Terms you'll need to understand:
Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)
Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT)
CompTIA's Linux+ certification
Linux Professional Institute (LPI)
Linux Professional Institute Certification (LPIC) Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 certifications
Sair Linux and GNU Certified Professional (LCP)
Sair Linux and GNU Certified Administrator (LCA)
Sair Linux and GNU Certified Engineer (LCE)
Master Sair Linux and GNU Certified Engineer (MLCE)
Techniques you'll need to master:
Locating training and certification information on the various Linux certification Web sites
Obtaining descriptions and objectives for specific Linux programs and exams
Identifying self-study and training options related to specific Linux exams
Keeping up with the shifting Linux certification landscape
Linux is an open-source implementation of the Unix operating system, started by computer guru Linus Torvalds in the early 1990s. Today, more than 100 various implementations of Linux are available. Some versions are free for the downloading, others are available at low cost, and still others are sold as full-fledged commercial products with technical support and everything necessary to make business users happy.
Linux has become a market phenomenon as it has gained momentum and increased private and commercial use. Linux also functions as something of a poster child for the “ABM” (Anyone but Microsoft) movement in that many buyers who want to avoid running Microsoft operating systems gravitate toward Linux.
In this chapter, we can't cover every Linux certification there is, but we do cover three Linux certification programs that have captured significant interest and attention:
Red Hat, Inc.'s Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE), Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT), and related programs
The Linux Professional Institute's (LPI's) Linux Professional Institute Certification (LPIC) program
Software Architecture Implementation and Realization (Sair), which has teamed up with Prometric to create a program called the Sair Linux and GNU certification program
Note
We also cover the CompTIA Linux+ certification in this book. You'll need to flip to Chapter 4, “CompTIA Certification Programs,” for details, because we decided to address all of CompTIA's credentials and programs in a single chapter.
In the sections that follow, you'll find information about all three of these programs.
Red Hat, Inc., sells a commercial version of Linux to the marketplace. With the biggest Linux market share for any such vendor and a successful initial public offering in 1999, Red Hat is a big player in the Linux software world. Thus, the RHCE credential—Red Hat's premier certification—has garnered significant interest and widespread adoption and support. In the following sections you'll learn about Red Hat certifications and what they have to offer.
In this section, we review a few acronyms that relate to Red Hat's certification program. After that, you'll have a chance to investigate the certifications in some detail and learn how to sign up for tests, training, and so on.
The following items are important pieces of the Red Hat certification program:
RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer)—. Red Hat's primary Linux certification, RHCE certification is for individuals who can design, install, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot systems and networks built around Red Hat's Linux implementation.
RHCT (Red Hat Certified Technician)—. Red Hat's latest Linux certification, RHCT certification identifies technician-level individuals who can support and troubleshoot systems built around Red Hat's Linux implementation. RHCTs generally do not make decisions about implementing networking services or security.
Red Hat Developer Training—. This program provides training for developers who want to write software for the Red Hat Linux environment and includes one track for kernel and device driver developers and another track for application and GUI programmers. At present, there is no certification associated with this training program, and these courses are available only at three Red Hat facilities in the United States, which is why this topic gets no further coverage in this chapter. Visit www.redhat.com/training/developer/courses for more information on this program.
Red Hat Certification Central—. Located at www.redhat.com/training/rhce/certification, this Web site, which is available only to RHCEs, provides private access to technical information, proof of certification, and other premier services. This site works only for individuals who hold valid RHCE certificates (and PINs).
The best source of information about Red Hat certification and courses appears on the company's Training and Certification Programs page, at www.redhat.com/training. This page provides links to the RHCE and RHCT certifications, plus related training courses and materials.
RHCE certification is a serious test of one's knowledge and ability in working with Unix in general and with Red Hat Linux in particular. The program prepares Unix administrators, developers, and networking professionals to become completely familiar with Red Hat Linux architecture, components, customization, and capabilities. The RHCE credential can be obtained via one of two tracks:
Rapid track—. This course/exam combination is called RH300: RHCE Rapid Track Course. It takes five days to complete (four days for the course, one day for the exam) and costs $2,498. The exam-only version is called RH302: RHCE Certification Lab Exam. It takes one day to complete and costs $749.
