Move over MCSEs, Novell is offering a new Linux certification, CLE, for its partners.
SALT LAKE CITY—Novell Inc. announced Monday at its 20th annual BrainShare show here that it is launching immediately its newest certification: the Novell Certified Linux Engineer (CLE) Certification.
Novell pioneered the now popular certification programs for IT technicians and administrators. In 1990, the company created the Certified Network Engineer—now Novell Engineers (CNEs)—program that would assure both individuals and companies that certified IT workers could deliver the goods. Now Novell is hoping that, just as the CNE went a long way toward establishing NetWare as a powerful server operating system, the same will happen with the CLE.
"Maximizing the power of Linux and making it a reality within an organization takes trained engineers with the credentials to administer, troubleshoot and support it," said Ptarmi Kilgore, marketing manager for Novell Training Services. "Organizations looking to adopt Linux need to know theres a pool of expertise they can tap into to install and manage those environments."
The CLE certification was good news for BrainShare attendees. "My customers respect certifications," said a vice president from a Midwest reseller. "When my people come in with a Novell Linux certification, theyll be much more likely to consider both Linux and my company for their server needs."
To receive CLE certification, one must pass a CLE Practicum test. This test, available at the show for $99, will be available for $195 at testing centers already offering Novell exams.
To prepare for the CLE test, Novell recommends first taking the test for Linux Professional Institute (LPI) Level 1 certification. While getting CLE certification doesnt require the LPI certification, Kilgore said, "if someone doesnt have that baseline LPI knowledge, they wont pass the [CLE] exam."
The test, which lasts for about 2 hours, requires those that take it to show practical knowledge of both Linux and Nterprise Linux Services. Instead of just answering multiple-choice questions, those taking the test will have to show that they can, for example, configure Novell services on Linux, set up a Samba file server or set up a basic Novell eDirectory directory system.
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