Red Hat Certification Program

Red Hat offers several courses that can help you prepare for the RHCT and RHCE. Most of these courses are four or five days long. In some cases, you can take parts of an individual course on an electronic basis. Table 1 illustrates the available hands-on, instructor-led courses that can also help you prepare for the RHCE or RHCT exams.

Table 1: Red Hat RHCT/RHCE Related Courses

Course	Description
RH033	Introduction to Linux: basic pre-system administration skills
RH131	Basic system administration skills for installation and configuration (RH133 without the RHCT exam)
RH133	Basic system administration skills for installation and configuration; includes the RHCT exam
RH202	The RHCT exam
RH253	Basic network and security administration; requires a basic knowledge of LANs/WANs and TCP/IP; when combined with RH133, prepares students for the RHCE exam
RH300	The crash course plus the RHCE exam
RH301	The crash course without the RHCE exam
RH302	The RHCE exam
RHUP304	Designed to update RHCEs certified on RHEL 3 and RHEL 4 to RHEL 5, plus the RHCE exam
RHUP305	The update course without the RHCE exam

These aren't the only Red Hat courses available; there are a number of others related to the Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA) and Red Hat Certified Security Specialist (RHCSS) certifications. But study this first; the RHCE is a prerequisite for those certifications.

Should You Take an RHCT/RHCE Course?

This book is not intended as a substitute for the Red Hat RHCE "crash course" (RH300/301) or the RHCT prep course (RH131/RH133). However, the topics are based on the RHCE Rapid Track Course Outline and related RHCT/RHCE Exam Prep guide, both available at www.redhat.com. By design, these topics may help Linux users qualify as administrators and can also be used as such. Just remember, Red Hat can change these topics and course outlines at any time, so monitor www.redhat.com for the latest updates.

RH300 and RH133 are excellent courses. The Red Hat instructors who teach these courses are highly skilled. If you have the skills, it is the best way to prepare for the RHCT and RHCE exams. If you feel the need for classroom instruction, read this book, and then take the appropriate course.

If you're not sure if you're ready for the course or book, read Chapter 1. It is a rapid overview of the prerequisites for the Red Hat RHCT and RHCE certification courses. If you find the material in Chapter 1 to be overwhelming, consider one of the books noted near the start of the chapter, or one of the other Red Hat courses. However, if you are just less familiar with a few of the topics covered in Chapter 1, you're probably okay. Even experienced Linux administrators aren't familiar with everything. Just use the references noted at the beginning of Chapter 1 to fill in any gaps in your knowledge.

Alternatively, you may already be familiar with the material in this book. You may have the breadth and depth of knowledge required to pass the RHCT or RHCE exams. In that case, use this book as a refresher to help you focus on the skills and techniques you need to pass your exam.

Signing Up for the RHCT/RHCE Course and/or Exam

Red Hat provides convenient Web-based registration systems for the courses and test. To sign up for any of the Red Hat courses or exams, navigate to www.redhat.com, click the link for Training and the RHCE/RHCT Program, and select the desired course or exam. Alternatively, contact Red Hat Enrollment Central at [phone].

Final Preparations

The Red Hat exams are grueling. Once you have the skills, the most important thing that you can take to the exam is a clear head. If you're tired or frantic, you may miss the easy solutions that are often available. Get the sleep you need the night before the exam. Eat a good breakfast. Bring snacks with you that can keep your mind in top condition.

Remember, the RHCE exam is five and a half hours long. Even the RHCT exam is three hours long. The time allotted for the RHCE exam is more than twice the length of a world-class marathon.

As I describe in Chapter 1, this is an advanced book. It is not designed for beginners to Unix or Linux. As Red Hat does not cover prerequisite skills in its prep course for the RHCT or RHCE exams, I've only covered the tools associated with these prerequisites briefly-mostly in Chapter 1. If you need more information on these prerequisite skills, Red Hat offers other courses (see www.redhat.com/apps/training/); alternatively, read the reference books I've cited in that chapter.

Inside the Exam

The RHCE exam requires that you master RHCT and RHCE skills, and assumes that you already have the prerequisite skills. I've cited them separately, as is done in the current version of the Red Hat Exam Prep guide. Watch for updates at www.redhat.com/training/rhce and www.redhat.com/training/rhce/examprep.html.