6/5/2002 -- IBM announced last week that it has launched updated three storage-related exams:

• High End Tape Solutions (Test 275)
• High End Disk Solutions (Test 276)
• Open Systems Storage Solutions (Test 277)

The new exams replace Enterprise Tape Solutions (Test 248), Enterprise Disk Solutions (Test 249), and Mid-Range Storage Technical Solutions(Test 273), respectively.

The exams are currently available at Prometric testing centers in the U.S. and Canada, and at IBM testing locations worldwide.

In other IBM news, the company reversed its decision to retire its Visual Age for Java exams on June 30. Citing the exams' popularity, IBM has decided to keep the following four exams available until December 2002:

• IBM Certified Solution Developer - IBM VisualAge for Java, Professional Ed., V4.0
• IBM Certified Specialist - IBM VisualAge for Java, Professional Ed., V4.0
• IBM Certified Specialist - IBM WebSphere Application Server, Advanced
                        Single Server Edition for Multiplatforms, V4.0 ... VisualAge for Java based
• IBM Certified Enterprise Developer - IBM WebSphere Application Server, Advanced
                        Single Server Edition for Multiplatforms, V4.0....VisualAge for Java based.

IBM had previously recommended that candidates interested in the above exams instead pursue the company's IBM Certified Specialist -- WebSphere Studio Applications Developer for Windows title.

For more information on both of these announcements, click here. - B.N.