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Novell's Certified Linux Engineer
AEnertia writes "Novell have been quick in moving ahead with their recent aquisition of SuSE. I was browsing their site when I found this page describing their new certification (CLE) under their certifications programs. Looks like they are positioning their well respected certification program for their newest asset."
From the Novell site:
the test
The Novell Practicum test for the Novell Certified Linux Engineer (Novell CLE) will require you to prove your Novell Nterprise Linux Services knowledge in a "real life" setting. Your knowledge of both Linux and Novell Nterprise Linux Services will be tested.
The practicum is basically a remote connection to a live server bank with Linux installed. Using the remote access session, you will be given a scenario with tasks to complete. These tasks will include configuring Novell Services on Linux, performing basic Linux tasks, and may even get into some troubleshooting.
You will need to perform these tasks just as you would in a real environment. You will be evaluated automatically on each of the servers and will you receive a pass or fail exam result. The length of the exam is estimated to be about two hours.
There is no "written" test anticipated at this time.
For once, there is nothing written, and you actually have to demonstrate proficiency! No more "wannabes" (*cough*MCSE*cough*) merley memorising and getting the Certification.
libertarianswag.com
Novell had a Internet track to the CNE years ago, back in the days when Netscape Enterprise Web Server ran on Netware. The classes were horrible and I feel bad for anyone that paid to take them.
It appears from the website that this is just a single 5-day course on Novell Nterprise Services for Linux (Netware File and Print and Directory Services running on Linux), not a course on SuSE or Ximian. They suggest (but do not require) that you get a LPI certification first before taking the class.
It's kind of a stretch that they are calling this a Certified Linux Engineer, since there is no actual Linux training involved, just training on Novell's product running on Linux. In fact, the course material says that you should know Linux before taking the course.
So, unfortunately this seems like yet another empty certification, and shame on Novell for calling someone a Certified Linux Engineer when all they did was take a 5-day course on one of Novell's Linux products.
- "When you want something with all your heart, the entire universe conspires to give it to you" -Paulo Coelho
And the latest fad, having to work for a company for at least 18 months after they pay for your certification training, or you owe it back to them. And this place I'm talking to wants to have me take 4 or 5 certification courses at thousands each. Any of you remember the old movie called I think "angel city" about a southern "labor camp city", where everyone was made to be so indebted to the company for supplies, food & shelter that they could never work off the debt and couldn't leave??.....
You might be really wrong.
If this one is high level enough, then it might be good. Problem of all exams is that they aren't hard enough and practically anybody can pass them
I went to RHCE, but I was really dissapointed with low level of knowledge to pass the exam. My M$ exams (fact for anybody who wants to pass them: just think commercialy M$ positive and you'll pass, absolute no knowledge needed just economical common sense) are pure need and if it is possible I rather shut up than say that I have them. Unfortunate that's a bussiness must have for me.
Signature Pro version 1.13.2-3 release 83.5 beta3try7 after-breakfast edition
Well, it's also something that's potentially harmful. There is a reason that universities need to be accredited to offer engineering degrees, and that once you become a professional engineer (PEng) you can lose that license if you don't do your job properly.
A lot of people don't realize that calling yourself an 'engineer' carries the same sort of weight and responsibility as calling yourself a doctor or a lawyer. You have people's lives in your hands (and often on a bigger scale than doctors - when doctors screw up, one patient dies.. when engineers screw up, bridges fall down and many people die). You can have your engineering license revoked for bad pratice. And just like doctors and lawyers, you can get in a lot of trouble for praticing engineering without a license.
I've met a lot of MCSE's that couldn't solve their way out of a cardboard box, and yet, they have the word 'engineer' in their title. And these are the people designing and implementing often mission-critical systems that our society depends on.
The PEO brought Microsoft Canada to court over this issue, and although Microsoft will still use the MSCE title, they (and people holding the title) are only allowed to use the acronym MSCE or full title, and are not allowed to call themselves simply 'engineers'. A lot more information on this can be found at PEO's Software Engineering site.
Basically, Microsoft is not willing to change the title (citing it would cost them too much, and they like the branding it has), and want to continue using the term 'engineer'. The CCPE and the various provincal bodies (PEO, APEGGA, etc) are now talking enforcement, saying anyone that misrepresents themselves is facing $50,000 fines.
Speak before you think
You're right - a good MCSE is an asset to a company running Windows. Heck - a good admin familiar with his employer's arhictecture is an asset to any company. But I disagree with your dismisal of paper MCSE's.
Maybe its the difference between your working environment and mine. A real possibility since I've worked both within outstanding resource-rich environments and with organizations who, to be polite, are simply cheap. In any case, I have seen a real market for the stereotypical paper MCSE. They exist. And they keep their jobs.
Don't get me wrong - not all MCSEs are of that sort. I've met some very technical Windows types that had a rather in-depth knowledge of the platform. Which has lead to some really great technical discussions (and some very handy exchanges of expertise from time to time). But I've found them to rare.
This is kind of an odd thing to say. After all, when do we throw a Windows admin at a Solaris system?