Standard track—. This track requires completion of three courses—RH033, RH133, RH253—and the RH302 exam. RH033: Red Hat Linux Essentials lasts four days and costs $1,998. RH133: Red Hat Linux System Administration and RH253: Red Hat Linux Networking & Security Administration each take four days to complete. RH133 costs $2,098 and RH253 costs $2,198.
Candidates in the Rapid track have significant administration experience with Unix and Linux systems. Candidates in the Standard track are preparing for system administrator responsibilities. Visit the RHCE program Web page, at www.redhat.com/training/rhce/courses, for track, course, and exam details.
To obtain the RHCE credential, a candidate must pass the RH302 Certification Lab Exam. The exam takes one day to complete and consists of three parts—a multiple-choice module, a hands-on installation and configuration of Red Hat, and a troubleshooting module. A candidate is not required to complete Red Hat training courses prior to the exam, but depending on a candidate's current Linux background, training is highly recommended to increase the chances of passing the exam.
All Red Hat courses are offered at various Red Hat locations in the United States and through IBM Global Services, a Red Hat Training Partner. See the “How to Prepare for Red Hat Exams” section later in this chapter for more information.
RHCE candidates are strongly advised to complete the Red Hat prerequisites before attempting the RHCE courses and/or exam and to use the published RH300 course outline to guide their study and preparation for the exam. To learn more about RHCE course prerequisites and the RH300 outline, visit www.redhat.com/training/rhce/courses.
Red Hat announced the RHCT certification in November 2002. RHCT is a test of one's knowledge and ability in transitioning from non-Unix operating systems and supporting Red Hat Linux in particular. This certification identifies computer technicians who are familiar with installing and configuring Red Hat Linux systems and attaching them to a live network but are not responsible for configuring or maintaining networking services or security.
The RHCT credential can be obtained via the Standard track only (no Rapid track, as with RHCE). This track requires passing a two-part exam—RH202. Section I of this exam is a four-problem troubleshooting exercise that must be completed within one hour; Section II is an installation and configuration exercise that must be completed within two hours. The RH202 exam costs $349.
Note
Candidates can also earn the RHCT certification by taking the RHCE exam bundled with the RH133 training course and passing the RHCT-related sections in the RHCE exam.
Red Hat recommends that RHCT candidates consider taking the following courses to prepare for the exam, although training is not required:
RH033: Red Hat Linux Essentials
RH133 Red Hat Linux System Administration
In addition, candidates improve their chances of passing the exam by having real-world experience in system administration.
To learn more about the RHCT certification, visit www.redhat.com/training/rhce/courses/index.html.
Now that you've learned about the RHCE and RHCT certifications, you probably want to know more about registering for the exams. To sign up for them, you must contact Red Hat Enrollment Central. You can do so through the Web page at www.redhat.com/training/enrollment.html or by calling 866-626-2994.
You can pay for training and/or the certification exams with a credit card, check, or wire transfer. You can handle everything you need to sign up with a single phone call or through the Web site. Please note that you can register for a course or an exam only when payment is verified.
To schedule an exam, you need to call or visit the Red Hat Web site as far in advance as possible (there are only limited opportunities to sign up for many of the offerings, so you need to plan ahead). To sign up for a Red Hat course or exam, you can use the Handy Enrollment Form on the How to Register for Red Hat Training Web page, at www.redhat.com/training/enrollment.html. At the site you'll also find contact names, Web sign-up pages, email addresses, and phone numbers to register at U.S., U.K., German, and Asia-Pacific locations.
To cancel or reschedule an exam, you must agree to Red Hat's cancellation policies, which require forfeiture of part of the sign-up fee unless at least 15 working days' notice is given; that is, you forfeit your entire fee if you cancel 7 working days or less before the course or exam, and you forfeit 50% of the fee to cancel between 8 and 14 working days before the course or exam. With 15 working days' notice or more, you get a complete refund of the fees, or you can reschedule without penalty.
