[CLUE-Talk] Re: [lug] Linux education/classes

William C. Phye bbccp at 4dv.net
Thu Apr 12 08:54:56 MDT 2001


For educational & research purposes only.

Hi.

For my purposes, SAIR [LCI, LCA & LCP # 462B8F] certs were/are best;
however, you must evaluate your respective situation(s) and goal(s).

IMHO, as it only covered one distribution, RedHat was to restrictive;
and, while useful, LPI was to narrow
in focus.

As it is the only place I found Cert comparisons, I borrowed the
following from SAIR http://www.linuxcertification.com/FAQ

Perhaps it will help.  Regardless, there are some interesting links and
- for me - useful information.

Good luck.

Bill

                       3.Does anyone compare the Sair Linux and GNU
certificate to
                         other certification programs?

                            i.Ed Tittle offers his analysis in the
ExamCram.com Insider Newsletter - Issue #41.
                            ii.Eileen Cohen of LinuxWorld has reviewed
the certification programs:

http://linuxworld.com/linuxworld/lw-2000-01/lw-01-certification.html.
                           iii.There is a review of the Linux
certifications and an interview with Tobin Maginnis at:
                              http://www.linuxstocknews.com/archive.html
Newsletter #11 - March 13, 2000.
                           iv.Jeff Dean has a book in progress also
comparing the certifications:

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/linux/2000/01/31/linuxpro/index.html.
                            v.Softpanorama has a page about different
Linux certifications at

http://www.softpanorama.org/Sysadmin/certification.shtml
                           vi.On December 30th, 2000 there a post on
Slashdot about Sair Linux and GNU Certification

http://slashdot.org/askslashdot/00/12/30/1811251.shtml

                         See the news section for more updates.

                       4.It's confusing to have different certifying
organizations for
                         Linux. Are there any plans to combine them into
a single
                         certification program that everyone in the
industry will value?

                         This question suggests the following
assumptions about IT certificates and GNU
                         GPLed software:

                            i.Certificates offered by product vendors
that control the software through copyright and
                              licenses are "reasonable." That is,
certificate acceptance through vendor dictate is
                              "acceptable" if it means there is just one
certificate.
                            ii.In the GNU GPL world there is one clear
identifiable body that has the authority to dictate
                              the contents of a Linux certificate.
                           iii.Linux is a singular software product
offered by a singular developer body.

                         Clearly, we disagree with these assumptions
and, furthermore, a statement about
                         multiple Linux certificates has to consider:

                            i.There are more than 100 Linux
distributions available.
                            ii.Each distribution uses its own selection
of software components from more than 6000
                              software packages available on the
Internet.
                           iii.Much of the software is GNU GPLed, some
employ other open source licenses, and a
                              few are proprietary.
                           iv.There are currently more than 400 computer
related certificates and many contain overlap,
                              yet more certificates are offered each
year without general complaint.
                            v.GNU GPL represents a fundamental shift in
the IT industry where software is no longer
                              considered a trade secret, but rather a
common knowledge base available to all IT
                              professionals that wish to use it.
                           vi.Since no one owns the software, companies
are free to build training materials based
                              upon this common knowledge and offer
evidence of knowledge mastery through measured
                              outcomes in the form of certification
exams.

                         Thus, it is a brave new world for IT
certification. Sair Linux and GNU makes no claim
                         to being the "one," "true," or "official,"
Linux certification. We do claim, however, to
                         work hard for your respect, to develop a
program that you are proud to associate
                         with, and to form a life-long partnership to
help you advance in your career with
                         GNU GPL open source software.

                       5.Given all the changes taking place in the Linux
industry, I am
                         concerned about the future. What I don't want
to do is start
                         off on a course of learning towards a
qualification that may
                         evolve beyond recognition before I'm able to
complete it.

                         We can say without hesitation that the Sair
Linux & GNU curriculum and certificates
                         will be here for the long haul. We are part of
Wave Technologies International, Inc.
                         who has demonstrated a commitment to developing
software vendor neutral
                         training and certification programs. Wave's
parent company is Thomson Life Long
                         Learning and Thomson's goal is to be an
industry leader IT instruction and
                         certification. Seeing Thomson's many other
professional training and certification
                         brands confirms this commitment.

