4/26/2001 -- Sair-GNU has decided to add an optional hands-on lab exam to its Linux Certified Engineer (LCE) title.

According to the organization's Web site, Sair-GNU had originally considered adding the lab to its entry-level Linux Certified Administrator (LCA) certification, but based on participant feedback decided that the LCE was a better fit. Details on the new exam will be released by year's end.

Sair-GNU is working toward providing a three-tiered, vendor neutral certification program. Level I, the LCA, was released in 1999. Exams for its Level II LCE title will be released this year, with a Master LCE title scheduled for a 2002 debut.

For more on the organization's certification program, click here. -B.N.