The RHCE and RHCT lab exams are closed book. In fact, you aren't allowed to take anything with you into the testing area. You are furnished with a blank sheet of paper and a pen. The testing centers do not allow you to write notes before the exam begins. You get some time to compose yourself, so you should relax and ready yourself for the exam.
Both lab exams are graded on a pass/fail basis. Candidates are notified by email of their status within three to five business days of taking an exam. Successful candidates receive the RHCE or RHCT certificate. Those who complete all training but do not pass the lab exam receive a certificate of achievement.
To sign up for training at Red Hat Global Learning Services, visit www.redhat.com/training. IBM Global Services, a Red Hat Training Partner, also offers training for RHCE certification. You can consult the company's Web page, at www-3.ibm.com/services/learning/spotlight/linux, for more information.
At a minimum, you should use the following materials to prepare for a Red Hat certification exam:
Red Hat provides comprehensive statements of its prerequisites for the RHCE and RHCT certifications and also offers a complete outline of its own RHCE training course. In addition, a Student Guide for the RHCE is available at www.redhat.com/training/student_guide, which offers detailed guidelines to prepare you for attending a Red Hat training course. Be sure to consult these materials to help you prepare for your exam.
If you take the RHCE classroom training, be sure to consult your student manuals, which offer comprehensive coverage of the topics that appear on the exam and are a great preparation tool.
Lots of options from third parties can help you prepare for the RHCE exams. Our quick visit to an online bookstore, with a search on RHCE, turned up four entries. The RHCT is relatively new, so no RHCT-specific exam prep materials are available as of this writing. As time goes by, the number of such options will likely increase.
You should find any or all of the following materials useful in your search for RHCE certification:
Study guides—. Sybex offers the RHCE Red Hat Certified Engineer Study Guide Exam RH302, by Bill McCarty, for the RHCE certification. Also, Osborne/McGraw-Hill released RHCE Red Hat Certified Engineer Linux Study Guide by Duncan Anderson. Other RHCE certification-related titles of one kind or another are available at bookstores.
Exam Cram—. An Exam Cram is available from Kara Pritchard that covers the RH302 exam; an updated version of this book may soon be under way.
Other publications—. You can find plenty of other publications and resources if you take the time to look around on the Web or in a local bookstore. There's no shortage of materials about Linux certification in general and RHCE in particular, especially in online newsletters and from magazines such as Certification Magazine, at www.certmag.com, and Linux Gazette, at www.linuxgazette.com.
These materials represent a usable collection of resources for Red Hat exam topics and related information.
The LPI is the brainchild of Unix expert and author Dan York, who has worked tirelessly since 1998 to get LPI and its various certifications off the ground. The LPIC program is a vendor-neutral Linux certification program that is for those with general Linux skills and knowledge.
The LPIC program is designed as a three-level certification program for Linux professionals at the operator (Level 1), administrator (Level 2), and advanced specialist (Level 3) levels. For an excellent overview of the motivation for the LPIC program, read Dan York's article on Linux certification in the Linux Gazette, at www.linuxgazette.com/issue33/york.html.
The LPIC program is broken into three numbered levels:
LPIC Level 1—. This is a base-level Linux operator certification for which individuals must develop a level of knowledge and competency that's roughly equivalent to that of the RHCE prerequisites. This means candidates must have the ability to install, configure, network, maintain, and troubleshoot Linux systems for use as workstations or servers, without necessarily knowing all the kernel-level or architectural details of the system or all its advanced capabilities. To obtain LPIC Level 1 certification, candidates must pass two exams: 117-101: LPI Level 1 Exam 101 Release 2 and 117-102: LPI Level 1 Exam 102 Release 2. The 117-101 exam covers fundamental system administration activities that are common to all Linux versions. The 117-102 exam covers basic installation, configuration, operations, shells and scripting, and X Window, plus networking fundamentals and services and basic system security. The two exams overlap; prepping for the 117-102 exam adequately prepares a candidate for both exams. For more information about LPIC Level 1, an exam outline, and links to details, see www.lpi.org/c-process.html#LPIC1.
