Are you certifiable?

• Article 9 of 16
• LinuxUser & Developer, January 2006
• View a PDF of the original article ~ 196K

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Red Hat’s certification schemes have been running since 1999 and the company has greater market share and greater mindshare in the corporate world than Novell. Novell hopes in part that its certification schemes will help it close the difference with its rival by making it seem an equal. Nevertheless, with only 700 people having qualified for CLP and only 20 for CLE9, compared with the tens of thousands that have passed LPI and Red Hat certifications, it’ll be some time before Novell can catch up with Red Hat’s trained elite. Huxtable-Wright feels so unthreatened by Novell, she hasn’t even sent anyone on Novell’s course to see what it’s like.

Neither Novell’s nor Red Hat’s tests will appeal to everyone. Some people are wary of taking vendor-specific exams. Charlie Collins, a Linux user who has taken certifications from Microsoft, Novell, IBM and Sun, says that many vendors are tests are not designed to test knowledge of subject matter “but rather to get the test taker to pass and therefore have more x-certified people in the field proclaiming mastery in and recommending the respective products.” Both Albrecht and Huxtable-Wright counter this by pointing out the pass rates of their exams are closer to 40–50% than the 70%+ of the MCSE. Using the same pass rate logic, LPIC’s results indicate it’s a harder certificate to get than Red Hat’s at least.

Similarly, the community nature of Linux makes many want to avoid anything proprietary, right down to training courses. And since the LPIC and other tests are forms-based, those taking the test don’t need to visit testing centres. They’re also much cheaper: you can take both exams in LPIC, level one, for a total of $200.

Since both Novell and Red Hat’s exams are practicals, they are less likely to suffer the “paper MCSE” fate of other certifications – which might well befall LPIC and CompTIA. Ultimately, the backing that both Red Hat and Novell bring to their own certificates make them that much more appealing to potential and existing employers. That will be the main test anyone deciding whether to the exam needs to make.

Why are people taking training courses?

• 85% say more jobs are asking for Linux skills
• 42% wanted to improve their skills by preparing for certification
• 28% say their employer requested they do the certification
• 23% wanted formal proof of their knowledge

How the Novell certificates work
Essentially, you can pass any Novell certificate without attending any courses or providing coursework, since the exam is a practical. Nevertheless, if you’re unsure of any areas, there are courses and training material available.

Certified Linux Professional (CLP)
To earn the CLP, you need to be able to prove that you have the ability to effectively implement, manage, and support SuSE Linux and the enterprise services that run on top of it. There are no prerequisites for the CLP certificate. However, for those with no Linux knowledge, there are three instructor-led courses that are available: “course 3036: SUSE Linux fundamentals”, which lasts three days; “course 3037: SUSE Linux administration”, which lasts five days; and “course 3038: Advanced SUSE Linux administration”, which lasts five days. There is also an alternative three-day course for administrators of other Linux distributions that want to acquire Novell-specific knowledge: “course 3019: Migrating to SUSE Linux”. VMWare images are provided for practicals. If you don’t want to attend any courses, self-study material is available.

The CLP tests a number of areas, including: customised installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server; user management; configuration of local services; network configuration; basic security considerations; and shell scripting.

Costs: Migrating to SuSE Linux (3019) £960+VAT; SuSE Linux Fundamentals (3036) £995+VAT; SuSE Linux Administration (3037) £1,425+VAT; Advanced SuSE Linux Administration (3038) £1,425+VAT; Practical $195/£110+VAT

Certified Linux Engineer 9
The Novell Certified Linux Engineer 9 certification is aimed at those that want to master advanced SUSE Linux Enterprise Server administration skills. Unlike CLP, CLE9 has a prerequisite: you’ll need to have already passed the CLP practical before you can take the CLE9 practical. Again, you can take the practical without having attended or studied any courses. Bu there are two courses that Novell recommend: “Course 3057: SuSE Linux Network Services” and “Course 3058: SuSE Linux Security”.

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