
In the meantime, Novell could not wait for the testing service provider support and partnership, so we decided to make available to our customers a model that serves them directly and then through our authorized training centers.
How does the registration process for these exams work?
Veitkus: A client can get access to taking the practicum exam by going to the Novell Web site [here] and finding a location near them. The authorized partner can walk them through the particular process.
Back to the CLP, when will that title be live and available through your training partners?
Veitkus: The November timeframe is when we expect them to be fully set up and ready to go to offer the CLP in addition to the CLE exams.
Earlier this year you announced that the Certified Directory Engineer (CDE) credential would end in favor of the CLE. What reaction did you get to that from the CDE community? Was it the right decision?
Veitkus: Following the announcement that Novell would discontinue accepting any new applicants into our CDE program, we did receive some minimal feedback from the existing CDE community and where appropriate, we made concessions for professionals that were partially through their certification process to allow them to complete their certification process and carry the CDE credential. We [made] those concessions at a personal level based on an individual’s commitment to the program or to the track already.
Quite frankly, what we announced then and to reinforce it now is that the directory remains fundamentally the fabric [that] travels through all the Novell products and pulls together many of our applications and services. It couldn’t be more important than it is today. However, we felt like [it] was important from a training certification perspective to make sure that directory technology and directory services was adequately covered, adequately understood and adequately taught in all of the curriculum that we were shipping, versus just isolating it to a specific curriculum track that mapped to CDE.
That’s one of the reasons [we] moved away from a standalone directory certification is to reinforce the directory as part of everything we do. In the future we’re going to be launching new certifications in support of the Linux strategy and the directory will be under that. We didn’t feel that it was important, it was necessary or frankly relevant any longer to have a standalone directory certification without plugging in the components of our Linux strategy, and that you will find under the new Linux certifications.
...The other thing we did worth noting is that when we closed additional entry into the CDE program, we voluntarily went out to the community of existing CDEs and gave them an opportunity to opt into a promotion and advertising program, whereby a client, customer or partner can go to the Novell Web site, do a search for CDE expertise and see a list of the current qualified CDEs based on region and contact information...In that regard, the...incumbent CDEs were quite pleased that Novell had created a portal and a service where their skills could be advertised to customers and partners that might be looking for specialized directory expertise.
You've been developing 6.5 exams. How will these fit into the overall program?
Veitkus: Novell training services will in fact upgrade its NetWare 6.0 curriculum to be compliant and supportive of NetWare 6.5. So all of the curriculum that is presently part of the CNE 6.0 track...is currently being updated to support NetWare 6.5 and all the nice new and unique services that shipped with 6.5 and exams will be built for those corresponding courses as well.
So in a general sense, all of the curriculum and exams are being upgraded from 6 to 6.5 and that follows historical precedent that we set in the past where we always upgraded the curriculum to the most current version of NetWare that was shipping.
Will these exams be hands-on as expected with the NetWare 7 track?
Veitkus: No. The 6.5 exams will follow the format and model of the classic, form-based certification exams.
When will they debut?
Veitkus: By the end of the year the 6.5 curriculum track will be totally refreshed and the exams that need to be refreshed in conjunction with that curriculum will also be completed.
Will those currently certified on NetWare 6 be required to upgrade?
Veitkus: No. We do not have any plans at this time to force the certified community to upgrade from 6.0 to 6.5. Any such requirements if considered would not occur until a post launch of our next major shipment which is Open Enterprise Server, OES, which you were referring to earlier as NetWare 7.
With Open Enterprise Server coming out, what’s going to happen to the Certified Novell Administrator (CNA), Certified Novell Engineer (CNE) and the Master CNE after 6.5?
Veitkus: Well there’s a couple of ways to look at what could the potential impact be. If you’re asking what it will be, the potential impact on perhaps the branding [names of certifications], that has not been determined at this time. If there will be material impact to the branding of CNA, a Certified Novell Administrator or a CNE, which is a Certified Novell Engineer. Those discussions are ongoing and something that we have to evaluate. Whether or not that makes sense or will have a material impact on the program is to be determined.
The good news is that we will in fact ship curriculum as well as exams that support the launch of Open Enterprise Server (OES). That is where our focus and attention is at today and where frankly where it will be in the future...making sure that Novell education through it’s authorized training partners can deliver both training and certification options to our customers at and around first customer ship of our product.
One of the things that we have worked very hard on over the last two years is to accelerate the time to market with training services deliverables and not have the traditional lag of six to 12 months before a product and in my case a training product is available in support of that shipping operating system or service. So what I can tell you is a matter of fact is that training services is part of the core team both from a launch perspective as well as an engineering perspective and it relates of OES or very much integrated and an integral part of the overall process. I’m quite pleased with the progress and quite excited about the prospect of having some really solid curriculum and really solid exams for OES.
...In parallel with refreshing the 6.0 curriculum to 6.5, we are in fact building our plans for the OES deliverables. We will have some deliverables available at the time -- at or around the time the product ships. For us, that is not a conflict because we’re...mapping directly to our customer landscape.
While OES may ship at the end of the year, we’re very well aware that many customers will continue to run 6.0, may make a migration from 6.0 to 6.5 before they make the OES decision, so we want to be in the best position to support Novell customers that are operating the existing platform...Clearly there will be early adopters and some new customers that go immediately to OES, so our position and responsibility to the company and the customers is to...support both.
Will the OES exams be hands-on?
Veitkus: The present plan is that the exams and support of OES will in fact be practicum-based.
Will the OES track be separate from the Linux exams you have now?
Veitkus: OES will bring together Novell’s NetWare and Linux strategies...we will evaluate [what] comprises those certifications when OES ships. We do not intend at this time that CLP or CLE from a program perspective would change or go away. It is absolutely not a discussion point at this time and not even logically so. But we will evaluate that the curriculum and the test items to ensure that it’s in support of OES going forward.
How do you think Novell's training and certification program will be doing a year from now? Novell has often had a passionate core certification audience, and you're also going to have the people out there in the Linux base that you want to bring in...Are you at all concerned about making both of those audiences happy and keeping them both in?
Veitkus: It is our expectation that over the course of the next year the landscape of those professionals that are entering into the Novell certification programs will, in fact, diversify [the program ] from [one] at present heavily dependent on migrating existing Novell professionals to our latest or more recent certification, to the recruiting of new entrants, recent graduates of university or in fact brand new customers to Novell that will be looking to secure some certification credentials as part of their overall migration strategy and support strategy.
I think you’re very right in assuming that over the course of the last couple of years there has been a very loyal group of certified individuals following Novell and keeping pace with their credentials. We’re already starting to see the signs of this [transition]: We’re getting brand new people into the Novell program through either the SUSE offering or the Novell offerings that are being launched very soon. We are seeing a brand new type of certified professional that previously was not associated with Novell.
We are consciously working with the academic vertical market to instill the Novell curriculum in appropriate fields of study and appropriate programs of study. So you will continue to see more information coming from Novell including press releases and dialogue with academia because we feel very strongly that there’s a need to ensure that students or the IT professionals of tomorrow are very well aware of what Novell is all about, very well aware that the Linux and Novell should be synonymous to them and are very well aware that there are certification and training options available to them to support a career direction that might involve Linux.
Becky Nagel, editor of CertCities.com, is an award-winning journalist with almost 10 years experience covering the tech industry. She was hired to create CertCities.com in 2000, and has been editor of the site since. She can be reached at .
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