LPIC Level 2—. This is an intermediate-level Linux certification for which individuals must demonstrate a level of knowledge and competency that's roughly equivalent to that of the RHCE. This level includes advanced Linux administration topics and tools, plus Linux monitoring, optimization, and tuning for a variety of performance and security goals. To obtain LPIC Level 2 certification, candidates must pass two exams: 201: Advanced Administration and 202: Linux Networking Administration. The 201 exam covers general system administration activities that include kernel creation and customization, Linux boot sequence management, system recovery, the filesystem, hardware, file and service sharing, system maintenance and customization, and troubleshooting. The 202 exam covers networking, Web services, mail and news components, DNS, network client management, system security, and troubleshooting. Be sure to visit the LPI Web site, at www.lpi.org/c-process.html#LPIC2, for more information about LPIC Level 2.
LPIC Level 3—. This is an advanced-level Linux certification for which individuals must demonstrate a deep and thorough knowledge of the Linux kernel and one or more subsystems. Candidates also have some responsibility for managing or coordinating the activities of others, planning system rollouts and deployments, managing budgets, and interacting with organization managers to set and meet IT implementation requirements. The Level 3 certification is still under development; the information here might change by the time this certification becomes publicly available. To obtain LPIC Level 3 certification, candidates must pass any two exams from the following broad slate of possibilities:
321: Windows Integration—. Working with Linux and Windows 2000, NT, 9x, and so on.
322: Internet Server—. Using Linux to support list servers, news servers, FTP, HTTP, DNS, ISPs, NFS, and possibly Perl scripting.
323: Database Server—. Using Linux to support a database engine, with related application and Web-based services.
324: Security, Firewalls, Encryption—. Using Linux to establish a secure network perimeter, with appropriate monitoring, intrusion detection, security controls, and authentication services.
325: Kernel Internals and Device Drivers—. Developing software for the Linux environment, including kernel-level services and device drivers. (A working knowledge of the C programming language may be required.)
32x: Additional electives—. As additional electives are developed, they will fall in the number range 326 to 329.
Stay tuned to the LPI Web site, at www.lpi.org/c-process.html#LPIC3, for more information about LPIC Level 3.
At this writing, only exams for LPIC Levels 1 and 2 are available. Exams for Level 3 are in development. Check www.lpi.org/p-index.html to see which exams are currently available as you read this material. (Note that the only objectives you'll find there are for exams that you can actually take.)
Now that you've learned about the LPI certifications, you probably want to know more about registering for and taking the exams. The registration process needs to occur through either VUE or Thomson Prometric. All LPI exams cost $100 each (at least, the ones that are currently available; there's no telling whether the more advanced exams will cost the same).
To take an LPIC exam, you need to contact one of the following organizations:
Prometric—. You can sign up for a test through the company's Web site, www.2test.com, or you can register by phone at 800-294-EXAM (in North America). If you already have a relationship with Prometric for other certification programs, such as MCSE or CNE, you can use the same online account name and password you've used before.
VUE—. After you create a VUE user account (which must be unique for every exam, unlike with Prometric) at www.vue.com/contact/obtainLogin.html, you can register for any LPI exam. This involves locating a test center where you want to take an exam, scheduling that exam, and making payment. You can handle all these activities at www.vue.com/lpi. Please contact VUE telephone technical support for detailed information on all the ins and outs of exam registration. Call 877-619-2096 (in North America) or 952-681-3940. Other VUE phone numbers are available at www.vue.com/contact/lpi.
Note
Be sure to specify the full exam ID (117-101 or 117-102) when signing up or requesting information for the LPIC Level 1 exams. Sair Linux and GNU also offers 101 and 102 exams (3X0-101 and 3X0-102), also available through VUE, which can cause confusion for both test-takers and VUE representatives.
