Novell Launches New Linux Certifications
The efforts include the Certified Linux Engineer (CLE) program and the SUSE Certified Linux Professional (SCLP) certification.
Bob Couture, vice president for worldwide services at the Waltham, Mass., company, said both programs are designed to increase the base of technical knowledge on Linux and Linux-based solutions in the market today.
"Linux is the fastest-growing server operating environment and Novell is making a significant commitment to driving Linux into the enterprise," he said. "For enterprises to adopt Novell Linux solutions, they need to know there's a pool of expertise they can tap to install and manage those environments."
Couture noted that Novell will target partners with both programs, encouraging solution providers to obtain certifications so they can deliver the company's new Linux solutions to customers. Specifically, the Novell CLE requires a core understanding of Linux that equals the level of knowledge required for a Linux Professional Institute Certification Level 1 (LPIC-1), while the SCLP is based on the LPIC-1 with enhancements.
For the CLE, Novell and its training partners will offer an intensive-five day course on Novell Nterprise Linux Services. Dan Veitkus, head of worldwide training services for Novell, said that in order to achieve certification, candidates will need to pass the Practicum CLE examination to test basic competency and skills operating in Linux and Novell Nterprise Linux Services environments.
"Our CLE exam is no 'paper certification,' " said Veitkus. "CLE candidates must demonstrate they can handle practical challenges on Linux by completing randomly selected scenarios requiring the resolution of a given problem or process, all within a specified time period."
While candidates for the CLE must demonstrate these basic distribution-independent Linux skills, candidates for the SCLP also need to show expertise in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server-specific issues that are not covered by the LPIC exams. According to Veitkus, these issues include the SUSE administration tool YaST and various standard services of the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, such as the CUPS print server.
Both the Novell CLE and the SUSE Linux exam for the SCLP will be available in March.