                         The Sair Linux and GNU brand provides Thomson
with many opportunities to grow in
                         this new and exciting area of GNU GPL open
source software training and
                         certification. As our program continues to grow
in size and sophistication, our
                         overriding concern will be to how best increase
the value of our curriculum to past
                         as well as future certificate holders.

                       6.What are the differences between certifications
offered by Sair
                         and those offered by Brainbench, LPI, and Red
Hat?

                            i.Training Material. Our goal is to make the
Sair Linux and GNU certification the most
                              valuable or authoritative open source
curriculum by providing the most objective, detailed,
                              and comprehensive training material and
exams available. Red Hat is generally
                              considered to be an advanced systems
certification for professionals with a strong Unix
                              background. By definition, the training
material is specific to the Red Hat distributions.
                              Brainbench and LPI do not develop or
endorse training material, they only provide exams.

                            ii.Exam Objectives. Sair offers an
equivalence matrix that compares its objectives with
                              those of Brainbench, LPI, and Red Hat.
These certification companies' published
                              objectives are 100% covered by the Sair
Knowledge Matrix, while LPI Certification
                              objectives cover only 59% of Sair's
objectives. Red Had Certification objectives cover only
                              39% of Sair's objectives, and Brainbench
Certification objectives cover only 22% of Sair's
                              objectives.

                              Sair's content is based upon its peer
reviewed Knowledge Matrix which
                              attempts to quantify a comprehensive set
of objectives and competencies
                              for the mastery of Linux and GNU. The
other certifications are more focused
                              on system administration tasks. Thus,
general Sair topics not represented, or
                              represented to a lessor degree, in the
other certifications include the GNU
                              GPL license, general configuration,
networking, and security.

                           iii.Exam Structure. Red Hat Certified
Engineer (RHCE) is one long exam with one third
                              written and two thirds hands-on exam
components proctored by a Red Hat representative.
                              LPI tests its Level I objectives with two
two-hour multiple choice answer type tests of 90
                              questions each. Sair tests with four
one-hour multiple choice tests type tests with 50
                              questions each. LPI and Sair are proctored
by third parties. Brainbench is a web-based
                              certification offering multiple-choice
tests. As such, Brainbench exams are un-proctored.

                           iv.Exam Grading. Sair understands that exam
content is paramount in criteria-based
                              certification tests. Sair takes pride in
its coordination of test topics from the knowledge
                              matrix, objectives, competencies, study
guides, and exam questions. These topics
                              specify exact criteria which the candidate
must meet. The tests directly measure these
                              topics, and results are reported with a
detailed summary for each of the six areas: Theory
                              of Operation, Base System, Shells and
Commands, Utilities, System Services, and
                              Troubleshooting.

                              Sair exam results are absolute. There are
50 questions on each exam, with
                              74% or 37 correct answers required to pass
the exam. Unlike other
                              certification tests which assign a rank to
a test taker relative to all other
                              test takers, Sair emphasizes mastery of
material. Results of the test inform
                              the examinee directly of the mastery level
in each area, allowing each
                              examinee to focus future studies in areas
of relative weakness. Prospective
                              employers can also use the detailed
summary to evaluate strength areas of
                              job applicants or employees.

                              Test results from other certification
examinations only supply the test taker
                              with a relative score of some type,
without a raw score, percent correct, or
                              other criterion measure for evaluating
his/her performance. The effect of this
                              practice is to leave the test taker who
fails without any guidance as to how
                              to prepare for re-examination.

                       7.How much do the certification exams cost? I
couldn't find
                         anything on your Web site or on the Prometric
site regarding
                         this.

                         In the United States most testing organizations
charge US $99.00 and we follow
                         that standard. Outside the United States we
tried to match the US $99.00 metric
                         when possible, but many times the cost of
testing and the local economies pushed
                         the relative cost of testing over the US $99.00
mark even though we may have
                         offered the test below our costs.

                         It may appear that US $99.00 is a lot of money
for one test, but also remember to
                         add the cost of developing each test, test
monitoring, test revisions, and test
                         publication fees. Furthermore, we must support
each test taker with a life-long
                         detailed database system, certificate
publication, and customer support. In spite of
                         these costs, we believe that third party test
administration and proctoring is a key
                         part of the certification process.

                       8.What if I find a mistake in your objectives,
tests, or training
                         materials?

                         We make every effort to provide accurate
materials, but it is only a matter of time
                         before human beings make a mistake. On the
other hand, the objectives are there
                         as a statement of community knowledge and if
you know a better answer, a
                         clarification, or a correction, then please
assist the community by providing the
                         correction.