All LPI exams are closed book. In fact, you aren't allowed to take anything with you into the testing area. You are furnished with a blank sheet of paper and a pen. Most testing centers do not allow you to write notes before the exam begins. You get some time to compose yourself, so you should relax and ready yourself for the exam.
When you complete an LPI exam, you obtain immediate feedback on your score from the testing center's automatic scoring system. You should ask your test center administrator to print a copy of your test results so that you can refer to them later, should you need to.
At a minimum, you should use the following materials to prepare for an LPIC exam:
LPI provides comprehensive statements of its objectives and requirements for all LPI exams and also offers sets of practice questions for such exams. Be sure to consult these materials to help prepare for your exams; you'll find them at www.lpi.org/p-index.html.
LPI itself offers no training, but it does support a program that examines training from third parties for adherence to and coverage of relevant exam objectives. Thus, you can find a list of LPI-approved training materials offered by third parties at www.lpi.org/latm/latm1.html. A list of third-party organizations that offer LPI training courses that includes both approved and unapproved offerings is available at the Lin Training Web page, at http://lintraining.com.
LPI itself offers neither study guides nor cram materials, but several options are available from third parties to help you prepare for LPI exams. A quick visit to an online bookstore, with a search on LPI, turns up multiple entries.
You should find any or all of the following materials useful in your search for LPI certification:
Exam preparation guides—. Jeffrey Dean's LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell helps prepare a candidate to pass the LPI Level 1 exams (117-101 and 117-102). Dee-Ann LeBlanc's General Linux I Exam Prep includes coverage of the LPI Level 1 exams as well as other Linux certifications.
Study guides—. Several publishers, including Que Certification and Wiley Publishing, offer LPI certification-related titles of one kind or another.
Other publications—. You can find plenty of other publications and resources if you take the time to look around on the Web or in a local bookstore. There's no shortage of materials about Linux certification in general and LPI in particular, especially in online newsletters and from magazines such as Certification Magazine, at www.certmag.com, and the Linux Gazette, at www.linuxgazette.com.
These materials represent a usable collection of resources for LPIC exam topics and related information.
Sair is a wholly owned subsidiary of the international training company Wave Technologies, and the Sair Linux and GNU certification program is managed by the Linux Professional Group in Houston, Texas. Sair is recognized as a leading purveyor of Unix training, exams, and consulting. Sair uses Prometric and VUE as its testing outlets, which gives it global reach for its Linux and GNU certification exams. The Sair Linux and GNU certification program is vendor neutral and offers evidence of general Linux knowledge and skills.
The Sair Linux and GNU certification program is a three-tiered program. Each level corresponds to a named certification. The following sections provide more information about this certification program and its related credentials.
Note
GNU (pronounced “ga-new”) stands for “GNU is Not Unix,” which makes it a self-referential, or recursive, acronym. Broadly speaking, GNU represents an important body of copyleft code and utilities that many versions of Unix, including Linux, treat as part of the overall operating environment. Thus, it makes sense for the certification to mention this important body of work by name.
Let's review the general names for individuals who pursue Linux certification from Sair:
LCP (Linux Certified Professional)—. Any person who passes the Sair Linux Install and Configuration test or the System Administration test at any of the three certification levels attains LCP status. It's the basic entry-level Sair Linux and GNU certification, much as the MCP is for Microsoft.
LCA (Linux Certified Administrator)—Level 1—. This is the entry-level certification for the Sair Linux and GNU certification program. It is for individuals who can function at the power-user level and can perform adequately as help desk staff members for Linux topics or as entry-level Linux administrators.
LCE (Linux Certified Engineer)—Level 2—. This is an intermediate-level certification that is for individuals who can function as everyday Linux administrators and can handle simple design, installation, configuration, maintenance, and troubleshooting topics.
MLCE (Master LCE)—Level 3—. This is the topmost level of certification in the Sair Linux and GNU certification program. It is for individuals who have attained deep knowledge and understanding of the inner workings of Linux and its associated GNU tools. Such individuals can function as senior Linux administrators and specialists and can handle complex design, installation, automation, configurations, maintenance, and troubleshooting topics.
