Linux Foundation Certification
Table of Contents
During my quest to expand my knowledge on Linux thanks to edX course LFS101x Introduction to Linux, I happened upon the announcement from the Linux Foundation (who also run the edX course) that there is now two certification for Linux;
Linux Foundation Certified Sysadmin (LFCS) #
A Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) has the skills to do basic to intermediate system administration from the command-line for systems running Linux. Linux Foundation Certified System Administrators are knowledgeable in the operational support of Linux systems and services. They are responsible for first line troubleshooting and analysis, and decide when to escalate issues to engineering teams.
Linux Foundation Certified Engineer (LFCE) #
A Linux Foundation Certified Engineer (LFCE) possesses a wider range and greater depth of skills than the Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS). Linux Foundation Certified Engineers are responsible for the design and implementation of system architecture. They provide an escalation path and serve as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for the next generation of system administration professionals.
So what makes certification from the Linux Foundation different from the existing certifications from enterprise vendors such as Red Hat or SUSE or even the Linux Professional Institute?
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Distro Agnostic #
- Much like the LFS101x course, the testing from the Linux Foundation is built around Ubuntu, OpenSUSE and CentOS which covers examples from 3 of the main upstream Distro’s (Debian, SUSE and Red Hat respectively).
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Real skills, real tests #
- Unlike most testing environments, the Linux Foundation certifications are all based at the command line. No think like the vendor multi-choice questions.
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Online based #
- While other vendors are starting to come around to this method as well, it’s great to see Linux Foundations first certifications will be purely online based.
I think the Linux Foundation has got off to a great start with their first two certifications. After I complete my studies I may even pony up and test myself.
More information on the Linux Foundation certification can be found at http://training.linuxfoundation.org/certification