                       9.What does the certificate really mean to me
today?

                         The simple truth is that the certificate is
just a sheet of paper, and it means
                         nothing by itself. Someone who forges a
certificate or cheats when taking the
                         exams will only have a sheet of paper when all
is said and done.

                         The certificate, instead, symbolizes what has
happened inside of your head -- it
                         symbolizes the skills and techniques you have
acquired. To earn the certificate one
                         must learn many concepts and principles, and
absorb numerous facts. Moreover,
                         one should have accumulated many hours of
working with various Linux
                         distributions. This process will impart to the
certificate-holder the confidence of
                         having acquired enough knowledge about Linux to
call oneself a professional.

                         Thus, certificate-holders will be able to speak
the language of Linux fluently,
                         making it apparent to others that the
certificate-holder has achieved a deep
                         understanding of Linux. As business and
industry awareness of the certificate
                         grows, revelation of your certified-status will
be an important sign to others that
                         you possess significant abilities with regard
to Linux administration.

                         Finally, you will use the certificate to obtain
a competitive edge over other job
                         applicants, earn a promotion, or advertise to
customers that your skills have been
                         validated by a professional organization.

                      10.What are the prerequisites? Can you be a total
"newbie" at the
                         start?

                         There are no prerequisites, but we do not think
newbies can just jump in and swim
                         by themselves. On the other hand, with the
support of a user's group, perhaps
                         newbies will be able to survive. Also, our ACEs
can provide a "Linux Fundamentals"
                         manual we have produced, as well as
instructor-led courses based on this material.
                         The "Linux Fundamentals" manual is not
associated with any of our tests, but may
                         serve as an introductory step for those with
less Linux experience.

                      11.Do you have any example certification
questions?

                         Yes, please see the more about exams section.

                      12.What if the testing fees bring in more money
than expected?

                         Sair Linux and GNU Certification is committed
to contributing revenue back to the
                         open source community. The phenomena called
Linux has been brewing for more
                         than 20 years and is the result of the efforts
made by many idealistic individuals
                         who will never be paid for their efforts. We
think that the best remedy to this
                         unfortunate situation is the active support of
the creation of open source
                         software. It seems to us that if free software
creates a special business
                         environment, then business should somehow
actively give back to open source
                         efforts.

                         However, we do not mean to imply that
businesses do not directly give back to the
                         open source community. History has shown that
there are businesses that have
                         supported open software projects and that they
have adapted their business
                         models in order to generate free software. Our
goal is to identify and and
                         participate in key projects that will enhance
the software system called Linux.

                      13.Will you offer a certificate in England?
                         When will certification be available in
Australia?
                         Is it possible to get LCA for Russian citizens?

                         We use the world-wide services of Thomson
Prometric to administer our tests.
                         Please see Prometric's testing center locator
at
                         http://www.2test.com/tcl/ZipCode.jsp for the
center nearest you.

                      14.I attempted to register online only to discover
that I must fill in
                         all of the fields. Perhaps this is not a
problem for some, but it is
                         for me. On the linuxcertification.com site I
found no guarantees
                         either in the FAQ or on the registration page
that my personal
                         information would be kept confidential.

                         We are asking for a physical address in order
to get a feel for areas of high
                         demand. If you do not wish to provide an
address, simply enter "none" in the
                         appropriate field.

                         In fact, until this question was asked, we had
not considered the issue of whether
                         the mailing list would leave the Sair Linux and
GNU certification organization.
                         However, since trainers generally will not
create training programs until they are
                         convinced that sufficient demand exists, we
would like to provide your name, free
                         of charge, to those training companies who
request such information.

                         If you disagree with this new policy, please
let us know, and we will delete your
                         name from the list.

                      15.All you are doing is generating paper tigers.

                         A frequent critique of paper-based exams is
that they create certificate-holders
                         who can not find a list of users, much less
administer a cluster of machines. Stated
                         another way, the crux of this criticism is that
people without practical experience
                         can pass the exams and then pass themselves off
as seasoned computer
                         professionals.

                         The issue here is not the paper-based exams,
but the problem of quantifying
                         experience. We agree that there is no
substitute for experience in order to
                         reinforce learned principles and to practice
newly acquired techniques. On the
                         other hand, it is also true that practical
experience is often rather narrow. Our
                         exams test a broad array of system
administration topics that a given practitioner
                         may not have experienced.