Each certification, with the exception of LCP, requires passing four exams and is claimed to be the equivalent of 128 hours worth of classroom training.
The LCA exams (Level 1) cover many topics involved in entry-level Linux administration. Obtaining the Sair LCA certification is contingent on passing four exams:
Installation and Configuration—Level 1 (Test 3X0-101)—. This exam covers issues related to installation and configuration of Linux and GNU tools.
System Administration—Level 1 (Test 3X0-102)—. This exam covers issues related to managing, troubleshooting, upgrading, and maintaining Linux systems and GNU tools.
Networking—Level 1 (Test 3X0-103)—. This exam covers issues related to installing, configuring, managing, and troubleshooting Linux networking protocols and services, plus related GNU tools and system utilities.
Security, Privacy and Ethics—Level 1 (Test 3X0-104)—. This exam addresses security topics and includes coverage of privacy and ethics matters for Linux systems.
The LCE exams (Level 2) consist of a required Core Concepts & Practices exam and a choice of three electives from a list of seven. Currently, only three of the seven electives are available, as follows:
Level 2—Apache (Test 3X0-202)—. This exam covers issues related to installing and maintaining an Apache Web server.
Level 2—Samba (Test 3X0-203)—. This exam covers issues related to installing and maintaining Samba.
Level 2—Sendmail/Mailing System (Text 3X0-204)—. This exam covers issues related to installing, configuring, and maintaining the Sendmail mailing system.
The Core Concepts & Practices exam (Test 3X0-201) covers issues related to theory of operation, base systems, shells and commands, system services, applications, and troubleshooting.
For the most up-to-date information about the Sair Linux and GNU certification program, visit www.linuxcertification.com. An exam overview is available at www.linuxcertification.com/exams.
At this writing, only Level 1 and some Level 2 exams are available. The remaining Level 2 elective exams and all Level 3 exams should be available within the next year. For current status, check the list of available exams at the Prometric Web site, at www.2test.com, or the VUE Web site, at www.vue.com/sairlinux. (Note that any exam you can sign up and pay for is one you can take.)
Now that you've learned about the Sair certifications, you probably want to know more about registering to take their exams. The registration process needs to occur through Prometric or VUE. All currently available Sair exams cost $99 each (there's no telling if the more advanced exams will cost the same or more).
To take a Sair exam, you need to contact one of the following organizations:
Prometric Testing Centers—. You can sign up through the company's Web site, at www.2test.com, or you can register by phone at 888-895-6717 (in North America).
VUE—. You can sign up at www.vue.com/sairlinux or register by phone at 952-681-3843.
Note
You should be sure to specify the full exam ID (3X0-101 or 3X0-102) when signing up or requesting information for these particular Sair Linux and GNU exams. LPI also offers 101 and 102 exams, also available through VUE, which can cause confusion for both test-takers and VUE representatives.
To sign up for a Sair exam online, you must first create a Prometric or VUE user account. After that, you can register for any Sair exam by locating a test center where you want to take an exam, scheduling the exam, and making payment.
If you already have a relationship with Prometric for other certification programs, such as MCSE or CNE, you can use the same online account name and password you've used before at www.2test.com. Just make sure to choose the Linux (Sair, Linux & GNU) entry from the pull-down menu when you select the type of exam for which you want to register. VUE (www.vue.com/sairlinux) requires a unique account name and password for each exam. The pull-down entry menu option is Sair Linux.
To sign up for an exam, you must possess a valid credit card or contact Prometric or VUE for mailing instructions to send them a check (in the United States). You can register for a test only when payment is verified or a check has cleared.
To schedule an exam, you need to call or visit the www.2test.com or www.vue.com/sairlinux Web page at least one day in advance. When you want to schedule a test, you need to have the following information ready:
Your name, organization, mailing address, and email address
The name and number of the exam you want to take
A method of payment
After you sign up for a test, you are informed as to when and where the test is scheduled. You should try to arrive at least 15 minutes early. You must supply two forms of identification, one of which must be a photo ID.