Its interesting that the tool anology comes up. The whole reason techies get impassioned about verious systems and whatnot has a lot to do with craftsmen and tools. After all, sysadmins tend to be craftsmen. And while an expert craftsman might be able to make a chair using nothing but a hammer and screwdriver, they're definately going to feel contrained. They won't be able to produce the level of work they know they could with the right tools (or at least tools they are comfortable with).
My work desktop environment right now is Win2K due to various contraints (office automation apps, a few Windows machines I have to keep an eye on, etc). Yet I go to quite a bit of trouble to make that environment as Unix-like as I can. I really prefer that environment. And I've been able to pull off a few things recently that have had my coworkers wowed (thanks to Cygwin).
One last point - I've experienced both sides. I started as a rather oblivious Windows admin. Then I had to pick up some Unix machines and found an environment that I preferred. I will only grudgingly admin a Windows machine from this point on (and I ocassionally still do). I can certainly understand why people do not want to work with Windows systems. But then - I suppose I can sypmathize with anybody who doesn't want to touch *nix (even if I don't agree with them).
Someone claiming that a *nix admin should just learn to fix Windows instead of complaining about it sounds more like ignorance to me than insight.
That sounds like a good MCSE Motto:
"If you cant be smart, you can at least act superior."
We understand how an OS and applications do things, that is why we prefer Linux. I do not need an abstraction layer protecting me from the horrors of the hardware/OS interface. I do not need a monopoly telling me what I can and can't do with the hardware I bought. I do not need forced upgrades, poor security, bloated code, and a GHz or better procesor to type a letter or browse the internet.
Most of all, I don't need Clippy to help me do my work!
Linus, Raymond, RMS, Cox and crew do not care if I upgrade my motherboard or get a new hard drive, so why do I have to get permission from Microsoft when I try it with XP?
1. Well, I figured A.D. had that capability but you are stuck with what I said if those machines are independent of a domain.
2. You MS guys have more experience looking for answers to your questions. When I run into a MS problem, I search TechNet and various sources only to find the question that I am looking for but not a good answer. With linux, if I run the search on google, chances are, the answer is in the search string for each matching item.
3. As for the test thing, well, thats up for debate. Im of the school that real world scenarios, that are actually played out as a test, are more comprehensive and demonstrate a better understanding of the material than a bubble sheet.
Really though, I am a *nix admin. I am not suited for nor am I comfortable with admining NT/2k/XP/2k3 servers/clients/etc. I do notice one thing: There is more easily available info for those starting to admin on *nix than there is for windows boxes. I have found that systems admin for Windows has a more steep learning curve than any *nix platform. Mind you, this is my opinion.
- One of the students in a class had a photographic memory. He didn't understand why everyone didn't just read the book and go take the exam while the book was still in short-term memory.
- The Sr. VP where I work as a mainframe sysprog asked me if I knew anyone who was good at Windows debugging. I told him I knew some MCSE types. He said that if his IT department were a karate dojo, "MCSE" would be equivalent to "white belt" (rank beginner).- An instructor in an SQL Server class related the tale about a forklift operator who got laid off. He kept seeing job ads for "MCDBA" and asked around to find out what that meant. He didn't have the cash to actually take the courses but he bought the books and passed the exam (through luck, I guess) on the 14th attempt. He landed a job making $160K per year and kept it for six months before they realized he didn't know beans. He ended up $80K richer, though.
You were 80% angel, 10% demon. The rest was hard to explain. - Over The Rhine
"Math in a song is good."-Linford
The only way to get more information on this topic from the SuSE website is to download the PDF formatted docs.
I appreciate the presentation-control aspects that PDF gives to documents, but I don't think that it's too much to ask that a simple webpage with text information on it be provided as an alternative. I realize this is slightly OT, but in the slim hope that some SuSE webmaster/PR people are reading the thread: please some new-fashioned good ol' XHTML would do nicely instead. Thanks.
2. I sometimes use google. It actually links back to a lot of technet articles. As I said, MS really needs to work on their technet search engine.
I think the issue is just experience. When something breaks, I can think for a minute on what process the issue is supposed to go thru, and see where in that process the error is occuring. From that, I will know approximately what is going wrong. Im guessing any other OS would troubleshoot the same way, its just that (as I mentioned), a lot of other people dont put the time into learning the steps that Windows, Exchange, etc, go thru; nor should they if they arent Windows experts. But its just like everything- some people are experts, some people arent.
3. The only testing Ive heard of with that would be the CCIE tests, where they throw you in a room with a broken network and tell you to fix it. You may want to look into examples of how MS does their test questions now, its pretty different than standard multiple guess questions from the past.
Hmm, Ive never found there to be a lack of information on administrating windows; a quick search of Amazon.com should turn up literally hundreds, along with (as my favorite feature) user reviews and critiques on which books are good, which arent.
Manipulate the moderator system! Mod someone as "overrated" today.
I haven't seen the questions myself, but people here at work are taking the Microsoft Certified .NET something tests without learning anything.
We are still looking to hire someone who knows something about MS SQL-server, although half the programmers took the SQL certification.