                         For us to confirm experience, we would have to
issue a type of Level IV exam for
                         each test, which is much too expensive for the
industry. Thus, we believe the
                         solution to this problem lies with the
employer. The employer must realize that
                         experience is a significant component to
success and screen applicants based upon
                         the combination of paper-based knowledge as
well as experience.

                      16.What title(s) am I permitted to use after
earning your
                         certifications, and do you have any logos I may
use?

                         You can find more information about logos and
benefits on our Linux Certified Home
                         site.

                      17.Which Linux distribution do you recommend that
I use to
                         prepare for your exams?

                         The Sair Linux and GNU Certification exams are
intended to be distribution-neutral,
                         and you may prepare for them using whatever
distribution (or distributions) you
                         like. You may find it useful to try working
with more than one distribution, in order
                         to avoid becoming dependent on
distribution-specific tools or to broaden your skills.
                         We encourage you to learn about the different
Linux distributions in order to find
                         the ones that fit your needs best.

                      18.Where can I find your training materials, or
sign up for
                         instructor-led courses with them?

                         Please see our list of ACEs at

http://ace.linuxcertification.com/search/ACESearch.php3. All of our
materials may
                         be ordered through any of our ACEs, and our
ACEs are responsible for offering
                         instructor-led courses. Also, our study guides
are being published through the John
                         Wiley and Sons publishing company.




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 ©2001 Sair Linux and GNU

Cory Dekker wrote:

> Speaking as someone who is RHCE certified, I have mixed
> feelings about the value of the certification, or the test process.
>
> In my humble opinion (20+ yrs as a UNIX SA), it's a rather
> poor over-all measure of a "RedHat Engineer", in that it really
> only tests 1) installation skills, 2) book knowledge of the OS,
> and 3) H/W & system problem diagnostic and resolution skills.
> Nothing of significance about WHY you might do something,
> or have a system configured this way or that.  Nothing of any
> significance on performance or tuning, and nothing in the areas
> of operations, maintenance, or day-to-day administration and
> management.  Also, in the 3 areas that it does focus on, skills
> at time management and "test taking" are as much, or MORE,
> critical than actual RedHat techincal skills.  I've seen engineers
> who know ALOT more than I do, fail the test.
>
> However, for those 3 areas, you WILL NOT get through the
> test unless you know what you're doing.  So, in that measure,
> it serves a purpose.  I also consider it a good measure for any
> systems administrator who is wanting to try consultanting, and
> will be mainly focused on doing scratch installs & fire-fighting.
> You won't pass unless you're good in both of these areas, and
> I say "good", because there is VERY little margin for making
> mistakes while taking the test.  A good dose of luck helps too.
>
> When I took the test, I also took a 4-day "review" class just
> before taking it.  In hind sight, I would probably not have been
> able to pass it without the focused review.  The course was the
> one done by RedHat.  The instructor, Joe Kirby, was good,
> despite some of the circumstances he had to try to work within.
>
> Net result: RHCE: Fair as a measure for any consultant you
> might call to do an install, or fix a system.  Nice on a resume.
> Lack of certification really doesn't mean that much currently.
> Not a meaningful measure of a Linux system admin's skills.
>
>                                                 -Cory
>
> Crawford Rainwater wrote:
>
>> Hello there folks,
>>
>> Sort of being new to the LUGs (and not looking through the
>> archives yet on this either), I was wondering people's
>> thoughts towards classes, education, and/or certification
>> (LCA, LPI, RHCE...) in Linux?
>>
>> More along the lines, if there were classes in the
>> area, would people be interested in taking them (say
>> along the lines of the SAIR/GNU LCA route since it seems
>> to be general Linux (non-distribution specific) and
>> covers the "basics")?
>>
>> Feel free to post to the group or to me directly on
>> this one.  I am just surveying the scene some at the
>> moment to get an idea here.  This is not meant to start
>> a flame war on being or getting certified vs. not either
>> so please keep those thoughts in mind.  Again, just more
>> surveying and general curiosity on my part.
>>
>> Thanks in advance.
>>
>> --- Crawford
>> rainwac at attglobal.net
>> _______________________________________________
>> Web Page:  http://lug.boulder.co.us
>> Mailing List: http://lists.lug.boulder.co.us/mailman/listinfo/lug
>
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