LPIC:Exam Cram 2 exam 101

While going over some things I happened to notice this newly published (Sept 2004) exam cram book by Ross Brunson and Ed Tittel. I haven't had a chance to look over it but according to the sole reviewer the author runs a Linux training boot camp which follows along the same ideas that are put out in the book.

This is the most recent book published to focus on the LPI exam. I feel there are going to be some big moves in the next couple of years ahead for Linux certifications what with Novell coming on board with their programs and Red Hat upgrading theirs in response to what ever Novell puts out. It will be fun to see what happens and what opportunities are ahead.

Novell Offers Free Linux Certifications

CRN | Novell Offers Free Linux Certifications According to CRN, Novell is offering free training as a way to phase out the old SUSE certification and bring in their own. This offer is initially for their Platinum-level VAR partners, which if they don't fill all of the 500 slots then they will extend the offer out to Gold partners.

As best as I can tell their information comes from an interview with Novell spokesman Bruce Lowry.

NOVELL: SUSE LINUX Administration (Course 3037) Released

NOVELL: SUSE LINUX Administration (Course 3037) Released Novell is starting to rev up their Linux courseware. One of the questions that comes to mind is whether Novell will keep the certification structure that SUSE used or go with their own.

The methodology which SUSE used was to rely on the LPI exams as a first step towards their certifications. Novell has initially taken a similar step that Red Hat has taken in that they don't put an intial vendor neutral step into their program.

What Novel ultimately does will have a big impact on the viability of a Linux+ or LPI certification.

Vendor-Neutral Certifications

Vendor-Neutral Certifications Devshed has an ok article regarding vendor neutral certifications. One of the points they make in the article is that experience will only take you so far. As the article states, "most IT professionals rely on three things to succeed in their respective career paths: communication skills, experience, and certifications."

The Linux vendor neutral certifications they look at are the LPI test and CompTIA's Linux+ test.

Caveat emptor

Buyer Beware!!

Brain dumps are never a good option to depend on as a primary source for preparing for a certification exam. The reasons are many partly because you're relying on what someone else remembered and the answers they give out. Having said that, if you do decide to use brain dumps make sure YOU check the answers yourself to verify they are correct.

Now back to some good stuff:
LPI Forums has received some good brain dumps that people are using to prepare for the LPI-102 exam and the LPI-101 exam. People are hashing out which answers are correct and why. If you have anything to add to it please do.

CompTIA Linux+ beta available

CompTIA is revising their Linux+ exam. "For the next eight weeks, anyone interested in demonstrating that he or she has the equivalent of six to 12 months of experience with the latest Linux applications can do so for $75 by passing the CompTIA Linux+™ beta exam."

Certcities also offers a good comparison of the exam objectives between the old exam and the new exam.

Kernel, Cron, and User Administration for Red Hat Certified Engineer

Kernel, Cron, and User Administration, Part 1This tutorial and part 2 of this tutorial comes form chapter five of Red Hat Certified Engineer Linux Study Guide (Exam RH302), fourth edition, by Michael Jang. (McGraw-Hill/Osborne, 2004, ISBN: 0-07-225365-7).

I know I usually focus on the LPI exams, but the fact of the matter is that the LPI exams are the starting point for Red Hat's & Novell's certifications, and any information which can be collected for those exams will help out later down the road.

Also the devshed.com site has some good information on a variety of topics that Linux admins would need, along with excerpts from a variety of books.

LinuxIT LPI manuals in .sxw format & they include the LPI level 2 manuals

Finally someone has found where the .sxw files are for the LinuxIT manuals. Thank you tboy81 on the LPI forums for posting this. This is actually the first site I've found where they post Linux information in a format exclusive to Linux.

Another important feature is that they also include the LPI level 210 & 202 information which I haven't seen anywhere else on the internet.

Free Electrons - Free embedded Linux training

Free Electrons - Free embedded Linux training Here is a site from a firm located in France which has posted Linux training material that is more focused on embedded Linux training.

Although it has nothing to do with Linux Certificaton, the embedded market is one area where Linux should dominate in the years to come and this site should help bring anyone up to date on what is needed to customize the linux kernel and any applications that might be needed.