LPIC-2 vs. RHCE

[fluid11]

For those interested in Linux certification...

I recently asked a representative from LPI how they compare their level 2 exams to Red Hat's RHCE exam. Here's their answer...



"As an RHCE myself, I will say that it is comparable, if not more advanced.
RHCE focuses on the GUI tools and doesn't really prepare you for a machine
without X or (obviously) non RH based systems. It's really hard to give
it a concrete comparison though. If you compared written to written betwen
RHCE and ours, the RHCE written element is elementary, more of a trivia
quiz than a skills exam. Comparing skills comprension between the two
methods, some areas are exceeded by LPI and others comparable.

Understand the main difference between RHCE and LPIC-2 is that RHCE is a
product certification and LPIC is a job certification. RHCE prepares you
to use their product, LPIC evaluates your performance for a globally
defined job as a Linux sysadmin."



If the LPIC-2 exams are the equivalent or harder than the RHCE (which it looks like it is judging by the objectives), then you can save a few hundred dollars and go after the LPIC-2 and LPIC-1 exams instead of the RHCE. Each LPI exam is $100 and each level has 2 exams, so that means that it will cost you $400 to get your LPIC-2 (if you pass them all on the first try). The RHCE exam alone is $750 with no courses, and you have to take it at a Red Hat approved center. There's only about 30 of them in the US I think.


ChrisP
LPIC-1, Linux+, MCSE (2K/NT4), CNE (NW5), CCNA, A+, Network+, Server+, i-Net+, CIWA

 

[fluid11]

Just an FYI on the number of certified LPI and RHCE individuals...

LPIC-1 - approx 4,000
LPIC-2 - approx 250
RHCE - not sure, but around 5000 last time I checked



Here's CertCities 10 Hottest Certifications for 2002. RHCE was #6 and LPI just missed the list.

http://certcities.com/editorial/features/story.asp?EditorialsID=37

 

[marsd]

I've found in my experience that linux certs are a waste
of time for the most part.
Most of the *nix employers I know are more inclined to
go with strong sysad/security/engineering experience and scripting abilities on more than just linux machines.
I also think that some of the employers that go after the
certs are not the ones you want to work for.

All that being said I think the lpic is a very good certification and not easy. The RHCE is also good.
The last time I checked you could still do the lab
portion without recourse to approved graphical FE's
or configuration utilities.
There is a good chance that you will fail the lab
portion if you go in with the idea that you will have
X or linuxconfig or chkconfig or any other utility
available to you during the repair portion of the lab.
Sometimes the problems aren't trivial either..
1) damaged soft raid mounted filesystem
2) dead box
3) badly corrupted filesystems
These are problems that make consultants and techs
sweat in the real world, in an exam situ, with time
pressure, it can be more difficult.

My .02

 

[fluid11]

marsd, did you take the RHCE or LPIC-2?

 

[marsd]

I studied for the RHCE and talked to several people who took it., but then decided not to take it ($$). I've looked at the course materials for the LPIC exams quite a few times.

I have linux+ and LCP, since those were cheap and easy and seem to carry most of the weight amongst employers as the "better" certs, which is to say, not alot.

The way the market is I wouldn't be getting any more certs right now anyway. I've got CCNA/CCDA,A+,Network+, the two linux certs and four+ years of sysad experience and can't find a job.
Very discouraging.

Do you have either of these certs?

 

[fluid11]

Look at my first post at the bottom....

 

[marsd]

That's the lpic-1. Thought you were talking about lpic-2 and RHCE.

 

[fluid11]

I thought you were just asking which certs I had.

 

[patel]

I took RHCE and faild in debug part. I have HP certi. 99% time I works on HP. May be I am not that stong in Linux yet.

Patel

 

[marsd]

What was the problem, or are you allowed to discuss it?

 

[fluid11]

What kinds of things did you have to do in the lab portion?

 

[jmarwan]

I found RedHat documentation in the redhat web site.
is this redhat doc sufficient to prepare for RHCE or RHCT exams?
if no where can I find free doc?
thank in advance

 

[bwilliam13]

I took the RHCE class and test for Redhat 9 and passed it. I thought it was straightforward and easy if you know linux as a whole. I hadn't touched Redhat 9 before I went...so if you're solid in any Redhat after 7.1, you should be fine.

Realistically, half of the stuff they ask on the written test will be specific to Redhat or Redhat-like systems. Stuff like rpm, chkconfig, redhat-config-xfree86, etc etc. You basically need to know how to do all the command-line low-level stuff SPECIFIC to REDHAT.

On my written test and labs, I'd say less than 5% of it dealt with anything specific to Xfree or graphical interfaces of any kind. So, consequently, if you aren't as strong at the command line as you are with the GUI, you won't pass...guaranteed.

One thing I found worthless about the test was how to restore a Redhat system if part of the system was broken...like a bootloader or something. One of those things involved using the grub bootloader...and that was the only way to do it...because Redhat really only supports customers who use the grub bootloader. For me, I don't use grub in any production environment. Partly because it's not production environment material...the other part is I've used lilo since day one and have never had any problems with it. Overall, that's the only thing in the class/test that was new to me...but there isn't much to grub. It has a lot of options, but 95% of those options don't apply to most people...so they don't even touch on them.