To cancel or reschedule an exam, you must call at least 48 hours before the scheduled test time or before close of business two working days beforehand, or you may be charged, even if you don't show up to take the test.
All Sair exams are closed book. In fact, you aren't allowed to take anything with you into the testing area. You are furnished with a blank sheet of paper and a pen. We suggest that you immediately write down whatever you've memorized for the test before you actually begin to take the test. You get some time to compose yourself and to record this information.
When you complete a Sair exam, you obtain immediate feedback on your score from the testing center's automatic scoring system. You should ask your test center administrator to print a copy of your test results so that you can refer to them later, should you need to.
At a minimum, you should use the following materials to prepare for a Sair certification exam:
Sair provides comprehensive statements of its objectives and requirements for all its exams and also offers sets of practice questions for such exams. You should be sure to consult these materials to help you prepare for your exams; you can find them through the road map at www.linuxcertification.com/roadmap.php. (Click on any exam for which you want objectives.) Sair also offers a set of support materials that includes detailed objectives, by topic, and a set of background references for further reading; visit www.linuxcertification.com/resources for those details.
Sair itself offers no training, but it does authorize third parties to act as Sair Linux GNU-Accredited Centers for Education (SLG-ACEs). For a list of such third parties, click the Training link in the left pane on the Sair home page, at www.linuxcertification.com.
Sair itself offers neither study guides nor cram materials, but several options are available from third parties to help you prepare for their exams. Sair has established an official Sair Linux and GNU imprint with Wiley Publishing. Many computer publishers are currently working on Sair certification books, so the options should improve with time.
You should find any or all of the following materials useful in your search for Sair Linux GNU certification:
Exam preparation guides—. Dee-Ann LeBlanc's outstanding General Linux I Exam Prep includes coverage of the Sair Level 1 exams as well as other Linux certifications.
Study guides—. Several publishers, including Wiley Publishing, offer Sair certification-related titles of one kind or another.
Other publications—. You can find plenty of other publications and resources if you take the time to look around on the Web or in a local bookstore. There's no shortage of materials about Linux certification in general and Sair in particular, especially in online newsletters and from magazines such as Certification Magazine, at www.certmag.com, and the Linux Gazette, at www.linuxgazette.com.
These materials represent a usable collection of resources for Sair exam topics and related information.
Astute readers will already have noticed that, of the three programs covered in this chapter, RHCE certification is by far the most mature and well developed. Because Red Hat certification works best for sites that use the Red Hat product and the other two programs are still in the rollout phase, this quite naturally raises the question that heads this section.
We could answer this question in many ways (not all of them serious). However, taking the question seriously means answering it in terms of today's marketplace and then speculating on where that marketplace will be tomorrow. Today, a Linux certification is more of a vanity certification than a must-have credential. Linux's relatively low market share means that you see very few job postings or classified ads that call for Linux certification by name. Thus, the answer to the question, if posed today, is either “not much” (taking a purely statistical view, based on market share) or “whatever you can make it worth” (taking the attitude that obtaining any certification shows hustle and dedication but realizing that you're going to have to explain to many employers why that certification has tangible value).
In the future, the answer to this question is likely to change. With increasing use of Linux in the workplace and with increasing interest in this operating system and related technology, Linux is not only a good certification to have but might even emerge as the next big thing in the IT certification world. One thing's for sure: Only time will tell how big a winner a Linux certification will be.
When it comes to selecting which of the three certifications you should back, hopefully the choice of RHCE versus the other two is pretty easy to make. That is, if you can make a reasonably long-standing commitment to Red Hat's Linux implementation, it's a good choice; if you can't, either of the vendor-neutral certifications is bound to cover more options than a vendor-specific one. On the other hand, deciding between LPI and Sair means watching which way the market will go, and there's not enough information yet to pick one of these options over the other. At present, because each side has its Level 1 and Level 2 certifications complete, there's no clear advantage to either party.
