Linux+ Certification

During the next couple of weeks I am going to post a series of four articles which will try and explain what to expect with the different Linux certifications that are available for one to choose from.

Open Source projects are having a deeper impact on business than which systems we use. The move towards more open source projects is also changing the way people prepare themselves for their careers. One certification will not suffice for pushing your career forward. Technicians will need core knowledge and skills to start with and then use additional certifications to justify new technologies or skills. Programmers are able to prove their worth by which programs they make available through open source projects. Technicians have a more difficult time of proving their knowledge and certifications are one way to do this. Some of the questions that we need to start off with are which certification does one start and which paths are the best ones to take.

Some of these changes have been detailed in a study conducted by CRN magazine. In the article, they discuss a new certification model which is emerging where solution providers are looking for vendor-neutral certifications first, followed by vendor-specific/ technology certifications as needed. According to the survey this move is being driven by three factors 1) a shift by vendors to multi-vendor solution options, 2) the cost of maintaining an escalating number of certifications and 3) the Return on Investment for the current model.

Corporations use certifications to validate engineers’ skills and experiences, act as proof of professional achievements, enhance job opportunities and justify bonuses.

According to the CRN study, the CompTIA Linux+ certification is the fastest growing vendor-neutral certification. CompTIA’s Linux+ certification fits nicely into this new certification model whereby vendors can have people who have a general knowledge of Linux followed later with specific certifications that fit a career path. The target audience for a Linux+ exam is anyone with 6 to 12 months of experience with Linux. CompTIA also recommends that you have the A+ and Network+ certifications to help round out your credentials. Once the test has been passed the user is certified for life.

There are certain advantages in going through CompTIA for your vendor-neutral certifications. The first is that CompTIA offers up a suite of vendor neutral products which someone can use as a basis for their career. For those who work in environments with multiple platforms the Linux+ has more visibility for them within their company. If anything would happen to change they would be well situated to adapt to whichever way their career takes them. Also, CompTIA also provides the CompTIA TechCareer Compass (TCC) which offers up a career center that applicants can use to take advantage of their certifications and focus on jobs that best suit their abilities.

For a Linux+ certification it requires one test which is a 94 question test that you are given 90 minutes to complete. The questions are either situational multiple-choice or identification questions. The test is graded on a scale from 100 to 900 with a passing score of 655. The cost of the exam is normally $155.

The exam has recently been updated and is currently going through a beta phase. The beta exam has 145 questions while the beta exam is out the price is only $75. The Linux+ beta exam has been finished on December 31, 2004. The new test changes 75% of the objectives previously covered, the new objectives are being amended to reflect the changing environment for those involved in help desks, support technicians, network administrations or database and application development jobs.

While Linux+ is going through their beta exam, testers will have to rely on the current study material and focus on the topics for the new objectives. The books I’ve found in the past to be the most useful for preparing for a Linux+ exam have been the Linux+ Study Guide by Roderick Smith and the Linux+ Certification Bible by Trevor Kay. Another option for testers is to take each objective and use material which is readily available on the internet.

There are also a number of tutorials on the internet that focus on different aspects of Linux. To help prepare for the exam take a look at LinuxCertified’s free Linux+ tutorial on their web site.

Colleges are getting more involved in teaching Linux courses. A quick scan of colleges in the Chicago–wide area shows at least 3 courses focusing on Linux in every college and a Linux lab available for studying at most of the colleges. CompTIA has also worked with several colleges to enable their certifications to act as credit towards a college degree.

Another good place to start preparing for the exam is the Man pages. This is where you will go for your instant access information when you are working on a Linux system. The one thing which everyone mentions that helps prepare them prepare for the exam is to work on a Linux system, set up a small network at home, set up a system to dual boot between Windows and Linux or even use one of the portable systems like Knoppix to run from your current system. The experience will go a long way towards improving your knowledge of Linux and preparing you for the exam.

I believe that to fully prepare for a certification test you need to go through similar tests that help you familiarize yourself with the environment that a test will be like. There are a couple of sites that focus on providing test engines for preparing for the test. Some of the better know engines are Boson, Transender. They do offer up free trials that I would recommend taking advantage of.

Following is an interview with Yvonne Keith, CompTIA Linux+ program manager; she was kind enough to answer some questions regarding Linux+ and the future of the Linux+ exam:

1. With the Linux+ beta exam out, is there a timeline when the full CompTIA Linux+ exam will go live?
The results of the beta exam will determine the exact timeline; once exam results are reviewed and beta takers’ comments and questions are addressed, the exam will be adjusted as necessary and then final launch date determined and announced. The exam is expected to launch during first quarter 2005.

2. CompTIA has been refocusing several of their exams, what was the reasoning for refocusing the question matrix of the Linux+ exam?
Exam content must reflect knowledge appropriate to the marketplace – a marketplace that is requiring an expanding range of Linux job tasks.
The new version of the exam comprises 19 percent installation, 20 percent configuration, 26 percent management and maintenance, 21 percent security, six percent documentation, and eight percent Linux hardware.

3. Why does CompTIA use a scoring scale instead of using a percentage scale, and any plans to change this?
There are no plans to change this; this scaled scoring method is routinely used on many high stakes public exams in a number of fields and allows for question weighting, more accurately testing a wide range of knowledge areas. It helps organizations like CompTIA maintain psychometric validity of the exam across groups of candidates and over time.

4. CompTIA has a number of vendor-neutral products; where does CompTIA see itself in relation to vendor specific certifications and any plans to form a relationship with someone?
Generally speaking, CompTIA exams serve their specialty area as a broad-based vendor neutral foundation on which to build. Many CompTIA certifications are recognized as electives toward, or recommended in preparation for, higher level vendor specific exams.

5. Where should someone go to find material to prepare for a CompTIA Linux+ exam?
In preparation for the CompTIA Linux+ exam, candidates should first review the exam objectives, available at http://www.comptia.org/certification/linux/objectives.aspx and ensure that study materials cover all these areas. This is always the first step in exam preparation but especially so if you plan on taking a newly updated or beta version of an exam, for which specific training materials may not yet be available. CompTIA Authorized Quality Curriculum is listed at http://www.comptia.org/certification/linux/get_CAQC.aspx

6. Any work being done with Linux User Groups?
CompTIA advisory committee members and subject matter experts who participate in maintenance and development of the exams come from a wide range of organizations and industry groups globally.

Links:
CRN survey: http://www.crn.com/sections/special/certification/certification.jhtml?articleId=42700081
CompTIA’s Linux site http://www.comptia.org/certification/linux/default.aspx

Boson’s practice tests: http://www.finaldownload.com/education_teaching_tools_linux_practice_tests_from_boson.html

Transender Practice test: http://www.componentsource.com/catalog.asp?fl=&bc=&sc=CS&PO=512185&option=5795&bhcp=1
LinuxCertified http://www.linuxcertified.com/e-learning/linuxplus/

The Linux Documentation Project: http://www.tldp.org/