As a whole, if you're not going to use a lot of Redhat in your production environment, I think the cert is worthless. Where I work, we deploy Oracle on Redhat exclusively so there's some value in me having it...and since the company paid for it, I won't argue. If I was going to spend my own money though, I think a more generic Linux cert would be better...something that goes into more depth about LINUX-SPECIFIC issues and not Redhat-specific issues. I remember there being 2 question on the RHCE exam about the Linux kernel. After that, it was all redhat-specific.

 

[fluid11]

I've since passed the RHCE since I originally started this thread a year ago. I would disagree with your statement of half of the test is Red Hat specific. On the installation & networking services lab, you had to install and configure various networking services (NFS, Samba, TCP Wrappers, etc.). This type of thing is pretty much done the same way on any Linux distro. The debugging exam also was not completely Red Hat specific. You mentioned that you had to use GRUB on the exam, but you really didn't. If you read the instructions, you'll notice that you were allowed to use *anything* from the Red Hat CDs, so if you came across a GRUB problem in the debugging portion, you could have uninstalled GRUB and installed LILO if you feel more comfortable with it. You have a lot of freedom on the test, and there was more than one correct way to fix a problem. During the network services lab, you could even use the GUI if you wanted to, although you would most likely run out of time before everything was fixed. The written portion of the exam was very easy, any Linux admin should be able to pass it no problem.

ChrisP
RHCE, LPIC-1, CCNA, CNE, MCSE, +10 others

 

[bwilliam13]

>On the installation & networking services lab, you had to install and configure various networking services (NFS, Samba, TCP Wrappers, etc.). This type of thing is pretty much done the same way on any Linux distro. The debugging exam also was not completely Red Hat specific. You mentioned that you had to use GRUB on the exam, but you really didn't.

May have been true for you, but the word I got from the Redhat instructor is that none of the labs are ever the same from one class/test to the next, and that none of the written tests are the same from one student to the next. The ratio of Redhat-specific questions to Linux specific questions varies by student...it's never the same. Again, that's what the instructor told me. Also, we were instructed to restore the machine to how it was supposed to be. It means if grub was the bootloader and it wasn't booting properly, fix grub. That was the instructor's explanation. There were some things spelled out specifically, other things were open to just get working.

I also don't think the statement is true about the networking services. Redhat handles them a different way than say Slackware or Suse. Starting and stopping them can be completely different, and the configuration files are in completely different places depending on the distro. I've pretty much seen/used them all over the past 12 years. They are all different.

I knew how to do each step of the exam and I finished pretty much right as the time was running out. If you don't know how to do what's on the test--without X-windows, you won't pass. Xfree pretty much has no direct impact on the test...other than that you don't need it to do the test. If you are lost without a GUI, forget about taking the test and passing it.

 

[fluid11]

I completely agree with your last paragraph. I'm a very fast test taker, and for the first time in my life I actually needed all of the alloted time for the networking services lab. I sat there until the very end going over the 6 pages of instructions and making sure I completed all of the steps. There is no way that you can pass that section of the exam using X. The networking services lab includes a full network install of RH at the beginning. Since you need all the alloted time given to you, you really need to do a minimal install only installing what you need, this means no X or GUI tools. I don't know why you would want to use X for server administration anyway, but just for anyone that does use it, you can forget it for this exam.

Going back to the very first post from a year ago, now that I've taken the exam, I don't agree with what the LPI rep said. She said that the RHCE focuses more on the GUI tools, which is completely untrue. You need to be able to do everything from the command line to pass this exam. The LPIC-1 exams are actually harder than the written portion of the RHCE.

ChrisP
RHCE, LPIC-1, CCNA, CNE, MCSE, +10 others

 

[ady2k]

Should I take LPIC or RHCE or both ?

 

[lullysing]

i would love to take the LPI level 1 exam, but unfortunatly i dont'think i actually fullfill their requirement for the exam, which would be that you would have to have ADMINED for a year before taking the test.

I mean, how the hell is a guy that just finished school and wants to get some certs to beef up a thin CV supposed to admin for a year before taking the exam for the cert that would technically speaking qualify you for that gig?

Every single time i think about it, it makes me angry. SO right now i'm a PFY with a linux/unix networking degree ( college equivalent) and i want to take the exam. And then i look at the reqs, grumble and go buy another o reilly book on another thing that i need to know, since i can't take the exam...



_____________________________
when someone asks for your username and password, and much *clickely clickely* is happening in the background, know enough that you should be worried.

 

[lullysing]

Hold the mustard and stop the engines, it seems they have changed the reqs for the junior level exam, again. This time there is no prereqs...

Maybe someone told them how their first requirements for a "junior level" diploma was... well... harsh?

_____________________________
when someone asks for your username and password, and much *clickely clickely* is happening in the background, know enough that you should be worried.

 

[ady2k]

But many companies are looking for staff got certification paper.They liked you to show the certification paper.I had gone for interview few times.
They asked "Did you have any certification paper like MC$E?"
Whats the value of certification ?